??upgrading to metal halides-just a couple questions??

lmh11706 · 10/31/2006, 01:51 PM

i have a 55g 4ft in length.right now i have 212watts t-5 vho lights-2 10k daylight 2 10k acitinic-with 4 moonlights and the fixture is 4 ft long same as my tank.its ok and corals are doing ok.if i upgrade to halides do i still need a 4 ft fixture or can i go 24 in or 36 inches.the 24 inch puts out 280 watts which is 5 watts per gallon for me.is this enough or do i have to cover the entire length of the tank-which i think would be too much like double that?also do i really need to upgrade to halides.

eckrynock · 10/31/2006, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lmh11706
do i really need to upgrade to halides.

This is what you need to figure out. What type of corals are you keeping. Why are you thinking of upgrading anyways? To answer your question, you will want 2 MHs to cover 4 ft. Yes, it's more watts per gallon but you won't get good light coverage with one MH over 4 ft. For a 55 gallon, depending on the types of corals, you may want 175 single end or 150 double ended bulbs. Iwasaki makes a nice 14k 175 watt bulb.

dcombs44 · 10/31/2006, 02:13 PM

I have dual 250 watt metal halides over my 55. It may be a bit of overkill, but I've yet to burn or bleach anything. I guess the true test will come when I start adding some sps etc.

10/31/2006, 01:51 PM	#1
lmh11706 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: bayshore,long island ny Posts: 269	??upgrading to metal halides-just a couple questions?? i have a 55g 4ft in length.right now i have 212watts t-5 vho lights-2 10k daylight 2 10k acitinic-with 4 moonlights and the fixture is 4 ft long same as my tank.its ok and corals are doing ok.if i upgrade to halides do i still need a 4 ft fixture or can i go 24 in or 36 inches.the 24 inch puts out 280 watts which is 5 watts per gallon for me.is this enough or do i have to cover the entire length of the tank-which i think would be too much like double that?also do i really need to upgrade to halides.

10/31/2006, 02:13 PM	#3
dcombs44 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 2,913	I have dual 250 watt metal halides over my 55. It may be a bit of overkill, but I've yet to burn or bleach anything. I guess the true test will come when I start adding some sps etc. __________________ Current Setup: 10 Gallon Skimmerless Zoanthid Tank Lighting: Single 175 Watt Metal Halide (14,000 K Hamilton Lamp) Filtration: 10 gallon sump/refugium and Phosban Reactor Return: Mag Drive 700 Controller: ReefKeeper Lite (Basic Version) Circulation: TBD Age of System: Build is in Progress