Please help with metal halide questions!

[fishymike]

Greetings all!

I have a question about metal halides. I currently have a 90 gallon reef with 4 110 watt VHOs run off an icecap 660 ballast. The ballast runs two URI actinic white bulbs, and two URI super actinic bulbs. My tank is mostly leathers, zoos, shrooms and 2 frogspawn varients. I am not really that interested in acros at this time, I really prefer softies. Coralline is also something I like to have and I have heard lower light is good for it.

I have a nice wood stand and hood that was made for the tank and do not want to mess with it much. The top of the stand is about 8 inches off the water, and the back is open for ventilation.

I want metal halides for two reasons. One my girlfriend keeps nagging me to get them because she likes the shimmering effect that halides give to the water (I know she is a keeper). I must admit I like it as well. And two, I would like the option of keeping some clams, and possibly stony corals in the future.

I know that shrooms don't like a ton of light, and have also heard that frogspawn come from lesser light areas on the reefs. The softies in my tank are doing great with VHO.

Is 8" high enough from the water that I can run Halides, and how much hotter do they run than my current 4 VHO bulb setup? I live in Florida, so in the summer it gets hot and I don't want too much more temp on the tank. Chillers are too expensive.

I am interested in what brand ballasts and bulbs, including color temp, everyone is running. I like the bluish white look to my tank now, if anything I would want it more blue than the white side. I dislike yellow tanks especially. Just a personal taste thing.

I was looking at the e-ballast retro fit from championlighting.com with perhaps some 12k or 20k bulbs. I have never seen the 20k and think they might be two blue to have two of them over a 90. I could always rewire the Icecap for two bulbs and keep 2 of my actnic VHO bulbs on if the halides were not blue enough. I am also unsure rather 175w or 250w would be better. My gut says 250w.

You guys are really helpful and hopefully I will get a lot of response to this. I am sure I am not the only one facing this dilemma. $600 in lighting is a big enough chunk of change that I want to be sure I am doing the right thing.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Mike

 

[cdeakle]

Lights shouldnt cost you 600 bucks! I got a 250 watt MH setup with 12,000k bulb for like 250.00 shipped. (aquaticlight.com)


I'm new to corals so I cant talk in that regard but I can tell you that I love my sunburst, great blue/white color.

My canapy has a clearance of 12" .......

 

[fishymike]

Those are some cheap lights. Thanks for the tip. I will have to check it out. My girlfriend works for an electrical engineer, she is going to see if they can order anything through work that would fit the bill. If not, these might be the answer.

Thanks again.

 

[Anonymous]

My Frogspawn has done better under my halide copmapred to PC's. The few shrooms that I have are doing ok but they are on the bottom of the tank.

I use a 250W HQI DE 10K and 2 95 W VHO actincs over my 58 and I abolutely love the color. Crisp white look with a little flouresence from the actinics.
_________________
Cosmetic Surgery Forum

 

[fisheye1]

You should be able to DIY for cheaper and it will be easier to fit into your hood. The only roadblack is that with a hood and MH your tank temp is going to climb and climb. As far as your softies go make sure you acclimate them slowly if you do get MH's. 20K are beautiful blue baby blue, I myself prefer a mix of 20K and 13K but to each his own. Check out some picks of dif. set ups with 20k to see if you will be happy with the color. 20K have less intensity so it easier to acclimate but they put out the same if not more heat than the 10k range. good luck.

 

[hillbilly]

It's up to you of course, but I would never spend that much for lights.
Shop around, you can get quality lights much cheaper. Click on Hello
Lights website. They have good stuff at great prices. I like the Aqualine
Buschke 10,000 lamp made in Germany. It has color temp. of 13,000
Kelvin with light output high in the blue end of the spectrum. I've had
better growth with this bulb than any I have used. Worth checking out!

 

[hillbilly]

BTW, You will find you need to vent heat with powerful lights. It may
be tough to do with a canopy on. Powerful computer fans mounted
on each end of the canopy will help. I prefer to hang lights above the
tank, as it's easier to keep the heat out of the tank.

 

[hillbilly]

I like to put a light at 2ft. intervals. If the tank is 24in. or deeper,
I would use 250 watt lights. 36in. over, 400 watt bulbs.

 

[mooner]

I have an open top 44 gallon with a 250 Watt 10000K MH less than 6" from the surface. All I use is a Vornado fan on a timer blowing across the water to keep it cool. Never gets hot.

My shrooms seem to like the light but I keep the photo period around 9 hours a day.

 

[fishymike]

Thanks for the input. I would love to hear what other bulbs and ballasts people are using for MHs.

Thanks again for all the great responses, keep em coming!

 

[mountainbiker619]

IceCap 175w with Sunburst 12K

 

[fishymike]

Thanks for all the input! I'd love to hear what everyone else is using as well.

Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

I'm using dual 250w 10K Double-ended bulbs on a blue wave ballast. The reflectors are Sunlight Supply; they seem excellent. I got it all from http://www.ecorals.tv/

By the time you got the bulbs and all I doubt it would be any less than the price you mentioned, which does not seem all that outrageous, IMO.

I use these 2 lights on a 120 with a single 400W Radium mounted between them for a bit more blue. Your vhos would probably do as well.

Also the DE's are in an enclosed pendant units- I think these impart less heat to the water than open bulbs.