Lighting options please

Lilmatty5dimes

Lilmatty5dimes

New member
I'm needing some help here and hope to get some feed back. The tank I'm going with is a deep blue 30g rimless. I've got an 18" Odyssey mh/t5 fixture this one (http://www.aquatraders.com/Aquarium-Metal-Halide-MH-B-p/54242.htm) I'm planning on getting the 150w Phoenix hexarc 14k mh bulb but the t5 only option are a 10000k, 6500k, and actic 460nm due to the 14w and only being w15.25" pin to pin. There's a local guy selling his tek 4 bulb t5 set up for $100. Would it just be better buying that so I'm able to get all ati bulbs and then add some led strips to get the pop.
Option 2 would be I've got a cadlights 12g tank that I could stick one of the two above on and throw the radion gen 1 I've got on the deep blue. If you were me why would you do? Thanks in advance.
 
I've always wanted a cube tank! I'd put a 150w 20K radium, with actinic bulbs, and a strip of reefbrite!
 
If you were pete he would hang a reefbreed led.

Won't MH be too hot for a 30G? do you have a chiller? The radion may work under the right settings.
 
ARVERLY said:
I've always wanted a cube tank! I'd put a 150w 20K radium, with actinic bulbs, and a strip of reefbrite!
Click to expand...
I want to try out mh and t5's. I know someone selling a 150g marineland dd cube. 36x36x27 if your interested. Asking. $600
Swirlygig said:
If you were pete he would hang a reefbreed led.

Won't MH be too hot for a 30G? do you have a chiller? The radion may work under the right settings.
Click to expand...

Lol. Reef breeder would be my next led fixture. Lol I don't have a chiller was hoping to just use fans pointing at the sump to cool the tank down if needed. I'm thinking of just selling the odyssey fixture and getting the4 bulb tek fixture.
Thanks.
 
I would go with LEDs for this size tank. I wouldnt want to add temperature to the list of parameters that are already going to be difficult to keep stable.
 
What type of coral are you wanting to keep? If z/p and LPS then I wouldn't even think twice and go with LEDs. I just am not sold on LED for SPS even though there are a lot of people doing well. I feel like they require more effort which to me doesn't add any value.

I am not a big fan of 4 bulb T5 because I don't think there are enough bulbs to really work with the color.
 
eg8r210 said:
What type of coral are you wanting to keep? If z/p and LPS then I wouldn't even think twice and go with LEDs. I just am not sold on LED for SPS even though there are a lot of people doing well. I feel like they require more effort which to me doesn't add any value.

I am not a big fan of 4 bulb T5 because I don't think there are enough bulbs to really work with the color.
Click to expand...

I completely agree!
LED for zoas/palys and LPS!
T5/MH for SPS!

I'd get a 6-bulb T5 fixture and a strip of reefbrite for SPS dominate, or the 150WMH/T5 if you have a chiller.
 
nitr8 said:
I would go with LEDs for this size tank. I wouldnt want to add temperature to the list of parameters that are already going to be difficult to keep stable.
Click to expand...
Parameters aren't that bad for a lil tank. All I do is weekly water changes. change the filter floss every couple days or when I remember and just top off every night with some publix purified water. I use water out of the glacier machine in front of the Winn Dixie and use reef crystal. I've had a few friends with everything on his tank(sump, reactor, dosing a&b using rodi system) look and just shake there head.
Knock on wood
 
eg8r210 said:
What type of coral are you wanting to keep? If z/p and LPS then I wouldn't even think twice and go with LEDs. I just am not sold on LED for SPS even though there are a lot of people doing well. I feel like they require more effort which to me doesn't add any value.

I am not a big fan of 4 bulb T5 because I don't think there are enough bulbs to really work with the color.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I'm hoping to have it mixed. Have 10 sps and the rest zoas and lps. I guess now would be a good time to look for builds with 4 bulbs and see how there tanks are doing and combinations. I wish this was a better mh/t5 fixture. Lol
 
I grow SPS in a 120 with 4 T5 bulbs and LED supplementation. 2 Blue + and 2 coral +

I have been successful for a while now but am constantly talking myself in and out of adding 2 - 250W MH bulbs to the setup. My coral look ok and grow ok but I do not have the success of the MH tanks I am a fan of.

