If it was your 125gal canopy?

[mathias]

Lets just say you have a 125gal canopy and you want MH and total light setup.... lets say you want to get the best for your money?



WHAT WOULD YOU GET?

And from where?


Just a light newbie who needs help :)

[alexwolf]

I am in love with the 250w DE pendnts. Really efficient and easy to setup. Greg and TIm sell the Coralvue, which are cool. 3 year warranty on the ballasts, cant beat that!

[mathias]

yea but do pendants fit under a canopy?

[NaCl_H2O]

Depends a great deal on the room (height) of your canopy! Most pre-made pendants and fixtures (with MHs) will be too bulky to fit under a typical size canopy. If that is the case, or simply to save a little money, the DIY Mogul base MHs and some actinic lighting (PCs, VHOs, or t5s) is a setup worth considering. This won't save you a bunch of money, but in the long run may be easier to configure under your canopy.
BTW - DE MHs require a glass filter for the UV, Moguls are enclosed in a glass bulb already.

Don't forget to plan space for the ballasts, probably not under the hood due to space & heat. Electronic ballasts are more expensive & more economical to operate, but not a necessity. If you plan any electronic/computer control of lights (e.g. X10), electronic ballasts can cause problems - but are not a problem with normal mechanical timers.

Sources are endless! I have bought from LFS, Premium Aquatics, and Marine Depot. Others on the boards seem to like HelloLights (a MAAST sponsor).

Good Luck - keep asking questions, reef lighting can be a VERY confusing!

[mathias]

So If I get this

http://www.1000bulbs.com/product.php?product=165

thats only for one bulb?

or can I make it kind of daisy chain 3 of them?

This is the bulb you where talking about ?

http://www.1000bulbs.com/product.php?product=366

[mathias]

this seems like a good setup?

http://www.customaquatic.com/customaquatic/itemdetail.asp?itemid=LT-HMA6R3MH3CF

[alexwolf]

i think you can piece it together for less than that. Talk to 360Reef about some retro fit kits.

[NaCl_H2O]

:o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o

1000W Ballast - that is BIG time overkill. Yes, you need a ballast, etc. per bulb, some ballasts are made to support multiples (have multiple plugs, cords, etc.). A 125g tank (21" depth) probably needs no more than 250w MHs.

Try these links:

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PFO250DW65R& Category_Code=PFOr
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=10K-250U&Category_Code=Hbulbs

And for actinic VHOs:
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PFO-VHORD2X56&Category_Code=PFOvhor

[alexwolf]

I had that one. I went to 3 ARO electronic. I love em, they run so much cooler and my electric bill is very reasonable.

[mathias]

What K should I get .... the one nacl showes is 65k is that kind of the best all purpose bulb? or 10k 14k 20k is all the other ones i seen.... but 365 for 2 is not bad.

[alexwolf]

color all depends on what you want. 6500k are very yellow bulbs, but great growth rate. 10k is a white color. 20k is more blue, but less growth.

[mathias]

growth rate I guess is what Im looking for.... since Im so impatiant lol

[NaCl_H2O]

If you go with 65Ks, your really need some good Actinic intensity to balance it out. As Alex said, 65Ks alone are not pleasing to the human eye! You are welcome do come back by and look again. I have 65s on one tank and 10Ks on the other. I would assume other members could show you 14K & 20K combinations?

[alexwolf]

I have some 20ks on mine, they are Coralvue bulbs
http://www.deloreanowners.com/images/20k.jpg

[Ram_Puppy]

wow, alex, that looks more 10K? nice.

I have been researching lights for a while, one thing to consider with multiple halides is you can stagger their start times for a sunrise/sunset effect, so multiple ballasts is great.

Does anyone know if the ballasts tim carries are electronic? And am I right that Electronics will fire any style bulb, probe and pulse? wondering because I want 1 10K and one radium over my new tank.

[alexwolf]

Yes, the coralvue are electronic. These are 20k, but not overpowering blue. I really like them!

[mathias]

so if I get something like 20k would I still need other lighting or just the MH? and will 250watts and 21" tank be good enough for clams?

[alexwolf]

you would want the actinics to get the 440 spectrum for color. Clams will do fine under just MH.