Looking for Halide Reflector Help.

[biglurr54]

I am building a 36x36x24 tank.* It will be SPS dominated reef with a clam as the center piece in the sand bed.* I am looking at how I will light the tank.* I am sticking with a 14k Metal Halide with DIY 20RB/8UV LED supplements.* Could I get away with a 250w m80 ballast halide with the right reflector?* What reflector would work best for a 36 x 36 area while still penetrating 24 inches?*

If I can not get away with a 250w then I can do a 400w halide.* I would prefer the 250w as it will add less heat, less operating costs, and more bulb selection.**


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[jda]

Hamilton Cozumel Sun is a really good wide-area reflector. Radium 20K on M80 is pretty high output and a good place to start - any other bulbs will be overdriven and color will shift. The reflector can handle 400W if you need to move up.

That reflector can really spread, but if you keep your clam away from the sides, you should have more than enough light.

 

[biglurr54]

Is the Hamilton reflector better than the sunlight supply lumen lineups

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[Breadman03]

I have a Cayman Sun 400 watt pendant. If you've got a PAR meter, you'd be welcome to come and check the numbers over a Marineland 150DD. I'm currently running Radions, but it would only take 10 minutes to swap out to the halide.

 

[jda]

Is the Hamilton reflector better than the sunlight supply lumen lineups

Not really. The LumexMax Elite is their biggest spread reflector. The Cozumel Sun can spread more than this. You may, or may not, want that kind of spread, though. Spread comes at a cost of intensity, but you might not care if outsides are dimly lit - you will still have enough light for most anything out there, just not high light Acropora or Clams which might need to be more in the center.

Just match the reflector to the spread that you are wanting in the tank.

 

[gcarroll]

Not really. The LumexMax Elite is their biggest spread reflector. The Cozumel Sun can spread more than this.

Thew full sized Lumenmax was for spread (what Sanjay ran prior to moving to LED). The Lumenmax Elite was much smaller and unless mounted very high (18" - 24") would not adequately light a 36" tank.

Might want to look into the full sized Coralvue Lumen Brite. I know melev ran these with great success on his old 300g. Not sure if he is still running halides on the 400g.
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