Lighting a 40G breeder

[40gnano]

Hey Guys and gals.
I was curious on a Lighting question.
I have a 40G Acrylic breeder, and its 36" long, and 16" wide.
I was going to buy a 24" 380W Metal Halide and actic combo, for it.
I was wondering if that would work on this aquarium, since the tank is 36" and the light is 24"....

It will have soft, and SPS corals in it.

Thank you.

 

[40gnano]

no one knows?

 

[cilistacichlids]

i run 2 2X39w HO t5s with a single 150 watt 14k metal halide on my 40 gal

 

[40gnano]

you have any pictures? if so, post'em

 

[noboddi]

I run 2x150 MH Phoenix 14k and 2 39w T5

 

[E.intheC]

IMO, T-5's are a better choice with a 40 breeder, due to its size. It's wider and longer than the typical MH will cover, again IMO. You can also have a dual MH setup, but I'd go with a number of T-5's instead.

 

[kretzkiller]

I am currently trying to decide as well. I have a 250w MH with 4 t5's. 1 250 heats my tank up considerably. I can't imagine what 2 250's would do. I am considering 2 150's but am leaning towards the 6bulb TEK fixture.

 

[40gnano]

can you still grow SPS with T-5's?

 

[40gnano]

There a heck of a lot more too, I might stick with the pc/metal halide set-up.

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

You can grow sps under t5s,their output will surprise you.

 

[kretzkiller]

don't do pc/halide setup...use t5/halide setup t5's don't heat the tank up.

 

[40gnano]

hm, what size wattage should i run? and how many bulbs, if i were to go t-5's?

 

[kretzkiller]

I would get the TEK 6 bulb fixture. with good bulbs it would work well. However, if you are going to hang the lights you can do halides. I don't have that option so I am going for t5's.

 

[DaveG99]

look at my build thread...I run a 175watt iwasaki 15k MH and 2x39 ATI blue+ bulbs. VERY nice color and LOTS of par.

http://www.dallasmas.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1389

 

[kretzkiller]

very nice. I don't think he has a canopy and if the fixture is to sit closer to the tank mh's heat a small tank up pretty easily.

 

[SpencerG]

Re: Lighting a 40G breeder

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14944189#post14944189 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 40gnano
I was going to buy a 24" 380W Metal Halide and actic combo, for it.
I was wondering if that would work on this aquarium, since the tank is 36" and the light is 24"....

It will have soft, and SPS corals in it.

Thank you.

I have this exact light on my 40 breeder, and there's nothing I can't keep in there - SPS, clams, LPS, etc. In fact, the light is maybe a bit too much for most acros placed at the very top. It will work fine for you. I have the fixture suspended about 10" above the water, open top. No problems with heat.

That being said, the big drawback is the single point of illumination. It's great for ripple lines but not so great for coral growth and development on all sides. A dual MH light setup or the even light distribution of the fluorescents (T5s, power compacts) may give you more rounded growth and the ability to place corals throughout. I really noticed it on my birdsnest when I switched from a 192 watt power compact fixture to the one you're looking at.

Good luck!

 

[40gnano]

Thanks for the info.

 

[mudskipper1]

I run a 10k 150w mh w/ 2 39w t5 actinics, I can grow sps fine in most of the tank, and the 150 covers the tank fully at about 10" above the water.

 

[40gnano]

the light i was talking about is on eBay...for $189 shipped.

 

[redfishsc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14945209#post14945209 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 40gnano
There a heck of a lot more too, I might stick with the pc/metal halide set-up.

Another vote against PC setups.

PC's don't give off nearly the PAR of T5's, and they are supposed to be replaced every 6 months, but you can get a solid year (or more) from a T5.

That, and your bulb color and manufacturer options are very limited with PC's, with T5's you can have anything you want.