shane reef
New member
I am going to go with mh t5 combo for my new build. Tank is 8x4x2 question is how many halide do in need and what wattage?
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Mh 250w coverage
- Thread starter shane reef
- Start date
it will depend on the reflectors and the aquascape. If you want to light the whole tank evenly it will take more than lighting just where the corals are. If it were me, I would do 4-250's in the large Hamilton reflectors and 12-4' T5's and that would give a fairly even coverage to the whole tank.
You might want to step this up to 400w - they will cover more area. The 20x20 inch Hamilton reflector covers quite a bit. I would stagger them a bit and put them more over the rockwork if you plan on having any sandy bottom areas.
I would use VHO in a large tank - twice the wattage, but half the bulbs to change (upside) and the same output... but they only have a few colors to choose from (downside). They have enough power to change the spectrum of a MH bulb if you need to shift it a bit. T5 will work fine too, but just need twice as many.
Lighting big tanks will take some wattage. If you skimp a bit then you might not like the results.
I would use VHO in a large tank - twice the wattage, but half the bulbs to change (upside) and the same output... but they only have a few colors to choose from (downside). They have enough power to change the spectrum of a MH bulb if you need to shift it a bit. T5 will work fine too, but just need twice as many.
Lighting big tanks will take some wattage. If you skimp a bit then you might not like the results.
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