Halide help!!!!!!

goose777 · 12/26/2009, 11:43 PM

75 gl standard tank 120 lr

just bought odyssey light 150w metal halide times 2 2 96 wat blue actinic

question is how far off of tank should fixture be ? i want to be close enough to but not to close

also i don't have any coral yet just 2 condy's and couple fish

Pcrain · 12/27/2009, 12:03 AM

Its all about how much heat you tank can take.. pretty much halides are known for there penetration very intense great lighting but also very hot and can overheat you tank fast so if you have no fan to dispense that heat you prob want the light fairly high above the tank so nothing cooks you can also just settle with the halide on and the actinic's off they are prob PC and are just there for color so unless your showing off the tank you can keep them off or on for the first hr or 2... this will make it so less heat makes it to your tank so your light could be a little closer.. it will also take some experimenting to get halide placement right

ITs all about what your running more info and i could tell you with no fan nor ac in room i would say over a foot and no running PC's

If you have a good fan blowing in between the light and the water you can get within 5 inches of each other maybe a tiny bit closer but i wouldn't recommend

a downside to this would be the evaporation where your losing a gallon or 2 in your tank a day

jdthomas24 · 12/27/2009, 12:07 AM

mine are about 5 inches off the water and it heats up my tank. my canopy height is the reason and i am having to run a chiller, or will have to, havent hooked it up yet but considering some silent small fans also to pull some of the heat out.

Pcrain · 12/27/2009, 01:20 AM

yes i have my halides 5 inches above the water i run a chiller and i turn on the fan for about the last 2 hrs the halide is running on timer of course but the chiller will kick on sometimes even with the fan.. chiller turns on at 82f

dots · 12/27/2009, 01:40 AM

How are you mounting them?

Are they DE's or SE's I can't remember which these are?

Regardless, the 75 is a shallow tank. DE's will tend to "spotlight" and produce areas of high and low.

I would play with it a little and pull them up......at least 6 inches.....preferably more (Had a 75 myself BTW)

Look at the light, look at the patterns and you should have even lighting both left to right/top to bottom....with it naturally disapating at the bottom.

So here is the catch. 150's don't put out a bunch, so your going to have to concentrate more on water quality and flow than just with the "big stick" of lighting. In the end, you will be better for this so remember to be aware of PAR levels on bulb choices....but don't fixate on it....buy what you want to look at.

What you don't want to do is be so concerned you don't have enough lighting, you leave the lights on too long or lower the height. Keep it even like I mentioned.

There is a limit, as the light may "flood" the room or shine in your eyes, you can try tilting it back should it.

(I went to 250W SE's because of this in the end, but that's your own road to travel)

SAZAMA · 12/27/2009, 01:45 AM

my pendant runs the blub about 8 in above the tank. no issues 250watt 20k.

lordofthereef · 12/27/2009, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pcrain

Its all about how much heat you tank can take.. pretty much halides are known for there penetration very intense great lighting but also very hot and can overheat you tank fast so if you have no fan to dispense that heat you prob want the light fairly high above the tank so nothing cooks

I would be careful making this recommendation as light intensity can also destroy your corals just as well as overheating the tank can (ie I can throw 400w halides on that same tank with some crazy reflectors and keep the heat at bay with fans and a chiller but still do no good for my livestock). That said, a 150w over that tank depth would be fine five or so inches from the water line IMO.

tipmoff · 12/27/2009, 07:10 AM

I have a std 75 with two 150 MH's and they are around 6 inches above the water height with no issues. I run a fan over my sump and live in central Fl and typically the temp runs between 79 - 82. I have a mixed reef and went thru some red slime problems until I switched to 20k bulbs which alleviated the problem. Just experiment for a while to see where your sweat spot is.

reefscape15 · 12/27/2009, 07:37 AM

I have a 250watt single ended bulb over my 54gal bowfront and a 96watt T-5 fixture as well. They are both only 3" off the water surface. Temp raises when the MH is on so for now I can really only run it for about 5-6 hours. T-5 actinics come on for 12hrs, and T-5 daytime bulbs come on for about 9. I have a canopy in the build process that will be 16" tall, and once all is finished my bulbs will be 12-14" above the water. I'll be running a Lumenbright III MINI reflector for the MH and individual reflectors on the T-5's instead of the single parabolic reflector that's in the fixture now. Even with the bulbs being higher off the water, I will be getting much better light throughout the entire tank.

reefscape15 · 12/27/2009, 07:38 AM

I'd say a safe height is 8-12", but it's all depending on the bulbs, reflectors, run time, water clarity, and inhabitants in the tank.

