MH height

[fjr_wertheimber]

Quick question for folks... Ideally, for a 24" deep tank with a 3" sandbed (60 gallon cube) how high above the tank would you place a 400 watt MH?

[caferacermike]

6-12".

[wwarriner]

Is that for any mh? Or can it be closer for better light penetration?

[apedroza]

For a 60 gal I wouldn't place it clser than 12" I had 2 -250watts on a 70 and they were about 12" from the surface and it still gave me great coverage.

[caferacermike]

I run my 2x 250W halides PLUS 2x 100w pc 8" above my tank and have excellent penetration and no bad effects.

[Joshua]

I measure by splash factor, if the tank surface stays relatively splash free I'll put them about 8" or so, if there's a lot of surface activity due to pumps or tank guests or whatever then 10-12 inches is better. I don't like the lamps getting splashed.