MH grows SPS. (And power bills, and heat)

ALL! not most but ALL! of the best SPS tanks I have seen have MH. I have seen some nice tanks with SPS and LED but nowhere near the growth that I see with MH.

There is a guy in the tampa section selling 250W MH pendants with "spider" reflectors and Icecap ballasts for $65. Im probably going to try 2 of them. I know very little about reflectors or ballasts. Are "spider" reflectors and icecap ballasts ok?
 
likefish said:
I grow SPS in a 120 with 4 T5 bulbs and LED supplementation. 2 Blue + and 2 coral +

I have been successful for a while now but am constantly talking myself in and out of adding 2 - 250W MH bulbs to the setup. My coral look ok and grow ok but I do not have the success of the MH tanks I am a fan of.

MH grows SPS. (And power bills, and heat)

ALL! not most but ALL! of the best SPS tanks I have seen have MH. I have seen some nice tanks with SPS and LED but nowhere near the growth that I see with MH.

There is a guy in the tampa section selling 250W MH pendants with "spider" reflectors and Icecap ballasts for $65. Im probably going to try 2 of them. I know very little about reflectors or ballasts. Are "spider" reflectors and icecap ballasts ok?
Click to expand...

Do you have any pics of your 120 tank with the 4 t5s?
 
20150206_121233_zpsrfee0xsy.jpg~320x480
 
eg8r210 said:
I just am not sold on LED for SPS even though there are a lot of people doing well. I feel like they require more effort which to me doesn't add any value.
Click to expand...

Ed, don't make me spank you. :-)

What work? I set mine months ago and haven't touched them since... nor have I changed a bulb or ballast.... nor have I burned myself. ;-)

I feel like a 30g tank is going to be a struggle to keep at a reasonable temperature under MH. T5 would be my second choice, but like Ed, said, you'd really have to go with a 6 bulb.
 
I would go full t5 or led setup simply because of the temperature. I have a 30g with a lid, 2 pumps, and leds and the temp is already 80 F so an MH would definitely require cooling and I would be worry for you in the summer because evaporation cooling is dangerous in a 30g with no ATO
 


4 T5 bulbs. 2 blue+, 2 coral +. 2 ecoxotic panorama pro blue LED strips.

I got the idea and confidance to try it by keeping track of this thread: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2175051

This system uses 4 T5 bulbs and a diy LED with 36 RB led's with no lenses. His system worked great. he is currently doing a new tank with MH though. MH seems like the sure thing for SPS
 
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Tenshoa said:
Ed, don't make me spank you. :-)

What work? I set mine months ago and haven't touched them since... nor have I changed a bulb or ballast.... nor have I burned myself. ;-)

I feel like a 30g tank is going to be a struggle to keep at a reasonable temperature under MH. T5 would be my second choice, but like Ed, said, you'd really have to go with a 6 bulb.
Click to expand...
Haha, no spanking please. Honestly, from the thousands of threads on various forums, I consider you to be the exception rather than the rule. Richard also has great success with LED but it wasn't "turn key" for him. Right now, I prefer a light I can install, plug in and not have to change anything. It has to be a proven SPS grower "speculative, I know" and if a bulb goes bad I can quickly change it. No LED system offers that, especially ease of bulb replacement. :-)
 
eg8r210 said:
Haha, no spanking please. Honestly, from the thousands of threads on various forums, I consider you to be the exception rather than the rule. Richard also has great success with LED but it wasn't "turn key" for him. Right now, I prefer a light I can install, plug in and not have to change anything. It has to be a proven SPS grower "speculative, I know" and if a bulb goes bad I can quickly change it. No LED system offers that, especially ease of bulb replacement. :-)
Click to expand...

I'm With Ed. It is impossible to keep colorful SPS alive yet alone grow sps under LED
 
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