Lighting for a 30" tall tank

lelenb · 01/04/2007, 05:45 PM

I just bought a 75 gallon TruVu Aquasystem reef tank and I need to light it. It is 30 inches high x 30 inches wide and has a depth of 18". So the tank is very tall and narrow. I plan to add 2 - 24" 65 watt actinic PC's and MH lighting. My question is will one 400 watt pendant be sufficient or should I do 2 smaller pendants to penetrate 30" of water. How many watts per gallon is recommended.

Primetime33 · 01/04/2007, 08:13 PM

lelenb,
I am in the same situation, except my tank is 48" wide. I will be going with a 2x250 MH and T5 setup. Probably the "outer orbit" lights. I have come to the conclusion that this is the best setup for a tall tank especially since I plan to start having SPS along with my LPS and good amount of softies.

Prime

stewie24 · 01/05/2007, 09:12 AM

They usually recommend one metal halide per 24 inches of tank length. Saying that, the 400 would definately penetrate the 30 inch of depth (assuming you meant 30 inches long by 30 inches high by 18 inches wide).
Since you are running 2x 65 watt pc's, i'd probably opt for a 2x 250 watt mh running 10k bulbs (they are bright and have alot of par moreso than 14k or 20ks) You should be able to keep shrooms/softies/zoos on near the bottom and higher light loving corals from 3/4 of the bottom up.
Stewie

pjf · 01/05/2007, 09:43 AM

Here are a couple of suggestions:

â€¢ 30â€ T5 lamps (http://www.marineandreef.com/shoppro...qualightT5.htm) in place of PC. PC lamps produce only ~60 lumens per watt. In contrast, normal output T5 lamps produce ~100 lumens per watt.

â€¢ Two-Bulb Lumenarc. Pacific Garden Supply is willing to manufacture a 2-bulb Lumenarc reflector. You can use a 2-bulb MH system for dawn-dusk lighting without supplemental actinic tubes. This will reduce the complexity of your lighting.

01/04/2007, 05:45 PM	#1
lelenb Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Aromas, CA Posts: 10	Lighting for a 30" tall tank I just bought a 75 gallon TruVu Aquasystem reef tank and I need to light it. It is 30 inches high x 30 inches wide and has a depth of 18". So the tank is very tall and narrow. I plan to add 2 - 24" 65 watt actinic PC's and MH lighting. My question is will one 400 watt pendant be sufficient or should I do 2 smaller pendants to penetrate 30" of water. How many watts per gallon is recommended.

01/04/2007, 08:13 PM	#2
Primetime33 SCMAS Logistics and IT Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: SoCal Posts: 1,814	lelenb, I am in the same situation, except my tank is 48" wide. I will be going with a 2x250 MH and T5 setup. Probably the "outer orbit" lights. I have come to the conclusion that this is the best setup for a tall tank especially since I plan to start having SPS along with my LPS and good amount of softies. Prime __________________ Brock Big Daddy Prime Current Tank Info: JBJ 50 gal

01/05/2007, 09:43 AM	#4
pjf Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 2,954	2-Bulb Lumenarc Reflector Here are a couple of suggestions: â€¢ 30â€ T5 lamps (http://www.marineandreef.com/shoppro...qualightT5.htm) in place of PC. PC lamps produce only ~60 lumens per watt. In contrast, normal output T5 lamps produce ~100 lumens per watt. â€¢ Two-Bulb Lumenarc. Pacific Garden Supply is willing to manufacture a 2-bulb Lumenarc reflector. You can use a 2-bulb MH system for dawn-dusk lighting without supplemental actinic tubes. This will reduce the complexity of your lighting.

01/05/2007, 09:12 AM	#3
stewie24 Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Northwestern PA Posts: 824	They usually recommend one metal halide per 24 inches of tank length. Saying that, the 400 would definately penetrate the 30 inch of depth (assuming you meant 30 inches long by 30 inches high by 18 inches wide). Since you are running 2x 65 watt pc's, i'd probably opt for a 2x 250 watt mh running 10k bulbs (they are bright and have alot of par moreso than 14k or 20ks) You should be able to keep shrooms/softies/zoos on near the bottom and higher light loving corals from 3/4 of the bottom up. Stewie