MH Choice for 38 Gallon

[M Woodhill]

I've moved back from very spacious Ottawa to my crowded hometown, NYC. Tryin to set up a 38 gallon nano--if it is.

I'm really think about two fixtures after an online search:

1, 150w de mh clamp of Coralife.

Pros: sleek lookin, energy savin, room savin, easy to mount

Cons: stand alone bulb

2, 250w celu lighting with 4 t5 supplements and moon led of Hamilton

Pros: balance light, lots of par

Cons: chunky lookin, energy drainin, lots of heat

Suggestions and ideas please chime in

 

[maddmaxx]

well really depends what you wanna keep in it. if its an SPS tank, then some sort of halide is what you wanna go with.

do you like the actinic look? if so then the coralife mh only fixture is a waste. if your goin for a mixed reef. some sort of all T5 system or even the reef builders LED fixtures would work great. (with the LED fixture you can adjust it, if you get the controllable one, and can keep any type of coral you wanted) this will be minimal energy, minimal heat.

I personally like the MH+VHO look. but again that's me and what I want. this is your build and your equipment.

what type of tank are you looking at keeping???

 

[M Woodhill]

well really depends what you wanna keep in it. if its an SPS tank, then some sort of halide is what you wanna go with.

do you like the actinic look? if so then the coralife mh only fixture is a waste. if your goin for a mixed reef. some sort of all T5 system or even the reef builders LED fixtures would work great. (with the LED fixture you can adjust it, if you get the controllable one, and can keep any type of coral you wanted) this will be minimal energy, minimal heat.

I personally like the MH+VHO look. but again that's me and what I want. this is your build and your equipment.

what type of tank are you looking at keeping???

It'll be sps dominant with a ritteri anemone.

 

[Michigan Mike]

What are the dimensions?

I've lit a 36g corner bowfront and a 41g 24x18x24.

 

[maddmaxx]

It'll be sps dominant with a ritteri anemone.

you def want a Metal halide of some sort then, yes it can be done other ways. but anybody that has a true SPS tank, will admit, no other better lighting then a MH for SPS. also supplemental T5s would add color to the SPS too...

 

[Michigan Mike]

I take it you are looking at fixtures that will mount to the tank? This limits options a lot.

I'm wondering why you choose these, they are total opposites,lol.

Between the two options I think the 2 150w will look a million times better (and allow top down viewing) but the 250w/t5 combo will give you better growth, color options but added heat & electricity.

2 150w & t5 ?

 

[M Woodhill]

I take it you are looking at fixtures that will mount to the tank? This limits options a lot.

I'm wondering why you choose these, they are total opposites,lol.

Between the two options I think the 2 150w will look a million times better (and allow top down viewing) but the 250w/t5 combo will give you better growth, color options but added heat & electricity.

2 150w & t5 ?

I can hang the 250w fixture up. but it brings financial problem to get a chiller

the tank dims is

24ish*20ish*20ish

 

[M Woodhill]

well really depends what you wanna keep in it. if its an SPS tank, then some sort of halide is what you wanna go with.

do you like the actinic look? if so then the coralife mh only fixture is a waste. if your goin for a mixed reef. some sort of all T5 system or even the reef builders LED fixtures would work great. (with the LED fixture you can adjust it, if you get the controllable one, and can keep any type of coral you wanted) this will be minimal energy, minimal heat.

I personally like the MH+VHO look. but again that's me and what I want. this is your build and your equipment.

what type of tank are you looking at keeping???

I'm also considerin a

giesmann teszla

it looks cool. but don't know it'll be sufficient for sps's and ritteri

 

[Michigan Mike]

I can hang the 250w fixture up. but it brings financial problem to get a chiller

the tank dims is

24ish*20ish*20ish

A single 250w halide would cover those dimensions.
A 24" halde/t5 combo like my current outer orbit would work.

 

[M Woodhill]

A single 250w halide would cover those dimensions.
A 24" halde/t5 combo like my current outer orbit would work.

a stand alone 250w 20k bulb cab work

any 250 mh clamps?

 

[sirreal63]

I would go with a single 150 with those dimensions and either a Radium or Phoenix bulb. A 250 isn't needed with that size tank and small water volume. If you feel the desire to supplement you can use ReefBrites or Panarama Pro's.

 

[Michigan Mike]

a stand alone 250w 20k bulb cab work

any 250 mh clamps?

Absolutely.
Double ended bulb - Phoenix / single ended bulb - radium

The problem with the clamp lights is they are not adjustable enough and have poor reflective properties, plus you are stuck with double ended bulbs.

A single lumenbright mini pendant hung 18" or so above the tank would give you sufficient coverage and intensity for anemones & SPS.

I feel my 150w HQI/4x24w T5 would be perfect. I wouldn't use a single 150w halide though.

 

[M Woodhill]

I would go with a single 150 with those dimensions and either a Radium or Phoenix bulb. A 250 isn't needed with that size tank and small water volume. If you feel the desire to supplement you can use ReefBrites or Panarama Pro's.