larouche10 · 12/27/2009, 08:14 AM

What about having a glass top? Reccomended? Will this reduce heat or will it take away light spectrum getting to my corals? I am just starting my 90 gallon reef tank and I am at this point in the set up....I have a wood canopy and light combination of metal halides and 50/50 Actinics. The combo light fixture is about 2 inches from the glass tops that are in place under the wood canopy. The light has buiilt in fans which I assumed ran when the Halides were on. Any help???.......

reefscape15 · 12/27/2009, 08:18 AM

Get rid of the glass top. It will trap heat in, reduce surface oxygen exchange, and cut down on the amount of penetrating light.

larouche10 · 12/27/2009, 09:16 AM

Thanks Jim, that's what I thought but wanted to make sure. Wouldn't ordinarily put lights that close either but wanted to use my wood cabinet and actually had to do some modification to get it work. I may need use extra fans, but I will have to wait and see. Thanks again!

reefscape15 · 12/27/2009, 12:11 PM

The biggest thing with halide being close to the water is the salt spray getting on them. I guess that goes for any lighting really, but with the amount of heat that MH produce, if there is anything that splashes directly onto the bulb, you run the risk of exploding the bulb! I'd hate to see someone dig broken glass out of a tank. I guess I should follow my own advise, but i'm too lazy to move the light up until I get my canopy built

goose777 · 12/27/2009, 02:24 PM

my light is hanging with 100lb gal. steel wire i don't have any coral or mushrooms right now but i want them asap just want to give good light without losing too much water and i think it is pointless to have to run a chiller i would rather adjust my lights accordingly just my opinion my temp is running about 77 right now

i also have 2 koralia #4's running in the tank

goose777 · 12/27/2009, 02:25 PM

can anyone tell me how to put pictures on here i would love to share them ?????

please be detailed i am not familar with this site at all !!! thanks everyone

12/26/2009, 11:43 PM	#1
goose777 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: st louis, mo Posts: 105	Halide help!!!!!! 75 gl standard tank 120 lr just bought odyssey light 150w metal halide times 2 2 96 wat blue actinic question is how far off of tank should fixture be ? i want to be close enough to but not to close also i don't have any coral yet just 2 condy's and couple fish

12/27/2009, 01:40 AM	#5
dots Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 6,258	How are you mounting them? Are they DE's or SE's I can't remember which these are? Regardless, the 75 is a shallow tank. DE's will tend to "spotlight" and produce areas of high and low. I would play with it a little and pull them up......at least 6 inches.....preferably more (Had a 75 myself BTW) Look at the light, look at the patterns and you should have even lighting both left to right/top to bottom....with it naturally disapating at the bottom. So here is the catch. 150's don't put out a bunch, so your going to have to concentrate more on water quality and flow than just with the "big stick" of lighting. In the end, you will be better for this so remember to be aware of PAR levels on bulb choices....but don't fixate on it....buy what you want to look at. What you don't want to do is be so concerned you don't have enough lighting, you leave the lights on too long or lower the height. Keep it even like I mentioned. There is a limit, as the light may "flood" the room or shine in your eyes, you can try tilting it back should it. (I went to 250W SE's because of this in the end, but that's your own road to travel) __________________ ~Doug Last edited by dots; 12/27/2009 at 02:08 AM.

12/27/2009, 01:45 AM	#6
SAZAMA Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Northglenn ,Colorado Posts: 639	my pendant runs the blub about 8 in above the tank. no issues 250watt 20k. __________________ I enjoy long walks, next to my reef tank...LOVE 303 Current Tank Info: water box

12/27/2009, 07:10 AM	#8
tipmoff Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Palm Harbor, FL Posts: 430	I have a std 75 with two 150 MH's and they are around 6 inches above the water height with no issues. I run a fan over my sump and live in central Fl and typically the temp runs between 79 - 82. I have a mixed reef and went thru some red slime problems until I switched to 20k bulbs which alleviated the problem. Just experiment for a while to see where your sweat spot is. __________________ "When I was a boy the Dead Sea was only sick. ." Member T.B.R.C. Current Tank Info: 75 Gallon Mixed Reef

12/27/2009, 07:37 AM	#9
reefscape15 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Elmira Heights, NY Posts: 2,812	I have a 250watt single ended bulb over my 54gal bowfront and a 96watt T-5 fixture as well. They are both only 3" off the water surface. Temp raises when the MH is on so for now I can really only run it for about 5-6 hours. T-5 actinics come on for 12hrs, and T-5 daytime bulbs come on for about 9. I have a canopy in the build process that will be 16" tall, and once all is finished my bulbs will be 12-14" above the water. I'll be running a Lumenbright III MINI reflector for the MH and individual reflectors on the T-5's instead of the single parabolic reflector that's in the fixture now. Even with the bulbs being higher off the water, I will be getting much better light throughout the entire tank. __________________ A new beginning........... JIM Current Tank Info: 5g standard softie/zoa tank, just starting a 20H

