Need Help: 150 W or 250 W metal halides for my 125 gallon

frankpayne32 · 10/30/2009, 11:29 AM

Need some help here guys, I'm currently in the process of accumulating equipment for my 125 gallon tank and am on the fence as far as my lighting is concerned. I've decided to go with double ended metal halides (14k phoenix) but what I'm not sure of is if I should go with 150 watt bulbs or 250. The tank is 23" tall and will have only a shallow sand bed. I plan on keeping mostly acroporids but will also have LPS and zoanthids on the sand bottom. I know that 250 watts won't be too strong but I am trying to be as energy conscious as possible on all of my purchases. But on the other hand I do want relatively fast growth and my number one priority is the health and coloration of my corals. Anyway, with my bulb selection (Phoenix 14K) should I go with 150W or 250W? Thanks!

Frank

frankpayne32 · 11/02/2009, 11:12 AM

Anyone?

tangtang clown · 11/02/2009, 12:43 PM

+1 I am in the same boat.

frankpayne32 · 11/02/2009, 02:00 PM

Hopefully someone with some experience will chime in.

rbnice1 · 11/02/2009, 02:04 PM

250.

150's penetration is very very low. you par would be really really low deeper then about 12 inches.

Plus down the road if you wanted to try 20k bulbs you would have enough power to use them.

frankpayne32 · 11/02/2009, 02:05 PM

Thanks rbnice1, anyone else?

rbnice1 · 11/02/2009, 02:07 PM

If you really want to conserve then do 2 islands of rock and only use 2 250watt MH's with good 20-24inch reflectors.

DT's_Reef · 11/02/2009, 02:11 PM

If you are doing acropora and want flexibility, I definitely would go 250w. I have a 20" tall tank and am using a 250w Radium SE bulb on a Galaxy ballast which has been perfect.

An electronic ballast uses less electricity than a magnetic ballast, but also drives the bulb at a lower wattage.

Reflector choice is very important so do your research. Bulb + ballast + reflect is the magic combo.

150w lighting would also work, but again, I think 250w will give you the most flexibility.

Btw, I assume you're going to use DE bulbs rather than SE? With my SE set-up, I've used both the 250w Phoenix and 250w Radium, and my corals seem to prefer Radium. Both bulbs were colored very similarly, with the Phoenix "blue" being a bit colder looking. My corals pop more and look a bit richer with Radium.

Also, a lot of people, including me, will judge a bulb by how fast their corals grow and coral color. However, there are a lot of variables that go into the pot and if anything's awry, it can prevent achieving your goal and sometimes people blame lack of success on the bulb. Been there, done that. GL.

mordibv · 11/02/2009, 02:30 PM

Since you are partial to phoenix 14 k DE I would go with the 250's . I would suggest using very good reflectors EG; lumenbrites , lumenmax for the most punch and spread .

jsf668 · 11/02/2009, 04:31 PM

I would go with the 250's. I started with the 150's and realized that all my corals were browning so, I ended up selling the fixtures and went to 250's. Now my corals are more colorful.

frankpayne32 · 11/02/2009, 05:15 PM

Seems the consensus is to bite the bullet and get the 250's. Thanks everyone for the input.

View Poll Results: 150 watt or 250 watt metal halides?
150 watt (Phoenix 14k)	1	8.33%
250 watt (Phoenix 14k)	11	91.67%
Voters: 12. You may not vote on this poll

10/30/2009, 11:29 AM	#1
frankpayne32 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,177	Need Help: 150 W or 250 W metal halides for my 125 gallon Need some help here guys, I'm currently in the process of accumulating equipment for my 125 gallon tank and am on the fence as far as my lighting is concerned. I've decided to go with double ended metal halides (14k phoenix) but what I'm not sure of is if I should go with 150 watt bulbs or 250. The tank is 23" tall and will have only a shallow sand bed. I plan on keeping mostly acroporids but will also have LPS and zoanthids on the sand bottom. I know that 250 watts won't be too strong but I am trying to be as energy conscious as possible on all of my purchases. But on the other hand I do want relatively fast growth and my number one priority is the health and coloration of my corals. Anyway, with my bulb selection (Phoenix 14K) should I go with 150W or 250W? Thanks! Frank __________________ Frank Payne Advice to new hobbyists: listen to people that have a tank you would like to have one day, not to those with a high post count. Current Tank Info: 125 gallon in-wall (build thread is my homepage).

