Lighting For 150 Gal Tall

[150TALL]

Originally Posted by Fat Tony

Well it depends on your budget, the height of your canopy (if you are using one)

There are better lights available than the Currents,but it is an ok unit to use. It just isn't that efficient when comparing it to a modern reflector (light output) and the ballasts are kinda sketchy at best.

I decided not to use a canopy....budget...hmmm I would rather spend the money and purchase a unit that is what I need instead of just settling for something that will work. :-)

What would you use for a 150 tall??? The tank is 30" deep.

I am looking for something fairly easy to set up ;-)

Thanks for your time!

[Fat Tony]

Personally, I would look into the Sunlight Supply Lumenmax Elite reflectors for a tank of that depth. You are going to need as much light penetration as possible to be able to get the PAR you are going to need on the bottom. Also, what are you planning on keeping again... SPS, clams, LPS, Softies? This will also help determinewhat you will need for the tank.

If SPS and Clams are your plan.. definitely Lumenmax Elites. Determining what style you are going to want will also depend on bulb choice. What type of coloration are you wanting? More white, more blue or something in between.

For a more white look, I would look into the Reeflux 12K bulbs which use a Mogul receptacle, More blue, Radiums all the way which also necessitate a Mogul, for something in between, I recommend the Phoenix 14K which I like the HQI version (DE socket)

The radiums also work best with a magnetic HQI ballast while an electronic ballast works well with the reeflux or phoenix.

For the reeflux or phoenix look at the Sunlight Supply Galaxy ballast and for the Radium look at the Sunlight Supply Bluewave ballast.

If you decide to go that route, make sure you get a ballast for each reflector, don't get the ballast that will fire 2 reflectors. The reasoning behind this is that if one fails, you only have to replace a single ballast and will still have light over the other sections of the tank.