MH suggestions please:

[lachrimae]

Hello everyone!

I'm upgrading my lighting over time and looking for your advice.

My 135ga (72.5 x 18.5 x 25) only has 4 x 55w power compacts at the moment so it's time for the next step. The key is that I have to stretch my dollars (who in this hobby doesn't?) so I want to keep my power compacts & add metal halides.

This is what I'm looking to buy:
2 x 250W MH Retrofit Kit (I will add a 3rd 250W sometime later)
http://hellolights.com/25methalbalk.html

Additionally, my PC bulbs are 8,800K. What color bulb would you recommend for the MH to give a good overall color when combined with those PCs? I'm looking to have some clams but this will be primarily LPS, SPS.

If you have any additional suggestions/recommendations I'd like to hear them.

Here are some pics of my existing Canopy. How would you install the metal halides & retain the PCs? The issue here is a lack of space, especially with having to keep some clearance where the doors open.


http://eliverock.com/mar/Hood1.jpg

http://eliverock.com/mar/Hood2.jpg

Here is what I'm thinking about doing to fit everything in:
http://eliverock.com/mar/Hood3.jpg
I may have to buy new reflectors for the PCs if they're going to be split apart.

Thanks!

Mark

[Reef69]

400w MH..10K + VHO super actinic..

[cpreefguy]

^^^ I would also go with the same setup

[hobogato]

contrary to what many people say on here, i like having MH with PC suppliments. you can cut those reflectors in half to separate, that's what i did. just scratch the surface with a box knife and fold the reflector back at the score mark. you may have to fold back and forth a couple of times, but is should separate at the line.

those PC bulbs are probably pretty white/yellow eh? i run XM 15kk bulbs , which are a little more blue than 10kk. 20kk are really blue.

[lachrimae]

yes, the PC bulbs are pretty white so I'd like to have MH that offsets that a little. I'm wondering if 20k wouldn't be too extreme or if I should go for something closer to 15k.

[cpreefguy]

I would go with 10k halides because you will see more growth from your corals. the super actinic will suppliment the yellowish tint of the 10k and give you a crisp bluish color. the actinics also make the colors POP out

[alton]

I second cpreefguy, 10k MH and change all the CF's to True Actinics 420

[hobogato]

read his original post, he is upgrading a little at a time and wants to keep the PC lights he has.

i think the 20k is very blue. it would cover up the PC light completely.

[greatwit]

You might want to look at several other setups in person to see which color combination you'd like to go with. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=254667 Shows a few combinations to give you a general idea.

[Ram_Puppy]

You also might want to look into getting HQI lights, (double ended metal halides) they have to be in a pendant so the UV radiation can be blocked by glass plates, but, they are supposed to run cooler than single ended bulbs, and they do produce morel light per watt.

Also, while the tar ballasts work, and they are cheap, they do degrade over time. You might want to look at a more energy efficient ballast, suchs as a coralvue or icecap electronic ballast that can fire multiple types of bulbs (probe and pulse).

I know people are gonna knock me saying I am made of money (i am most certainly not, it took me 3 years to put this tank to gether) but making choices that save money in the long run, can be painful upfront, but worth it in the long run.

BTW, that reflector is looking pretty haggard, you are probably losing a lot of good light that it simply can't reflect anymore. Hello lights sells some great retro-fit reflectors and they aren't (comparitavely) that expensive. might check into replacing those reflectors eventually as well.

[lachrimae]

cpreefguy/alton: Thanks for the tips, maybe I will switch down to 10k MH when I replace the bulb later on at the same time as changing the PC bulbs or upgrading from PC to VHO. I have definitely heard many people who prefer VHO over PC.

hobogato: Thanks for this tip. I'll stay away from 20k MH for now. Leaning towards 15k I suppose due to the yellowness of my PC. I have also heard that some corals may grow faster under 10k so that could pull me in that direction.

greatwit: Thanks for the link, good info! I actually like the look of the 15k only over the 10k +actinic which leads me further in the direction of 15k + my 8,800 PC. Although the photos may not represent true color, my eyes see the 10k + actinic as slightly too yellow & a little washed out. On the other hand, 15k only doesn't jump out quite enough. Perhaps 15k plus my PC will land somewhere in the middle (?). On the other hand, the PAR of the 15k is pretty bad... Maybe I should indeed go 10k up front & have things be a little too white/yellow until I can replace my PC bulbs...

Ram Puppy: I didn't realize that HQI run cooler and brighter... I need to look at the total cost analysis (which is why I'm already leaning towards e-ballast in general). Thanks for the tip on the existing reflector.

Mark

[Ross]

I think the first setup you showed will be fine. You may want to upgrade those to 400w though, you will get better growth. The 250s will do great also. With your 8800 pcs i would definetly NOT use 10k bulbs, they color will be way to yellow. 15k or 20k bulbs would look great, just depends on how blue you want the tank to look. you have to sacrifice growth for color....