lighting option for new tank

D

Danny Luu

New member
I'll be setting up my 48"x24"x12" 60 gallon within the next week:bounce3:, but I need to make up my mind for lighting. :headwally:

I have a kessil a350 and a150 i could use for this tank, but i want it to be SPS dominant with awesome growth, so i was thinking of going with metal halides and maybe use the kessils for extra blue.:eek2:


I'll be going with a Hamilton Cayman sun reflector and a Lumatek dimmable ballast 150/175/250/HQI.

The 150 watt cayman sun reflector is only 15 dollars cheaper than the 250 watt. Which one do you guys think I should go with? How much hotter will a 250 watt be compared with a 150? The tank will be in my room, so heat is a bit of a concern for me. I was thinking go big or go home:deadhorse:, but would it be an overkill? lol thanks!


also, feel free to suggest any different type of lighting you would suggest.
 
I am no expert on MH lighting but with the tank being only 12" deep I dont think you are going to have to worry to much about light penitration.
 
Danny, a 12" deep tank you could manage with a big rack of T-5s with no problem and if it seems a bit weak you could always add a stunner strip of LEDs but I think a 6 bulb would be plenty and grow SPS no problem.
 
On that note, how come I heard somewhere that people use low 'K' bulbs to get fast coral growth and then switch to LEDs or high-K MH for coloring up?

Does that same concept apply to T5HOs?
 
With a 12" deep tank, I think you could do a 150w MH with an efficient reflector.

As far as t5, as I recall, with my 6 bulb t5 fixture over my 12" deep flat, I got something like 240 par as an average reading. As such, if I were planning a 12" deep sps tank, I would probably go with an 8 bulb fixture. 250 ballpark can grow a lot of sps, but some like 300-500 and others even more.

Par will be more evenly distributed with t5s than mhs.
 
I agree with Tom. It might be hard to get even MH lighting across a 48 inch tank with just one MH. You would have to raise the light way up which would give you a loss in par.

You could sell your Kessels, and buy one of these...

http://www.marineandreef.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=RML32982

I have a similar fixture (36 inch) and I love it. They look good hanging over the tank, great spread of light, and the cooling fans are nice. Plus they have built in leds for moon light
 
yeah, i think i'm leaning towards halide and t5 combo. I think i might go with aquamedic 4 foot 2x150 halide and 2 54 watt t5 and use two lumatek ballasts. it'd be about 200 cheaper than the marineland fixture without the two extra t5's that i dont think i need for this tank.
 
I thought you where worried about the heat Danny? If thats not an issues go for the halide and T-5 combo. You'll definitely be able to roast the corals then.;)
 
Aqua Medic Ocean Light 2 X 150 W + 2 X 54 W T5 $321
2 x Lumatek 250 watt dimmable ballast 280
2 metal halide lamps $80
2 t5 lamps $40

Total $721

Aqua Medic Ocean Light 2 X 150 W (no t5) $147
2 lumatek 250 dimmable ballast $280
2 metal halide lamps $80
2 48 inch stunner strips $140

Total $647

any opinions on what would be a better choice?
 
How about a 175 radium with a light mover :) id go t5 route with 6 bulbs that should be good. I got a used aqua medic fixture for my cube that will never be set up. Nicest fixture that I could find that was reasonable.
 
Well, for me, I technically have my 8bulb T5 when I finish my DIY hybrid T5 Led fixture...

Just not sure another 432 watts (4kW-hours) is a great idea (vs maybe 2x150W MH lights with T5 occasional supplementation)...

Already in tier 2 electricity I think... That was reason for solar panel question previously... Hahahaha
 
Danny if you spent a little more and got a MH fixture with t5's, you wont regret it. The blue plus, and true actinic bulbs will really make the colors pop. Plus if you have the t5 supplement, you could even go with the 14k MH bulbs for growth, but not sacrifice much color. Did you look around on Craigslist?
 
thanks the the link Cory!! I might pull the trigger on that fixture, i had their sunpod fixture 6 years ago and i thought it was awesome. I'm only concerned because it's an open box item that is sold "as is" with no guarantee.... I'm going to look around some more. who knows, maybe this will be sitting on my doorstep next week =O
 
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