TYpe of lighting on a 180 gallon Reef

lurch · 05/09/2009, 10:39 AM

I was in the market to upgrade my lighting. I was wondering if I should go with three 400W 14K metal halides or the 80W 60" t5's with the icecap ballasts that drive them at 100W. I was going to go with 6 of the t5 bulbs.

BigJay · 05/09/2009, 10:55 AM

For a 180 gallon tank (6X2X2) I would use three 250 watt 14K bulbs with lumenarc, lumenmax, or lumenbrite reflectors.

The energy use and heat generated will be comprable to the T5's, and so will the results.

qy7400 · 05/09/2009, 11:24 AM

1200W halides vs. 600W in T5 is a big difference. The one thing to keep in mind with the Lumen______ is you'll need a lot of canopy room, on average the bulb will be close to 12 (mini) or 16 (large) inches off the water. T5 will not require that type of room, 6 inches will be plenty. IMO 8x80W T5 or 3x250W are the choices for you, T5 will give you a nice dusk to dawn effect, run cooler and may cost less overall on bulbs where the halides give you the shimmer many can't live without.

View Poll Results: t5's or metal halides on 180gal reef
Three 400 watt metal halides with lumenarcs	6	54.55%
Icecap 6 bulb's T5's 60" @ 80watts overdriven to 100watts	3	27.27%
Blacklights and Jimi Hendrix Posters	2	18.18%
Voters: 11. You may not vote on this poll

05/09/2009, 10:39 AM	#1
lurch Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 483	TYpe of lighting on a 180 gallon Reef I was in the market to upgrade my lighting. I was wondering if I should go with three 400W 14K metal halides or the 80W 60" t5's with the icecap ballasts that drive them at 100W. I was going to go with 6 of the t5 bulbs.

05/09/2009, 10:55 AM	#2
BigJay Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Southlake, Texas Posts: 1,872	For a 180 gallon tank (6X2X2) I would use three 250 watt 14K bulbs with lumenarc, lumenmax, or lumenbrite reflectors. The energy use and heat generated will be comprable to the T5's, and so will the results. __________________ PBITAWA

05/09/2009, 11:24 AM	#3
qy7400 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: LI, NY Posts: 1,514	1200W halides vs. 600W in T5 is a big difference. The one thing to keep in mind with the Lumen______ is you'll need a lot of canopy room, on average the bulb will be close to 12 (mini) or 16 (large) inches off the water. T5 will not require that type of room, 6 inches will be plenty. IMO 8x80W T5 or 3x250W are the choices for you, T5 will give you a nice dusk to dawn effect, run cooler and may cost less overall on bulbs where the halides give you the shimmer many can't live without. __________________ -Joe Current Tank Info: 380G now with water and fish