mh question.

guy9smiley2

New member
Looking into putting together a 20L for a frag tank. Would a 150w metal halide be over kill to the point that it could damage corals?
 
Naw.. Just watch out when acclimating corals to it.. some times they can "burn" if they're not adjusted to the bright light. Personally I've never seen this issue. Back when I had a 29g aquapod I had a 150w MH on it with no issues other than heat. A 20L will heat up pretty fast so watch the water temps under a MH.
 
Being just over 5 gallons, it seems overkill to me from an energy usage standpoint. Have you considered LED? Seems it would be a small, simple project with a quick ROI. JMTC & GL!
 
Should be ok, had a 250mh with 4 t5s over a 28 biocube i believe it was and it was fine, grew sps great until the tank cracked.
 
Heat wont be an issue its in a cold basement. It will actually stop the heater from running constantly. the reason im considering my is I found a used one for a great price. I could have a 20l with fixture and nano koralias for under 180. Just didn't want to do it if I could "cook" them. Power consumption isnt a real big deal. To adjust them prob just put the light a little higher and adjust a shorter light cycle?
 
Just make sure you start any new corals off lower in your tank and let them adjust before moving them up, say a week or two is even better.
 
Being just over 5 gallons, it seems overkill to me from an energy usage standpoint. Have you considered LED? Seems it would be a small, simple project with a quick ROI. JMTC & GL!

What? What is just over 5 gallons? Please explain. Did I miss something?:headwalls:
 
I must have misunderstood 20L as 20 Liters.. My bad. :)

With that in mind, 150 watt MH wouldn't be too crazy. GL!
 
Cool thanks for all the input. Looks like I was on the right track. I was thinking of just making spacers to have the light sit higher while I start out the corals in the tank. Now I just need to figure out if I want to do sand or not. Never had a barebottom, but I'm sure would be nice to clean haha.
 
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