11/02/2009, 11:12 AM	#2
frankpayne32 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,177	Anyone? __________________ Frank Payne Advice to new hobbyists: listen to people that have a tank you would like to have one day, not to those with a high post count. Current Tank Info: 125 gallon in-wall (build thread is my homepage).

11/02/2009, 12:43 PM	#3
tangtang clown Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: The DUB, NC Posts: 2,711	+1 I am in the same boat. __________________ Mind over chatter.

11/02/2009, 02:00 PM	#4
frankpayne32 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,177	Hopefully someone with some experience will chime in. __________________ Frank Payne Advice to new hobbyists: listen to people that have a tank you would like to have one day, not to those with a high post count. Current Tank Info: 125 gallon in-wall (build thread is my homepage).

11/02/2009, 02:04 PM	#5
rbnice1 Moved On Join Date: May 2008 Location: Cedar Hill Posts: 3,905	250. 150's penetration is very very low. you par would be really really low deeper then about 12 inches. Plus down the road if you wanted to try 20k bulbs you would have enough power to use them.

11/02/2009, 02:05 PM	#6
frankpayne32 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,177	Thanks rbnice1, anyone else? __________________ Frank Payne Advice to new hobbyists: listen to people that have a tank you would like to have one day, not to those with a high post count. Current Tank Info: 125 gallon in-wall (build thread is my homepage).

11/02/2009, 02:07 PM	#7
rbnice1 Moved On Join Date: May 2008 Location: Cedar Hill Posts: 3,905	If you really want to conserve then do 2 islands of rock and only use 2 250watt MH's with good 20-24inch reflectors.

11/02/2009, 02:11 PM	#8
DT's_Reef Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Huntington Beach, CA Posts: 3,083	If you are doing acropora and want flexibility, I definitely would go 250w. I have a 20" tall tank and am using a 250w Radium SE bulb on a Galaxy ballast which has been perfect. An electronic ballast uses less electricity than a magnetic ballast, but also drives the bulb at a lower wattage. Reflector choice is very important so do your research. Bulb + ballast + reflect is the magic combo. 150w lighting would also work, but again, I think 250w will give you the most flexibility. Btw, I assume you're going to use DE bulbs rather than SE? With my SE set-up, I've used both the 250w Phoenix and 250w Radium, and my corals seem to prefer Radium. Both bulbs were colored very similarly, with the Phoenix "blue" being a bit colder looking. My corals pop more and look a bit richer with Radium. Also, a lot of people, including me, will judge a bulb by how fast their corals grow and coral color. However, there are a lot of variables that go into the pot and if anything's awry, it can prevent achieving your goal and sometimes people blame lack of success on the bulb. Been there, done that. GL.

11/02/2009, 02:30 PM	#9
mordibv Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Western Mass Posts: 1,499	Since you are partial to phoenix 14 k DE I would go with the 250's . I would suggest using very good reflectors EG; lumenbrites , lumenmax for the most punch and spread . __________________ It's hard to take advice from those who do not show the fruits of their labor . Current Tank Info: No tank ATM

11/02/2009, 04:31 PM	#10
jsf668 Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Gurnee, IL Posts: 401	I would go with the 250's. I started with the 150's and realized that all my corals were browning so, I ended up selling the fixtures and went to 250's. Now my corals are more colorful.

11/02/2009, 05:15 PM	#11
frankpayne32 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,177	Seems the consensus is to bite the bullet and get the 250's. Thanks everyone for the input. __________________ Frank Payne Advice to new hobbyists: listen to people that have a tank you would like to have one day, not to those with a high post count. Current Tank Info: 125 gallon in-wall (build thread is my homepage).