I dont have too strong desire for supplements

Im just afraid that 150w 20k wont provide enough par

thank all yo guys

 

[M Woodhill]

Absolutely.
Double ended bulb - Phoenix / single ended bulb - radium

The problem with the clamp lights is they are not adjustable enough and have poor reflective properties, plus you are stuck with double ended bulbs.

A single lumenbright mini pendant hung 18" or so above the tank would give you sufficient coverage and intensity for anemones & SPS.

I feel my 150w HQI/4x24w T5 would be perfect. I wouldn't use a single 150w halide though.

thank you all guys

im now almost convinced to buy the hamilton 250w fixture and hang it up, goin with 10k+actinic

 

[sirreal63]

I can understand not feeling the 150 won't have enough PAR, but in reality with a good setup it is more than enough, especially with those tank dimensions. I borrowed our club's par meter a few years back and did some tests with the 150 watt Radium and the 10K XDE, the results were very good.


The ballast is a single 150 watt HQI Reeflex Cube (M81). I tested two different bulbs, the first number is a 20K Radium and the second number is a 10K XDE, both in a LumenArc III Mini, if there is only one number, it is the Radium as I did not test all areas with the 10K. 40x40x17" tall pentagon, rock arranged in a 24-30" cove. Most corals reside around the perimeter of the cove. Most of the corals are 18-20" in height from the bulb.

Par at the glass shield was 1200 for the Radium and 2200 for the 10K
Par at the water surface, 9" from the bulb, Radium at 780 and the 10K at 1900. Remember, this is a single fixture, but it is a good one for spreading out the light.

That was a single 150 in a great reflector over a 40x40 tank, I currently use 2-150 watt Radiums with the bulbs at 32" from the tank bottom. This pic is many months old.

I would stay with the Hamilton, get a decent reflector and the proper M81 ballast and you will not have any problems keeping anything you want under the 150's. FWIW a 250 watt 10K has the real possibility of photoinhibiting SPS under it in that size tank as well as having a hard time with acclimating them. A 250 watt 10K is a lot of light.

 

[M Woodhill]

I can understand not feeling the 150 won't have enough PAR, but in reality with a good setup it is more than enough, especially with those tank dimensions. I borrowed our club's par meter a few years back and did some tests with the 150 watt Radium and the 10K XDE, the results were very good.


The ballast is a single 150 watt HQI Reeflex Cube (M81). I tested two different bulbs, the first number is a 20K Radium and the second number is a 10K XDE, both in a LumenArc III Mini, if there is only one number, it is the Radium as I did not test all areas with the 10K. 40x40x17" tall pentagon, rock arranged in a 24-30" cove. Most corals reside around the perimeter of the cove. Most of the corals are 18-20" in height from the bulb.

Par at the glass shield was 1200 for the Radium and 2200 for the 10K
Par at the water surface, 9" from the bulb, Radium at 780 and the 10K at 1900. Remember, this is a single fixture, but it is a good one for spreading out the light.

That was a single 150 in a great reflector over a 40x40 tank, I currently use 2-150 watt Radiums with the bulbs at 32" from the tank bottom. This pic is many months old.

I would stay with the Hamilton, get a decent reflector and the proper M81 ballast and you will not have any problems keeping anything you want under the 150's. FWIW a 250 watt 10K has the real possibility of photoinhibiting SPS under it in that size tank as well as having a hard time with acclimating them. A 250 watt 10K is a lot of light.

150w is a stand alone bulb

how about fishneedit mh?

 

[sirreal63]

I wouldn't not because they use crappy electronic ballasts, not the proper M81 ballast, stick with Hamilton and make sure to get the proper ballast. All of the components should work together, proper ballast for the bulb and the right reflector to get the light where it is needed without having a small "hotspot" of light. Don't overlook the for sale section here, there are frequently great deals to be had. FNI is just a cheap brand with sub par components, though it would work, it would not be getting the most from the bulb.

 

[M Woodhill]

I wouldn't not because they use crappy electronic ballasts, not the proper M81 ballast, stick with Hamilton and make sure to get the proper ballast. All of the components should work together, proper ballast for the bulb and the right reflector to get the light where it is needed without having a small "hotspot" of light. Don't overlook the for sale section here, there are frequently great deals to be had. FNI is just a cheap brand with sub par components, though it would work, it would not be getting the most from the bulb.

my lfs recommends an led

giesemann teszla

how about that

 

[sirreal63]

Probably because he has them and is looking to unload them, they are white/blue so are already outdated. It will grow corals just fine but isn't exactly current tech and with LED's that tech changes as soon as you buy the latest and greatest. It would work just fine but I wouldn't pay more than $100.00 for it, it lacks an improved spectrum.

 

[M Woodhill]

Probably because he has them and is looking to unload them, they are white/blue so are already outdated. It will grow corals just fine but isn't exactly current tech and with LED's that tech changes as soon as you buy the latest and greatest. It would work just fine but I wouldn't pay more than $100.00 for it, it lacks an improved spectrum.

they are priced almost the same