lighting experts

Doma25

Doma25

Member
my tank is a 90 gallon bowfront if i run 2x250 watt metal halides, with t5 would i need a chiller, would i have heat issues, i want to be able to have some montis, and maybe a birdnest,

if i run a 39x4 solar xtreme instead would i have good results

please help! i want to do this right!
 
Really it depends on a bunch of stuff. How far away the lights are from the water? Do you have fans for cooling? I am guessing you have an open top, as most do. How hot/cold is your house? You could get the lights set up and see if you have a heat problem, or you can get the chiller for piece of mind. I am running 3 250w MH on my 225g with no problem, just a lot of evaporation, and I Keep my house at 76 in the summer.
 
How good's your house AC, where do you live, what's your current temp range, and what sort of submerged pumps do you run? I have one 250 mh and 2 actinics in a 54 bow and have no particular troubles, with 2 submerged pumps, one a mag 5 and one an mj1200, and a CFL refugium light.
 
my house is very well regulated, and i live on longisland. my tank is a bowfront so getting light is tricky, the fixture really cant be wider then 9" if i want to open the glass tope without moving the light.
right now i have a 48'" long 4x54 watt compact fluorescent light. is that good enough for most corals?
 
you have 2 X 250W halides now? what is your temp swing? I've got 2 X250W halides, 2 T5s and 2 VHOs inside a completely inclosed canopy and with a set of fans i keep my temp swing within 1 degree daily. I'm not sure why many ppl need chillers at all
 
no i don't have the lights now, i see a great deal on a light fixture, my tank would be covered with glass canopies, and it would be under a hood, my other choice is this

Coralife 48 Inch Aqualight With 2-65W Actinic / 2-65W 10,000K Lamp Straight Pin Base (with fans)
 
You might not like this answer, but in all honesty, there are SO MANY factors to consider, you probably won't know for sure until you fire up the fixture and see what happens. I would suggest using the fixture on a day that you will be there for many hours to monitor the temp swings. Have some fans available in case it gets too hot. Fans can, at a minimum, be a temporary solution if you want to plumb in a chiller, and they can also be a very reliable permanent solution. These types of questions are a lot like mystery meat; you never know until you try it.
 
ive got a 90g with the same set up a Mirastar 2x 250 and 90 watts of T5 and Mine swings from 77- 81 with lights on. So I got a chiller.
 
i have a 75 with 2 - 400's and 2 110 wat VHO's temp goes from 79 at night to 81 during the day no chiller needed.
 
i would to! but due to the design of the bowfront, it would be such a hassle having a wider light, because it would be so hard to move the light to feed the fish.i plan on having the light inbetween the glass and oak canopy
 
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