lighting feedback needed.
- Thread starter pcurry18
- Start date
Crap i hate when i forget to add the link...my bad...here it is.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Metal-Halide-po...ryZ46314QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/Metal-Halide-po...ryZ46314QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem
rockwyld
New member
hey Paul, why dont you just go with some/alot of T5's. Use that canopy, replace the plastic with wood, and the height will work with T5's. Its too low for MH. I would do..(from front of tank to back)
2- 24"
4-36"
2-24'
Power everything with two icecap 660 balasts. Piece of cake.
2- 24"
4-36"
2-24'
Power everything with two icecap 660 balasts. Piece of cake.
MrMikeB
New member
Paul,
Maybe we can ask Ed to post a picture of the lights we just picked up from Max at Mermaid Aquarium in Pleasanton yesterday? It was a nice T5 setup with about 8 bulbs - want to say around 4ft long?, and he was selling them for $300 a piece. New these things sell for over $800 and they are a year old and come with bulbs. It might be a bit more light than you need now, and I am not sure how it might fit in a corner unit. Max was using them on his display coral tanks, so you know they are top of the line. He had 5 left yesterday. Just a thought...
Maybe we can ask Ed to post a picture of the lights we just picked up from Max at Mermaid Aquarium in Pleasanton yesterday? It was a nice T5 setup with about 8 bulbs - want to say around 4ft long?, and he was selling them for $300 a piece. New these things sell for over $800 and they are a year old and come with bulbs. It might be a bit more light than you need now, and I am not sure how it might fit in a corner unit. Max was using them on his display coral tanks, so you know they are top of the line. He had 5 left yesterday. Just a thought...
rockwyld
New member
No, on that tank it wont go to the back. You will have to use 24"ers to cover the back. You really want to make sure the back has enough light because thats typically where you would stack up the rock in a corner tank. If you didnt like my setup with the MH, Then I think the only option would be the T5's. Run the first 2 24' and 4 36' from corner to corner and then angle the last 2 24" to come out of the back corner up each side. That should cover that tank very well. You should ask Justin74 about what colors(temp) bulbs to use. I guess he is the resident T5 guru.
pepe.king.prawn
New member
Go with metal halides. The intensity is greater than T5's, I promise. Not to mention, they look fantastic.
Either way, you can't beat that shimmer that the MH's give off!
pepe.king.prawn
New member
There's lots of debate, surely... but from a mathematical standpoint the light generated from a flourescent lamp is much more diffuse than that of a metal halide lamp. Having a single small source emitting "250w" will (by principle of superposition) emit more intense radiation capable of penetrating deeper into the tank. If you take that 250w and spread it out over the length of a 4ft bulb 1" in diameter, the emission is not as intense.
Also, since the MH bulb is contained within an evacuated (vacuum sealed... essentially) envelope, there is very little heat transmission except by radiation. This means that more power is being converted to light rather than heat. Flourescents do not have the same construction and are free to lose heat by conduction to air. The conversion of energetic ions & electrons to light using a phosphor (T5) is also not 100% efficient since some light will be absorbed by the neighboring phosphor and some ions will not cause flourescence at all.
NEXT...
The whole T5 vs. MH is definitely a matter of OPINION, so take anything I say with a grain of salt (or your whole bucket of IO). From every single T5 tank I've seen, they're not as bright as metal halides. A 92 gallon corner tank is 24" deep, IIRC, so your best bet is to go with a 400w halide if possible. That will keep your options open for keeping just about any coral. Not to mention you needn't change your bulb as frequently as T5's.
Also, since the MH bulb is contained within an evacuated (vacuum sealed... essentially) envelope, there is very little heat transmission except by radiation. This means that more power is being converted to light rather than heat. Flourescents do not have the same construction and are free to lose heat by conduction to air. The conversion of energetic ions & electrons to light using a phosphor (T5) is also not 100% efficient since some light will be absorbed by the neighboring phosphor and some ions will not cause flourescence at all.
NEXT...The whole T5 vs. MH is definitely a matter of OPINION, so take anything I say with a grain of salt (or your whole bucket of IO). From every single T5 tank I've seen, they're not as bright as metal halides. A 92 gallon corner tank is 24" deep, IIRC, so your best bet is to go with a 400w halide if possible. That will keep your options open for keeping just about any coral. Not to mention you needn't change your bulb as frequently as T5's.
pepe,
I want to buy the sunpod http://www.petmountain.com/product/light-fixtures/504061/sunpod-hqi-lighting.html I think it will provide what i need. Between the 2 bulbs im looking at 300W of white/blue light and they say these lights are the bomb. can you give me feed back? Thanks a bunch.
