tough decisions

[leveldrummer]

im thinking of upgrading my tank. im wanting to do a 90 gallon. ive got everything thing worked out but the lights. so if anyone can walk me through a couple things to help me out.
1st. power compacts- cheap, but bulbs have to be replaced every 6 months. and wont work with all corals

2nd t5-vho. whats the difference in t5 and vho? im leaning toward these. retro fit. but howmany bulbs 48 " and how long do bulbs last and how much are replacements?

3rd metal halide. would 150w be ok for most anything? i just wanna keep lps and softs, maybe a couple clams. bulbs last 9 months? how expensive to replace?


some one help me. im going nuts

[leveldrummer]

with metal halides. do you need floueresant actinics too?

[JennM]

Originally Posted by leveldrummer

im thinking of upgrading my tank. im wanting to do a 90 gallon. ive got everything thing worked out but the lights. so if anyone can walk me through a couple things to help me out.
1st. power compacts- cheap, but bulbs have to be replaced every 6 months. and wont work with all corals

Compact lamps last 12-14 months. Not sure where you heard 6...

2nd t5-vho. whats the difference in t5 and vho? im leaning toward these. retro fit. but howmany bulbs 48 " and how long do bulbs last and how much are replacements?

I'm starting to play a bit with T5 and I like them. VHO are a wider (T12?) lamp - there are some nice T5 fixtures out there and they are not that expensive. I'd go with an 8x54 W fixture or retro on a 90 if I were you. Nice soft light. I'm not a huge fan of VHO - mainly because most of them are fired by Icecap ballasts and I'm just not crazy about 'em - and it's only opinion, no particular reason. I've heard repair service by Icecap is good - but what bothers me is that they seem to *need* repair quite frequently.

Both T5 and VHO should be replaced every 6-9 months. I have found that T5 replacement lamps are surprisingly inexpensive. Good value for your buck, IMO. VHO are more expensive.

3rd metal halide. would 150w be ok for most anything? i just wanna keep lps and softs, maybe a couple clams. bulbs last 9 months? how expensive to replace?

Metal halide is nice because it's a point-source light and you get that 'shimmer'... costs more - definitely. I also recommend lamp replacement every 12-14 months. Cost of lamps has come down dramatically in the last few years - used to be about $150 or so per lamp - now you can get good quality lamps for $40 or so - of course there's a million different choices of lamps/colour temp... I find it a bit overwheming myself... every lamp advertises that it's better than the rest because (insert reason here).

some one help me. im going nuts

I'm already nuts....

Jenn

[Fly Guy]

Go 250's Andy. That way you will not be limited to what you can keep and keep well. And no, the actinics are not necessary. They are for us, not the fish.

[afbengochea]

people use flourecents with metal halides for supplementation. If u do get t5's I would recommend u go with an ice cap ballast and overdrive the bulbs since the 90 is a tall tank. Im actually doing an upgrade on my lights and going to t5's (they get here on monday ..... I can't wait to put them in) I have PC lighting at the moment but I dont care for them as much.

[JennM]

Originally Posted by leveldrummer

with metal halides. do you need floueresant actinics too?

Not necessarily. If you want to do dawn/dusk, actinics will help you do this. I don't run actinics on any of my store halide systems, but I like a bluer bulb... 14,000K. JT and I butt heads over this - he likes 10,000K but I think it's too white without actinic to balance it - but it's all subjective.

Jenn

[JennM]

Originally Posted by Fly Guy

Go 250's Andy. That way you will not be limited to what you can keep and no, the actinics are not necessary. They are for us, not the fish.

I agree with this - was going to mention it in my first reply but forgot

I've got 175s on my 120 and in hind sight I think I should have done 250s but then I would have needed a chiller.....

Jenn

[leveldrummer]

thats another thing i want to avoid. the chiller. i like the shimmer. wouldnt 175s be ok for a 90? only thing im gonna keep on the bottom is softs and plates brains and such. i would think the 175 would penetrate for that. im far from rich, doing this will very well send me to the poor house as it is. but i want to figure the way to get the cheapest bulbs that last the longest. if i do 2 retro 175w MH across the tank, that should be good right? if i ever want a couple sps i can just put them on top. but those will keep everything else i mentioned right?
or id have to do 4 bulbs on a t5 or vho and those dont last as long as mh? so they would be close to same costs for replacements right?

[JennM]

My 120 is the same height as a 90 and my 2x175 do fine for most things I've kept over the years.

Jenn

[leveldrummer]

[is_that_a_fish]

since the 90 is a 4ft tank then yes two lamps for halides are good. Ive used 250w for a long time and i have never had a need for a chiller. I only buy 2 good quality computer fans that have good size to them and hook them up to the canopy...my temp has never been over 80deggress, and we keep our house at 75 during the summer....if i were you i would go with 250's because you never have to worry about whether or not your corals are getting enough light, you just have to place them strategically. hope this helps

[Fly Guy]

I will offer this Andy. Do you remember a thread not so long ago when i mentioned you should get a bigger tank wi th that shop credit you had???? Your response indicated it wasnt going to happen for a LONG LONG time. That was about a month ago. In another month after doing this you will want more sps in there....you know you will....admit it now and it will save you money over the next near future.

[leveldrummer]

Originally Posted by Fly Guy

I will offer this Andy. Do you remember a thread not so long ago when i mentioned you should get a bigger tank wi th that shop credit you had???? Your response indicated it wasnt going to happen for a LONG LONG time. That was about a month ago. In another month after doing this you will want more sps in there....you know you will....admit it now and it will save you money over the next near future.

haha, you got me on the long long time angle, but not on the sps, there are very few that tickle my fancy. the colors are nice but subtle ime. and im color blind. plus i like the look of motion, and sps suck for moving. so its lps and softs for me. (and a mandarin)

[VWD]

Andy, 2 150 or 175 on the 90 will work,2- 250 's even better, Like everyone already said

[Fly Guy]

Fair enough. : ) However, you need to look at a few more sps tanks.......granted they dont move like lps but there are a lot of them that move more than you may realize : )