MH Lighting for 90g. (Wall of text)

[bb0029]

I know I have posted a ton about lighting and after looking at more stuff over the weekend I have decided I will go with the MH setup. I will have to wait longer to finish the project but I think ultimately it will be the best option and give me room to grow.

The price turned me off at first but I now feel it is the way to go. The only real problem I have now is the wattage. People have said with the depth of the tank I will want to go with the 250w lights. With that being said I am only really interested in my mushrooms and softies. Will the 150w lights be fine in the 90 gallon if I stick with just 2 150w lights?

The only reason I bring this up again is after looking at Fat Tony's build I figured I could go ahead and get the 2 150w lights and later if I get into more difficult things I could mount a 250w in the middle of the tank.

My main goal is to keep my LR active with growth as well as my "easy corals". Later down the road I may venture into more difficult things but for now I think it is best I keep up with the less demanding species until I can get the hang of it.

One last question I was wondering about is how everybody feels about the dual ballasts in a single unit. Is it better to have a separate ballast for each light or use one unit that is setup for dual lights.

[Fat Tony]

It's all about the reflector, just remember that. If you decide to go with the 150's go with the Lumenmax 3 relectors, trust me they are worth it. They are as bright (with year old, ok maybe like 14 months, bulbs) as my 250 in the center of the tank (Icecap) with 9-10 month old bulb. I have new bulbs coming for the 150's this week so I should be seeing the 150's brighter over the 250

[bb0029]

Originally Posted by Fat Tony

It's all about the reflector, just remember that. If you decide to go with the 150's go with the Lumenmax 3 relectors, trust me they are worth it. They are as bright (with year old, ok maybe like 14 months, bulbs) as my 250 in the center of the tank (Icecap) with 9-10 month old bulb. I have new bulbs coming for the 150's this week so I should be seeing the 150's brighter over the 250

http://www.marinedepot.com/Sunlight_...SL1531-vi.html

Ok this is what I was looking at. I found some better prices but this site had a great picture and description. So 2 of these would work and I would also need a pair of ballasts or a single unit with dual ballasts. Would be able to recommend anything that performs well?

And thanks again.


EDIT: As far as the types of bulbs I have no idea about what 10k, 14k or even 20k for the matter mean. I know it has something to do with the color of the light maybe but what is needed and will give me that clean, clear, bright shimmering light? I just want to buy bulbs once lol.

[Fat Tony]

yes, that would be the one. That is what I have running my 150's

Now onto ballasts... I recommend the IC's but you will need a coupl of adapter pieces to attach to the IC ballast and adapt to the plug on the LM 3 reflector. Cutting the cords on either the reflector or ballast voids the warranty.

You could go with a sunlight supply eballast and save some money on adapters

[Fat Tony]

here are the SS ballasts, theya re cvalled Galaxy ballasts.. I personally recommend 2 individual ballasts, but there is a ballast available to run both reflectors on one ballast..

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/Met...unlight_Supply


My preference for bulbs are the Phoenix 14K's...

[bb0029]

Originally Posted by Fat Tony

yes, that would be the one. That is what I have running my 150's

Now onto ballasts... I recommend the IC's but you will need a coupl of adapter pieces to attach to the IC ballast and adapt to the plug on the LM 3 reflector. Cutting the cords on either the reflector or ballast voids the warranty.

You could go with a sunlight supply eballast and save some money on adapters

So are all the adapters proprietary to the vendor? I don;t want to cut anything personally. I would like a nice clean "plug and play" installation.

[bb0029]

Originally Posted by Fat Tony

here are the SS ballasts, theya re cvalled Galaxy ballasts.. I personally recommend 2 individual ballasts, but there is a ballast available to run both reflectors on one ballast..

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/Metal_Halide/Sunlight_Supply/Galaxy_Electronic_Ballasts/Galaxy_150W!175W_Electronic_Metal_Halide_Ballast_b y_Sunlight_Supply


My preference for bulbs are the Phoenix 14K's...

Sweeet, Plug and play lol. Now I must get to hypnotizing my wife, honey it's only $645.70 lol.
That really is not that bad of a deal for some great lighting.

[mxracer19]

www.hellolights.com has the second best deal other than the $100 250W with bulb I showed you. Check them out before you spend $600+...there's no reason anyone should pay that much. Aquarium lighting is grossly overpriced...

10k, 14k, and 20k refer to the light's spectrum. It has to do with the light's blackbody radiation and the "temperature" of the bulb. Higher "temperatures" are blue-er. Lower Temps are closer to the red spectrum. Youll find bulbs in the 4-7k range for plant grow operations, while 10k-20k is the most common in our hobby. Generally, the closer to 6.5k you can get, the better growth rates you will have. However, 20k's look nicer. I prefer a balance at 10k, but many support the Pheonix 14k bulbs.

[bb0029]

Originally Posted by mxracer19

www.hellolights.com has the second best deal other than the $100 250W with bulb I showed you. Check them out before you spend $600+...there's no reason anyone should pay that much. Aquarium lighting is grossly overpriced...

I got to talk to the guy you told me about and he said they were not UL listed so I am not going to mess with them. I would be afraid they would burn my house down.

[Fat Tony]

Originally Posted by mxracer19

...there's no reason anyone should pay that much. Aquarium lighting is grossly overpriced...

Not necessarily true. I agree that the bulbs may be overpriced, but if you have ever purchase an industrial ballast you will know that the pricing is a steal 90% of the time. reflectors... well you truly get what you pay for.

Remember the lighting that we have for our tanks is mostly a speciallized sector of the lighting industry.

[bb0029]

Now that I am building my canopy I need to figure how much canopy I need to house the lighting. I am trying to figure out how far above the tank the lights need to be.

[Fat Tony]

18" would be your best bet so that you can vary the height of the lights as needed.

[bb0029]

Originally Posted by Fat Tony

18" would be your best bet so that you can vary the height of the lights as needed.

Ok so 18" from the top of the tank to the top of the canopy it is!


Edit: What is the difference between the magnetic and electronic ballasts? Do they just fire up different?

[Fat Tony]

that's inside dimensions... if you plan on using any of the reflectors I mentioned earlier (which I suggest) then you will need every inch possible for the reflectors (and for the Lumen brights or Lumenmax Elites, I recommend a 24" tall canopy)

[bb0029]

Originally Posted by Fat Tony

that's inside dimensions... if you plan on using any of the reflectors I mentioned earlier (which I suggest) then you will need every inch possible for the reflectors (and for the Lumen brights or Lumenmax Elites, I recommend a 24" tall canopy)

I plan on using what you suggested.