MH Lighting 250w or 400w?

jacobm · 07/22/2012, 09:26 PM

i am getting a MH from a friend. i have a 55g tank 48 in long. should i get a 250 or a 400w? or i could get 2 400w lights. i think 2 would be too much.

So would 1 400w MH be enough to cover my whole setup while making corals thrive?

also is there a special bulb i would need?

thanks!

Nanook · 07/22/2012, 09:35 PM

With a good reflector, you need one metal halide for every two foot of tank length. Definitely need two bulbs for that tank. 250 watt metal halides are more than enough, but you could do quite nicely with 150 watt or 175 watt bulbs. What kind of corals are you going to grow, what color appeals to your eyes?? The metal halides add a lot of heat, how are you going to keep your tank cool?

KCombs · 07/22/2012, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacobm

So would 1 400w MH be enough to cover my whole setup while making corals thrive?

also is there a special bulb i would need?

thanks!

I tried that: use one 400W over 4ft.... believe it or not I got better results using 2 175W ...
otherwise the 2nd post provided your answer..

if you got a single bulb/brand, I like Radiums.... but I'm just passing by...i'll defer to the MH experts

Mmiller40gt · 07/22/2012, 11:13 PM

2x150 hqi would be great. You can find a fixture these days pretty cheap

jacobm · 07/23/2012, 09:05 AM

if i go smaller i only have acces to a 175 and a 250. would that be ok or would my tank look stupid?

hmmm plans on keeping my tank cool. havent really thought of that i guess. i just figured i would put them 12 or 18 inches away from the tank and i would be alset. or turn on my air conditioner. would that work?

Thanks for all of the help guys!!!

Mmiller40gt · 07/23/2012, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jacobm

if i go smaller i only have acces to a 175 and a 250. would that be ok or would my tank look stupid?

hmmm plans on keeping my tank cool. havent really thought of that i guess. i just figured i would put them 12 or 18 inches away from the tank and i would be alset. or turn on my air conditioner. would that work?

Thanks for all of the help guys!!!

2X175 SE would be fine too. You tank is so small you wont get much benefit of 250's but all of the problems (heat electric)

Entropy · 07/23/2012, 10:06 AM

Assuming you have a center brace there is really no good way to use a single halide over a four foot tank. If you don't have brace you can mount the halide in the center and just use the center of the tank for now until you can afford to add a second unit. I would go with 175w (Iwasaki 15k SE bulb) or a 250w (Phoenix 14k DE) depending on what type of fixture you come up with. With the halide in the center you will just have to get creative with the rock work and keep everything in the middle and lower light critters on the sides. 12 inches is the max I would mount a halide, closer would be better.

James77 · 07/23/2012, 10:08 AM

2x175 are more than enough. If you even have a heat problem, AC will easily take care of it. Other things that contribute to heat are pumps and powerheads.

jacobm · 07/24/2012, 10:59 AM

so how does this work? i have 4 54w t5 right now. that equals 216w total.

If i get 2 175w MH wouldnt that be less light?

i dont understand it...lol

James77 · 07/24/2012, 12:16 PM

2 175w halides would be 350 watts of light. If you had 2 400 watt halides it would be 800 watts of light. Dont get hung up on watts, things like reflectors and ballasts also determine out put or performance

Zoomadness · 07/24/2012, 12:28 PM

You will either need to keep your A/C really cool when the MH lights are on or you will need to run fans/chillers. I have 2-250 watt Mh's over my 55 gal and even with the A/C set at 74, the tank will still get into the low 80's without my fans and or chiller. I just had my A/C replaced in my house and now I do not have to run my chiller any more and it has been hot, hot, hot here! Today is supposed to be 105! However, if I do not run my fans the tank gets really hot. With my fans on, the tank never gets above 79 degrees.

I recommend XM bulbs for coral growth or radium's they are the best imo.

luk81a · 07/25/2012, 04:01 AM

Can anyone tell me if I can have SPS corals with 2 x 150w hqi ? tank size 4 x 2 x 2

Michigan Mike · 07/25/2012, 04:19 AM

Maybe if they are rightunder the surface, but your better off upgrading to 250w for that depth and width of tank.

falconut · 07/25/2012, 05:22 AM

My 90 is 4' long and the (2) 250W MH's are a perfect fit. I believe your tank is only 4" shorter, so 250 would work, but 175 would probably be the best fit.

sirreal63 · 07/25/2012, 08:08 AM

A pair of 150's would be fine for a standard 55 gallon tank. Looking at Sanhays testing you can get the same par from a 150 as a 175 and in many cases better. The strength of e bulb is not just a function of the wattage, but of the par the bulb puts out and how well the reflector gets that par to the water. A 150 or 175 can put out more par than a 250, so if you want to run lesser wattage bulbs it is important to look at the bulb, ballast and reflector to maximize what you are getting to the corals. Don't just look at wattage, it doesn't tell the whole story.

07/22/2012, 09:26 PM	#1
jacobm Registered Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: gardner, ma Posts: 100	MH Lighting 250w or 400w? i am getting a MH from a friend. i have a 55g tank 48 in long. should i get a 250 or a 400w? or i could get 2 400w lights. i think 2 would be too much. So would 1 400w MH be enough to cover my whole setup while making corals thrive? also is there a special bulb i would need? thanks!

