Metal Halide Only

[greaps]

I'm looking into going with metal halide. I currently run Led's and have found generally the ramping throughout the morning and evening doesn't really add much to my overall enjoyment, I do appreciate the moon light feature though, but that is only nice for a a few hours in the morning and at night I like a dark tank most of the night for the inhabitants to rest

I plan to continue with soft corals and eventually some lps. Tank size will be 36X36X24 or 36X36X20 (have sca and miracles in mind)


Considering the 250W Radium on the M80 Ballast. With a DIY 4-5 diode moon light kit.
Using a wide area reflector like this one below, what kind of photoperiod could I run? 10 hours?

Also, additional question the fish tank will sit against a wall that is against my garage, to reduce heat and noise associated with the M80 ballast could I run it in my garage on the other side of the wall, would it be safe in 90-100 degree weather?

 

[mcgyvr]

Why go MH with just softies/possibly some LPS?
IF you don't like the LED ramping.. Turn it off..

IMO if you said an SPS tank.. Ok.. MH makes sense.. But for softies... why bother with all the heat/added electricity/bulb replacement,etc...

And an 8hr photoperiod is sufficient..

 

[DarkSkyForever]

I agree with mcgyvr. If you're not doing SPS, don't bother with MH. Adjust your LEDs if need be.

 

[sirreal63]

To answer your question, yes you can run the ballast in the garage, I would try to keep the line from the ballast to the bulb as short as possible. 8-10 hours is fine for a photoperiod. That reflector, the M80 and Radium will work nicely on a tank with those dimensions.

 

[greaps]

Why go MH with just softies/possibly some LPS?
IF you don't like the LED ramping.. Turn it off..

IMO if you said an SPS tank.. Ok.. MH makes sense.. But for softies... why bother with all the heat/added electricity/bulb replacement,etc...

And an 8hr photoperiod is sufficient..

After having experience with Kessil and Black Box Led's I want to try MH for less shadowing, more natural shimmer, more blended colors, and plug and play proven spectrum. I would consider Led's like Kessil but the tank would require 4 to get similar spread and I still think it might have more shadows and hot spots.

 

[tkeracer619]

Excellent way to go. If you run a radium go with the magnetic m80 ballast.

You can buy the setup directly from Hamilton and get the m80 radium combo.

https://hamiltontechnology.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=17_85&product_id=95

If you just want a retrofit the same thing is the cabo sun. This is what I run.

https://hamiltontechnology.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=17_87&product_id=100

 

[ClownMan727]

Why not do T5?

 

[greaps]

Why not do T5?

I strongly considered T5 but it turned out much more expensive in both immediate cost and with bulb replacements for a similarly proven lighting system.

I have used T5 before and like them, especially on longer tanks when it becomes more and more of a value with longer bulbs.

I really like the overall brightness of a T5 tank and expect MH to have a similar effect.

sirreal63 To answer your question, yes you can run the ballast in the garage, I would try to keep the line from the ballast to the bulb as short as possible. 8-10 hours is fine for a photoperiod. That reflector, the M80 and Radium will work nicely on a tank with those dimensions.

Thanks, yeah I can drill a small hole, and mount it on the inside of wall of the garage.

tkeracer619 Excellent way to go. If you run a radium go with the magnetic m80 ballast.

You can buy the setup directly from Hamilton and get the m80 radium combo.

https://hamiltontechnology.com/index...&product_id=95

If you just want a retrofit the same thing is the cabo sun. This is what I run.

https://hamiltontechnology.com/index...product_id=100

How high should the light hang above water 36X36X20, or 36X36X24.

 

[jda]

Nothing spreads 36x36 like MH. I would use the Cayman Sun reflector.

You can grow anything with it. This is a best-of-breed light that every manufacturer tries to be like.

Ballast will be fine in the garage. You will get a nice long cord from Hamilton - 10 feet IIRC.

 

[reefwars]

I run halides only on my softie tank , 2 x175w on a 36 x 20 x 14h footprint

Works beautifully

 

[tkeracer619]

How high should the light hang above water 36X36X20, or 36X36X24.

Probably 8 or so inches reflector to water but you will want to test it.

While the light is on, tank full of water, and with the room dark... Carefully hold the light fixture above the tank and slowly lower it over the tank until the light in the room is significantly reduced. You will know when that is, it is obvious.

Metal halide (especially with that reflector and tank size) lets you take advantage of the phenomenon called TIR or Total Internal Reflection. Basically, the light will go from shining all over the floor, walls, and ceiling to mainly lighting the tank. The moment this happens will be your ideal height.