Need lighting/wattage advice.....

[Sniper308]

I am currently running a 65g newly established reef tank. The tanks current lighting consists of a Nova Extreme 4x39w T5 fixture . The total output of this light is 156w. Im wanting to upgrade my lighting to a MH/T5 combo. I have for the most part decided on this fixture........



Current USA Outer Orbit Fixture, 2x150W HQI Metal Halide & 4X39W T5s, 36 inch
Usually Ships in 1 to 2 Business Days
Our Price: $637.50 In Stock!


The 36 inch Current USA Outer Orbit HQI metal halide light for reef aquariums combines HQI metal halides lamps with actinic T5 lamps and Lunar Light LEDs.


Additional photos
469 Watts/4.1 Amps
Dimensions: 36" X 15.25" X 4.25"
Two 150 Watt 10K HQI metal halide lamp
Two 39 Watt Actinic 460nm T5 Actinics and two 39 Watt 420nm T5 Actinics

Nine Blue Lunar Lights and Nine White Lunar Lights (lunar lights are LEDs for night-time illumination)

External electronic metal halide and power compact ballasts
Independent switches and cords for metal halide and T5 ballasts. Lunar light also has independent power cord.
Cooling fan
Docking Mounts (legs for mounting the leg on the tank)
Parabolic Reflector
Splash lens to protect the bulbs
Two heavy-duty, grounded timers
Hanging kit (for hanging the light from the ceiling)


I have a few questions regarding this fixture and I'm hoping someone could point me in the right direction.

1. - Is there a general guideline for watts per gallon or something? Is this light to much for a 65g tank?

2. - Would soft corals/shrooms/zooanthids etc suffer under too much lighting?

3.- Im wanting to keep clams on down the road once the tank is better established. Im assuming 4x39w T5 is not enough for this or at least that is what I've been told. Would the above light be enough to keep clams at the bottom of the tank in the sand bed?

4. - Im going with the 2x150w MH simply because my tank has a center brace and I didnt want to get a fixture with a MH directly over the center brace. Would this fixture with only a single MH in the middle melt my center brace? Would most of the light be blocked by the center brace?

5. - If this isnt the light for my tank, can anyone suggest anything better.

Any comments would be appreciated. I can't seem to make up my mind....one minute im gona order it..then I hesitate..etc etc. Help me make up my mind.

 

[patsfan1130]

I am assuming you have a standard 65g which is 24'' deep. If it were me and I was set on MH, I would probably go with 250w and get 2 mini pendants such as http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewI...ing-Saltwater_Aquarium_Supplies~vendor~.html. There are many manufacturers out there that make nice mini pendants. Not sure 150w will give you the desired penetration and I suspect you will find yourself constantly moving corals up and down in your tank. 250w would not be overkill on your tank IMO and you could keep anything you want, anywhere you want. Also keep in mind the possibility of getting a bigger tank someday. It sure would be nice to not have to purchase a new lighting setup for a bigger tank

1. - Is there a general guideline for watts per gallon or something? Is this light to much for a 65g tank? Watts per gallon is a very old method which the hobby no longer uses. PAR is what one needs to look at when determining lighting.

2. - Would soft corals/shrooms/zooanthids etc suffer under too much lighting? While it is possible to give corals too much light I do not believe your potential setup is anywhere too much.

3.- Im wanting to keep clams on down the road once the tank is better established. Im assuming 4x39w T5 is not enough for this or at least that is what I've been told. Would the above light be enough to keep clams at the bottom of the tank in the sand bed?
Probably. I am no clam expert. Not sure if some of the more "light demanding" clams would thrive.

4. - Im going with the 2x150w MH simply because my tank has a center brace and I didnt want to get a fixture with a MH directly over the center brace. Would this fixture with only a single MH in the middle melt my center brace? Would most of the light be blocked by the center brace? I would not place MH directly over a center brace. yes, it would block a good amount of light.

5. - If this isnt the light for my tank, can anyone suggest anything better.

 

[Sniper308]

Hmmmm. I was looking at the 2x150w model simply because I was worried about too much wattage over that small of a tank. That light is also made in a 2x250w model with the 4x39w T5's. The only difference is the 250w model has external ballasts and the 150w model the ballasts for the MH are in the fixture.

If I purchase either of these lights im gona be spending a good deal of money. I just want to make the best decision possible. It sucks when you realize you just threw away 700-800 dollars lol.

 

[Sniper308]

Anyone else have any advice for me? I'd love to hear any and or all opinions before I purchase either the 2x150 or 2x250 unit Monday morning.

 

[SaltyMember]

I have a 65g reef with 2 x 175 MH and 2x95 watt vho actinic. This would be close to equivalent to the light fixture you are considering. In my opinion this is a good amount of light for the tank as long as you are not going all SPS corals. I have a mixed tank but primarily softies and it works well. I used to have 2x 250 wt MH on this tank and to be honest it was too much light for many of the corals I had especially LPS and mushrooms even on the sand. I was always trying to figure out how to shade corals and had to be very careful with acclimation. Also, my tank temp would rise into the mid 80s in the summer. Since I downgraded my light it has been better in that lower light corals do fine lower in the tank or on the sand bed while higher light corals/clams get all the light they need in the middle to upper part of the tank. My temp also stays between 78-80 degrees throughout the year.
Just my experience but it all depends on what kind of corals you want.

 

[Sniper308]

Im still leaning towards the 2x150w HQI w/4x39w T5 actinics. This is more than double the light output that Im getting off of my current lighting (Nova Extreme 4x39w T5 2-daylight, 2-actinic). My only other personal experience with MH lighting was my previous 92g corner bowfront tank which had a 400w 20k pendant over it. I think that was way too much light for that tank as soft corals seemed to cringe under it and placement was important as well.

Another thing about the 150w fixture that attracts me to it is that the fixture contains the ballasts internally where they are fan cooled. The place where my tank sits is a 3 1/2 ft wall. There is not much room for external ballasts etc on the floor and no room in my cabinet for them either. Im hoping that the 150w will run cooler due to the smaller wattage bulbs and the fact that the ballasts will be in the fixture where they will be cooled by the fans as well.

I think Im going to go ahead and order the 150w x2 model. Hopefully it will be a good choice as it really sucks to throw away $700 lol.

If anyone has this lighting set up on a tank, Id love to see some pics of it. Im wondering if the 10k HQI bulbs it comes with will be to yellow/white. Im hoping that the 4x39 (2-420nm and 2-460nm) bulbs will ofset the white/yellow tint a bit. As with most aquarium equipment though...you never know till you see or try it.

 

[Toddrtrex]

Over all I think you will be fine. For the clam, as long as you keep it on the rocks, there shouldn't be an issue.

Over my 58 ( same foot print as a 65, but not as tall, and no center brace ) I have 2*250, I used to have 2*175, but I prefer a bluer bulb, and the 175 XM 20Ks, were too dim for me, so I upgraded. Granted, I keep mainly SPS. For what you want to do, I don't see a problem at all.

 

[Sniper308]

I recieved the Outer Orbit 2x150w 10,000k w/ 4x39w actinic fixture today. It's up and running and I love it. Looks to be plenty of light for me. The 10,000k bulbs are a bit white/yellow for my taste but Im fine with them until they need replacing. At that time I'll probably go with a 12k or 14k bulb for a bit more blue. To be honest, Im kind of surprised the 4x39w actinic dosent blue up the color more than it does.

The fixture itself is very well built and works great. Im very pleased with the lights and think it was a product well worth the money. I would recomend these lights to anyone.

 

[SaltyMember]

Glad to hear you are happy with your choice.