Noob again

forgedscales

New member
Hello everyone my name is william starke and i just joined the forums, and plan on joining delaware reef club soon.

anyway on to my problems. basicly 8 years have passed sense I last had a marine tank, and boy things seem a lot different.

What I am planning on doing is what i consider a nano reef tank. the reason i say it like that is because the tank is actually a 55 gallon, but it is a tall hexagon tank. so the dimensions i think will make it feel more like a nano tank.

What I am mainly stuck on right now is lighting. that seems to have changed to most sense i last had a tank. I think I need to go with metal halides sense the thank is so deep. but I not not understand all the different types of metal halides there are. like hqi, pendants, lamps, hoods. there are so many different styles its making me crazy.

so if anyone could explain the different types of metal halide lights, and also if anyone has any recommendations for a tall 55 hex reef. that would be awsome
 
Hi Forge,
I would agree, HM is the way to go for lighting. might want to look at VHO actinic as supplemental, but depending on how much room you have power compact actinic might be just as easy...

As far as light style goes, its really more personal preference than functionality. Do you want a hood? or do you like the look of having a pendant over your tank? or would you just like something to clip on to the back of your tank? its really up to you as far as your own tank style... hqi(Double ended or DE) vs Single ended(se) doesn't seem to have much difference in performance again if its set up right.
Personally, I think having a hood with retro fit kits really offers the most flexibility over time. and since I don't really like the pendant look it works out for me... I don't like the company packaged out of the box apps like the orbit. I would rather build my hood and fill it with the lights and bulbs of my choosing(HM and VHO personally).

the next confusing question comes to wattage and bulb spectrum. for your 55hex I would say a 150 watter should do it, but a 250 might be better. I would go 250 if you plan on doing a lot of sps. otherwise probably go with the 150. Bulb color is kind of a personal preference thing as well, but 14k is probably the most popular 10k is a bit whiter and looks nice with VHO actinic. 14k is a bit bluer. there is a string from sanjay joshi with great pics of tanks with different bulbs in it for comparison...

hope this helps...cheers
Eric
 
The flexibility in design as Eric stated is your best weapon in a tall tank. MH with actinic pc's or even better - VHO, would be the way to go. Even if your only semi-mechanically inclined, you can design a nice hood with your ideal lighting needs cheaper with a retro kit. Reflective material and all can be had per your best judgment as well through many suppliers. A 10k 150 watter MH with VHO actinics (supplement) would be absolutely perfect.
If money is an object you can use pc's but in the long run you get better bang for your buck with VHO's and there's only a minimal cost difference.
 
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