Lighting do's and don'ts

[Austintatious]

I am thinking of getting lighting in the future and my nature is to seek out deals. Can someone point me to a source? Is a metal halide a metal halide a metal halide? I was looking here ( oops cant post links yet) and see they have 1000 watt ballast for $100.00. I have a 40" deep tank so I need a powerful light , probably focused to get enough light down to any coral I might get. are these DIFFERENT MH? what do I need to look for specifically?

[crvz]

Well... most brand name aquarium metal halides setups are reliable. I would not look into things that are more for warehouse lighting or other commercial products, as they are not nearly as functional for your purposes. So I would stick with brand names.

Other than that, there are quite a number of features to consider. Reflectors are variable in performance, and usually you have to pay to get the more useful products. Bulbs are the same story. If you're really searching for a deal, I'd seriously consider looking at used forums for folks breaking down their tanks. If you have a local place, that'd be best, but I often see used setups for half or less than retail.

And at 40 inches deep, metal halide lights are about the only option to penetrate that depth, and you're probably wise to stick in the 400 (or better 1000) watt range.

[ckusnierek]

HERE IS HANDS DOWN THE BEST DEAL I HAVE FOUND FOR MH!!!

Hellolight.com has an awesome deal

JBJ Ballast reflector and XM BULB!! (your chice on color) for....

175w: $89
250w: $99
400w: $109

Those XM bulbs are $60+ alone!

I ordered one 250 yesterday for my frag tank.

400w 10K or 20K (stay away from the 15K XM) would be fine on a 40" deep tank as long as you keep SPS in the upper 2/3.

Now the reflector is horrible but you can buy a cheap spider reflector for $25-$35

[ckusnierek]

Oh and WELCOME TO TRT!

[aquawolf]

Welcome to TRT!!!

Thanks for the information on the metal halide deal Chris. Now you have the wheels in my head spinning again.

[Austintatious]

Originally Posted by ckusnierek

HERE IS HANDS DOWN THE BEST DEAL I HAVE FOUND FOR MH!!!

Hellolight.com has an awesome deal

JBJ Ballast reflector and XM BULB!! (your chice on color) for....

175w: $89
250w: $99
400w: $109

Those XM bulbs are $60+ alone!

I ordered one 250 yesterday for my frag tank.

400w 10K or 20K (stay away from the 15K XM) would be fine on a 40" deep tank as long as you keep SPS in the upper 2/3.

Now the reflector is horrible but you can buy a cheap spider reflector for $25-$35

Thanks... what does SPS stand for?

[three90s&125sump]

Small Polyped Stoney (or scleractinia)

[jenglish]

WOW, is that deal a limited time? That is also getting me thinking.

[HARRYD]

Hi, guys need some help! I've just gone and got myself a new marine tank 5ft - 18' - 24' with a 3ft sump. However this time I want to set it up using miricle mud, Firstly my question is what pump do i need? and everyone is saying diffrant amounts of mud? how much do i need for this tank?

[Austintatious]

Originally Posted by ckusnierek

HERE IS HANDS DOWN THE BEST DEAL I HAVE FOUND FOR MH!!!

Hellolight.com has an awesome deal

JBJ Ballast reflector and XM BULB!! (your chice on color) for....

175w: $89
250w: $99
400w: $109

Those XM bulbs are $60+ alone!

I ordered one 250 yesterday for my frag tank.

400w 10K or 20K (stay away from the 15K XM) would be fine on a 40" deep tank as long as you keep SPS in the upper 2/3.

Now the reflector is horrible but you can buy a cheap spider reflector for $25-$35

Could you make your own reflector with some sheet metal and attach Mirrors to reflect nearly 100% of the light back into the tank?

[collin]

look into t5 the put off less heat and are cheaper

[Loverotties]

T5HO are the next best thing to Mh.And is cooler to run and cheaper too!

[three90s&125sump]

Mirrors are not as efficient at reflecting as you think.

[Seaweed88]

What is wrong with the 15k XMs?

[jenglish]

Originally Posted by collin

look into t5 the put off less heat and are cheaper

Originally Posted by Loverotties

T5HO are the next best thing to Mh.And is cooler to run and cheaper too!

I love T5HO but at that depth MH is the only way to go