07/22/2012, 09:35 PM	#2
Nanook Ancient Eskimo Legend Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Saint Louis, MO Posts: 41,852 Blog Entries: 11	With a good reflector, you need one metal halide for every two foot of tank length. Definitely need two bulbs for that tank. 250 watt metal halides are more than enough, but you could do quite nicely with 150 watt or 175 watt bulbs. What kind of corals are you going to grow, what color appeals to your eyes?? The metal halides add a lot of heat, how are you going to keep your tank cool? __________________ The wind blew, the chit flew, and then they came two by two. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Current Tank Info: 375g Tanganyikan Tank & 470g mixed reef

07/23/2012, 10:06 AM	#7
Entropy Texas Reefer Join Date: May 2003 Location: Round Rock, TX Posts: 13,656	Assuming you have a center brace there is really no good way to use a single halide over a four foot tank. If you don't have brace you can mount the halide in the center and just use the center of the tank for now until you can afford to add a second unit. I would go with 175w (Iwasaki 15k SE bulb) or a 250w (Phoenix 14k DE) depending on what type of fixture you come up with. With the halide in the center you will just have to get creative with the rock work and keep everything in the middle and lower light critters on the sides. 12 inches is the max I would mount a halide, closer would be better. __________________ Rich Overton 150G cube FOWLR, 30g sump, ReefKeeperII, 3x Koralia 1400's, QuiteOne 3000, Reef Octopus DNWB150, 4x 30w Par38 LED. Current Tank Info: 36x36x27 150g

07/23/2012, 10:08 AM	#8
James77 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 8,158	2x175 are more than enough. If you even have a heat problem, AC will easily take care of it. Other things that contribute to heat are pumps and powerheads. __________________ Jim Current Tank Info: 120g Mixed Reef and 75g Freshwater

07/24/2012, 12:16 PM	#10
James77 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 8,158	2 175w halides would be 350 watts of light. If you had 2 400 watt halides it would be 800 watts of light. Dont get hung up on watts, things like reflectors and ballasts also determine out put or performance __________________ Jim Current Tank Info: 120g Mixed Reef and 75g Freshwater

07/22/2012, 11:13 PM	#4
Mmiller40gt arrogant reefer Join Date: May 2012 Location: N Texas Posts: 687	2x150 hqi would be great. You can find a fixture these days pretty cheap

07/23/2012, 09:05 AM	#5
jacobm Registered Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: gardner, ma Posts: 100	if i go smaller i only have acces to a 175 and a 250. would that be ok or would my tank look stupid? hmmm plans on keeping my tank cool. havent really thought of that i guess. i just figured i would put them 12 or 18 inches away from the tank and i would be alset. or turn on my air conditioner. would that work? Thanks for all of the help guys!!!

07/24/2012, 10:59 AM	#9
jacobm Registered Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: gardner, ma Posts: 100	so how does this work? i have 4 54w t5 right now. that equals 216w total. If i get 2 175w MH wouldnt that be less light? i dont understand it...lol

07/24/2012, 12:28 PM	#11
Zoomadness Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Saint Charles Mo. Posts: 55	You will either need to keep your A/C really cool when the MH lights are on or you will need to run fans/chillers. I have 2-250 watt Mh's over my 55 gal and even with the A/C set at 74, the tank will still get into the low 80's without my fans and or chiller. I just had my A/C replaced in my house and now I do not have to run my chiller any more and it has been hot, hot, hot here! Today is supposed to be 105! However, if I do not run my fans the tank gets really hot. With my fans on, the tank never gets above 79 degrees. I recommend XM bulbs for coral growth or radium's they are the best imo. __________________ As soon as the first coral frag hit my tank, I should have quit, too late now, I'm already addicted. Coming soon...C.A. (Coralaholic's annonamous) Feel free to introduce yourself. Current Tank Info: 55 gal mixed reef ,just getting started. I have 2 clown fish, 1 yellow tang, 1 red bubble tip anemone, 6 zooanth colonies, 2 montipora colony, 2 trumpet corals, 4 leather corals, some mushroom coral, 1 fire shrimp and some turbo snails. I run MH& T5

07/25/2012, 04:01 AM	#12
luk81a Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Syd, Australia Posts: 73	Can anyone tell me if I can have SPS corals with 2 x 150w hqi ? tank size 4 x 2 x 2

07/25/2012, 04:19 AM	#13
Michigan Mike Freedom costs a buckofive Join Date: May 2012 Location: Michigan Posts: 3,002	Maybe if they are rightunder the surface, but your better off upgrading to 250w for that depth and width of tank.

07/25/2012, 05:22 AM	#14
falconut Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Blackwood, NJ Posts: 3,813	My 90 is 4' long and the (2) 250W MH's are a perfect fit. I believe your tank is only 4" shorter, so 250 would work, but 175 would probably be the best fit. __________________ 180 Gallon FOWLR, 40 Gallon Sump and 10 Gallon Refuge. (2) OceanRevive S026 LEDs, ASM G2 Skimmer & SCA-302 Skimmer. Setup since July 2017.

07/25/2012, 08:08 AM	#15
sirreal63 Go Spurs Go!!! Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Meadowlakes Texas Posts: 13,357	A pair of 150's would be fine for a standard 55 gallon tank. Looking at Sanhays testing you can get the same par from a 150 as a 175 and in many cases better. The strength of e bulb is not just a function of the wattage, but of the par the bulb puts out and how well the reflector gets that par to the water. A 150 or 175 can put out more par than a 250, so if you want to run lesser wattage bulbs it is important to look at the bulb, ballast and reflector to maximize what you are getting to the corals. Don't just look at wattage, it doesn't tell the whole story. __________________ Jack No One has ever been seriously injured by using the search function. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be a convenience store, not a government agency. Current Tank Info: Reefing the Pentagon.