12/27/2009, 12:03 AM	#2
Pcrain Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: chico ca Posts: 414	Its all about how much heat you tank can take.. pretty much halides are known for there penetration very intense great lighting but also very hot and can overheat you tank fast so if you have no fan to dispense that heat you prob want the light fairly high above the tank so nothing cooks you can also just settle with the halide on and the actinic's off they are prob PC and are just there for color so unless your showing off the tank you can keep them off or on for the first hr or 2... this will make it so less heat makes it to your tank so your light could be a little closer.. it will also take some experimenting to get halide placement right ITs all about what your running more info and i could tell you with no fan nor ac in room i would say over a foot and no running PC's If you have a good fan blowing in between the light and the water you can get within 5 inches of each other maybe a tiny bit closer but i wouldn't recommend a downside to this would be the evaporation where your losing a gallon or 2 in your tank a day

12/27/2009, 12:07 AM	#3
jdthomas24 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Rockwall, Texas Posts: 852	mine are about 5 inches off the water and it heats up my tank. my canopy height is the reason and i am having to run a chiller, or will have to, havent hooked it up yet but considering some silent small fans also to pull some of the heat out.

12/27/2009, 01:20 AM	#4
Pcrain Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: chico ca Posts: 414	yes i have my halides 5 inches above the water i run a chiller and i turn on the fan for about the last 2 hrs the halide is running on timer of course but the chiller will kick on sometimes even with the fan.. chiller turns on at 82f

12/27/2009, 07:38 AM	#10
reefscape15 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Elmira Heights, NY Posts: 2,812	I'd say a safe height is 8-12", but it's all depending on the bulbs, reflectors, run time, water clarity, and inhabitants in the tank. __________________ A new beginning........... JIM Current Tank Info: 5g standard softie/zoa tank, just starting a 20H

12/27/2009, 08:14 AM	#11
larouche10 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Poughkeepsie,NY Posts: 9	What about having a glass top? Reccomended? Will this reduce heat or will it take away light spectrum getting to my corals? I am just starting my 90 gallon reef tank and I am at this point in the set up....I have a wood canopy and light combination of metal halides and 50/50 Actinics. The combo light fixture is about 2 inches from the glass tops that are in place under the wood canopy. The light has buiilt in fans which I assumed ran when the Halides were on. Any help???.......

12/27/2009, 08:18 AM	#12
reefscape15 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Elmira Heights, NY Posts: 2,812	Get rid of the glass top. It will trap heat in, reduce surface oxygen exchange, and cut down on the amount of penetrating light. __________________ A new beginning........... JIM Current Tank Info: 5g standard softie/zoa tank, just starting a 20H

12/27/2009, 09:16 AM	#13
larouche10 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Poughkeepsie,NY Posts: 9	Thanks Jim, that's what I thought but wanted to make sure. Wouldn't ordinarily put lights that close either but wanted to use my wood cabinet and actually had to do some modification to get it work. I may need use extra fans, but I will have to wait and see. Thanks again!

12/27/2009, 12:11 PM	#14
reefscape15 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Elmira Heights, NY Posts: 2,812	The biggest thing with halide being close to the water is the salt spray getting on them. I guess that goes for any lighting really, but with the amount of heat that MH produce, if there is anything that splashes directly onto the bulb, you run the risk of exploding the bulb! I'd hate to see someone dig broken glass out of a tank. I guess I should follow my own advise, but i'm too lazy to move the light up until I get my canopy built __________________ A new beginning........... JIM Current Tank Info: 5g standard softie/zoa tank, just starting a 20H

12/27/2009, 02:24 PM	#15
goose777 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: st louis, mo Posts: 105	my light is hanging with 100lb gal. steel wire i don't have any coral or mushrooms right now but i want them asap just want to give good light without losing too much water and i think it is pointless to have to run a chiller i would rather adjust my lights accordingly just my opinion my temp is running about 77 right now i also have 2 koralia #4's running in the tank

12/27/2009, 02:25 PM	#16
goose777 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: st louis, mo Posts: 105	can anyone tell me how to put pictures on here i would love to share them ????? please be detailed i am not familar with this site at all !!! thanks everyone