I want to buy the sunpod http://www.petmountain.com/product/light-fixtures/504061/sunpod-hqi-lighting.html I think it will provide what i need. Between the 2 bulbs im looking at 300W of white/blue light and they say these lights are the bomb. can you give me feed back? Thanks a bunch.
pepe.king.prawn
New member
Honestly, when I was looking at first getting lighting I looked for the cheap stuff, which was never brand name. I checked out AquaTrader in Oakland (san leandro?? or maybe SSF?) and their lighting was AWFUL. The lamps just didn't seem to be as bright as they should be and the bulbs produced really poor looking spectra. Hence, my recommendation would be to try to get something more brand name like PFO, Hamilton, Coralife. You can get them from your favorite LFS and support them so they'll have the fish you'd like to see for years to come, or you can opt for the frugal route and buy online. Here's one I would recommend, customize it as you like: http://www.aquadirect.com/store/product.php?productid=965&pconf=973&slot=17
I don't have a lot of time to read into it, I don't know if that comes with bulbs or not, but if a fixture comes with bulbs I'm willing to bet you'll want to buy new ones anyway to get the color you like best.
I'm not sure which size fixture you need for a 92 corner, i just assumed 3ft. You'll probably have to hang it or get a glass top since it won't mount correctly with the standard rectangle tank mounting brackets.
I'd recommend going with dual 250w + power compacts (I'm more in favor of PCs than VHO). HQI is nice, but not essential. The difference in light output is visually hard for me to notice, and the single end bulbs are a little cheaper. 250w will give you the intensity (and penetration) that will allow you to keep just about everything and two will cover the tank better than one.
10k bulbs are a good place to start.
I don't have a lot of time to read into it, I don't know if that comes with bulbs or not, but if a fixture comes with bulbs I'm willing to bet you'll want to buy new ones anyway to get the color you like best.
I'm not sure which size fixture you need for a 92 corner, i just assumed 3ft. You'll probably have to hang it or get a glass top since it won't mount correctly with the standard rectangle tank mounting brackets.
I'd recommend going with dual 250w + power compacts (I'm more in favor of PCs than VHO). HQI is nice, but not essential. The difference in light output is visually hard for me to notice, and the single end bulbs are a little cheaper. 250w will give you the intensity (and penetration) that will allow you to keep just about everything and two will cover the tank better than one.
10k bulbs are a good place to start.
pepe.king.prawn
New member
On a side note... the HQI fixtures you mentioned you were considering apear to be made by the same manufacturer as the Aquapod, just sold under a differend distributor perhaps. I've seen the aquapod w/ 150hqi in person (29 gallon tank), and 150w is a good amount for that tank. However, I cannot vouch for its longevity nor coral sustaining quality.
chem-e
Active member
I don't think that the 150 watt bulb is going to be enough for you. I'd go with atleast a 250 watt DE with a couple of T5s in a fixture, but that's just me.
The problem with these tanks is the shape. A 36 in bulb will fit in the front, but for myself, the only thing in the front is sand.
If I could do it over again, I'd go with a 5 or 6 bulb T5 fixture or my second choice would be a 250watt DE MH fixture with 2 to 4 T5 bulbs.
JMO
The problem with these tanks is the shape. A 36 in bulb will fit in the front, but for myself, the only thing in the front is sand.
If I could do it over again, I'd go with a 5 or 6 bulb T5 fixture or my second choice would be a 250watt DE MH fixture with 2 to 4 T5 bulbs.
JMO
Well, now im at a cross road. Rockwyld mentioned that i should mount 2 36's 2 24's and 2 12's in the top of the canopy in order to have all the coverage necessary. Will T5s allow me to host clams and maybe one or two hard corals? im mainly concerned with being able to host a couple of clams in the bottom of the tank. If T5s will do then maybe ill go that route. any inputs would be appreciated. thanks
pepe.king.prawn
New member
Can you hang a pendant above it? If so, my recommendation would be a single 400w halide, either HQI or single end. actinics aren't essential, but you can add them as t5's, power compacts or VHO's along the straight sides of the tank.
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