Watts Per GalL.

salt e

salt e

In Memoriam
i hope this is not being posted in the wrong area....

i have a general Q: about WPG....i have 2 CORALIFE lights above my 100 gal tank... both lights contain 2 light fixtures.... each fixture is 65 watts... if i add the TOTAL WATTAGE... that would be 260 total giving 2.6 WPG....


if that is not how you find WPG then it would be that i only have 65 watts per light fixture, giving me 0.65 watts per gall.


what is the most correct way to determin how many WPG you have... and how do i know exactly what kind of lights im using in the first place...

im sure you guys get nOob questions like this all the time so if there is another thread and you might know the link, if you could be so kind to post that enough would be said...

thank you for your time and understanding
:rollface: :confused: :rollface:
 
WPG ismisleading though lighting depends on what you want to keep. What are your plans?

[welcome]
 
ic ic...k...well...on that note... what kind of lighting should i be looking into for anenomes. i see you guys use alot of abv.'s for the actual words so some quick education on the abv's would be great...
 
The main problem with reef tanks is light penetration.You could have 2 100 gal tanks. One could be 6 feet long and 18 inches high. The other 100 gal could be 4 feet long and 36 inches high. The deep tank would require much more powerful lights to get the same light on the sand bed. That is why watts per gal does not work.
 
a rule of thumb is 24" high 250 watt MH over that you need 400 watt MH. you can space them every 2 feet. I don't like PC's and have no experiance with VHO but I have heard good things about T5 HO. T5 doesn't have as many heat problems like MH does.
 
Of course the height of your tank will affect which MH bulb you would choose. People saying this many ways for this many gallons is true, but it just really depends on your setup. It's just logic, if you have corals scattering all of your tank then the more distributed lighting you would need. If ALL your corals were sitting on the sandbed, obviously you'll need intense lighting EVERYWHERE. If you had a rectangular tank with two mountains of rock directly under your two MH bulbs, then you don't really need to worry too much about all the little corners of your tank.
 
standard 100 gal. 5 foot long 2 foot high...


_________________________________________
Zaphod,

i went through Acton the other day to go visit my sister in Palmdale. WHAT A HEAT WAVE*!
 

Zaphod,

i went through Acton the other day to go visit my sister in Palmdale. WHAT A HEAT WAVE*!
Click to expand...

your telling me! I have been sitting in the A/C in between swiming. I am glad my chiller is working.
 
I would look at T5 HO if you used MH you would need 2-3 250 watt MH and they run pretty hot especially in this heat. T5 's don't have the heat issues and would probably fit the legth of you tank better but I have never bought them before so maybe some one else can chime in. I have heard good things about the Tek fixtures.
 
you could probably get away with less but it is easier to do it right the first time. Just in case you want to get SPS some day. I never thought i would but here. i am.
 
makes perfect sence....im going to look into T5's now...any more info on the T5's from someones personal experence would be great to hear ;)
 
My experience with MH has been fantastic. My tank is not quite as big (58 gal), so I have one 400W 20K MH. You could probably do 2 250W MH. All of my corals love it and are growing rapidly. Some have literally grown 10x in 9 months. I also have a clam and fish.

I run the MH about 6 hours per day, and 4 hours a day I run 2x24 PC bulbs just for viewing. 4 hours of intense lighting per day is enough to saturate most corals' zooxanthelle and get them growing.

The only issue is with the heat from the bulb, but I keep mine fairly high above the tank, and add lots of fans. You can also get a chiller, but I have the temp under control with fans for now.

Good luck!
 
I like VHO. No heat issues, I just have a room fan running during the summer and tank stays under 80. Normally 76-77 degrees. And cheap to buy at - Hellolights.com. I looked into MH -everyone is right-heat issue with them-need a cooler but your coral will grow a lot.
 
Is your tank really 2' tall? That's not a standard 100g, then. Standard 100g is 20" tall. Bang for the buck, you get more light from MH than anything else. But you don't NEED MH and don't fall for the mega-lights-from-hell setup just because someday you might keep something else. Maybe not. Meanwhile, you have a bazillion watts eating up electricity and heating up your tank.

2x150w or 2x175w MH will be fine for most anything except extra high light corals. Water clarity also counts for a LOT.

But for the record, I've kept healthy and happy BTAs and all kinds of colorful corals in a standard 100g (20" tall) with 260w of PCs. Never got the tank-full-of-sticks bug, though.
 
Nicole is 100% accurate with the lighting recommendations.

I usually opt for halides because I like the color and love the shimmer that is caused by the water shadows.

I have seen alot of "Standard" 100 gallons of a variety of heights. I notice most are 23-24" High.

ATM.. I am setting up a 125 Gal (same height and width as a 100 but it is an extra foot in length) I will be lighting it with 2 x 150W Halides over each of the opening. I prefer not to waste my energy bill paying for a light over the center support divider. This will light me up at 600 total watts.

I have propagated Rose Bubble Tip Anenomes under 220 Watts in a 4 foot long 20" high aquarium. You will also have alot of coral choices at a similar light level. Colors on alot of the corals might not have great intensity nor contrast.

T5's are great. Current is making some nice T5 setups. you can also look into picking up some lighting set ups that are upgradeable later if you want to expand into the (Tank full of Sticks).. i.e.... SPS corals like Acropora, Montipora, etc etc.

As far as corals go.. In my experience Halides are king will result in better color and growth. There are alot of threads where people are using T5's with great success as well.
 
I have seen alot of "Standard" 100 gallons of a variety of heights. I notice most are 23-24" High.
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Yes, but he said it was 5 feet long, so I'm guessing it's the same dimensions as mine -- 60x20x18.

24" deep would seem to definately call for metal halides for most generic purposes.

Glad to see you back around, Todd.
 
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