Lghting for my 50 gallon...

[Apache]

I have tried to read through all of the post and can not find a easy answer.

I have a 50 gallon show tank...I think it is about 24 inches deep. I have a 130 watt VHO now and want to upgrade to a better lighting system. I would like a system that would be able to support all types of Clams and corals etc.

Can any one recommend a set up, Brand, place to buy it etc. I cant hang the lights above the tank. They have to set on top of the tank. I was looking at around $500 or so. MH/VHO combo or just a MH 20,000K etc.


Thanks in advance for any help given,

Austin~

[salttanker]

If you have a canopy, or even build one, you can get MH for a pretty reasonable price. Most clams, if not all, require MH lighting. I bought 2 250w 14K retro's for around 180 each with shipping from diyreefs.com. Justin will take care of you there. The problem with MH is the heat, so if you get an enclosure, make sure it comes with a couple of fans. FWIW, the 14K bulbs can run without VHO or PC supplementation and offers a very nice shimmering effect.



Mike

[Poseidon]

also make sure to check out www.premiumaquatics.com they ROCK! As far as lighting goes, by it right the first time, it is cheaper TRUST ME!!! I would get a couple 20K's and be done with it!

[Apache]

...400wt 20K by its self? I plan on upgrading to an 80 gallon in about a year so I figured when I do, I can buy another 400wt 20K and have 800wt for the 80 gallon. After due thought I might be able to rig it to hang above the tank. The only problem is that the ceiling above the tank is 30' above!





Also will the 20k be too blue colored?





Best wishes and happy holidays!



Austin~

[Poseidon]

I would get the 250 watt bulbs. The 400's will be to much heat and you really won't need the intensity. Scott (Reefland) has a pair of 20K's on his 75 and he really likes them, and is getting good growth too. I have a pair of 10K's and had to add a Actinic VHO to supplement them, because it was too yellow for my tastes. The weird thing about 20K's is they photograph VERY BLUE, in reality they look just about perfect to me... I think they will be my next bulb choice.

Look in the gallery for some of Reeflands full tank shots, I am sure there are some there...

Oh yeah, WELCOME TO REEFLAND!!!!

[saltjunkie]

i have a single 175w mh on my 50.. with 2x55 pc.. been on there for years.. i would like 2x175.. but i dont really have any fans.. and heat is an issue....

[Reefland]

The bulb temperature is a mix of personal preference and coral reaction; I get really good coloration from our 20k's but slower growth than we observed with our 10k's. With the 10k's, we didn't see near the coloration that we are seeing now though. Keep in mind that not only light contributes to these two factors; overall water quality including calicum and alkalinity levels contribute greatly to growth. These are just some of the observations we have made since our switch.

[Apache]

...14K lights? Will this be a happy medium between 10K's and 20K's?


Oh and Thanks for the welcome! I am glued to my computer trying to take in all of the great information on this site!

Best Wishes,


Austin~

[salttanker]

That's why I went with the 14K. Everyone does have a preference when it comes to lighting. IMO, 14K is a happy medium.

Mike

[Poseidon]

I think CoralVue are the only ones to put out the 14K lamps. If I am not mistaken Zhenya tried some last year and had an adverse reaction from his corals. I am sure that MANY people out there use them, I am just not sure they are truly a 14K compromise. If you compare bulds side by side you will see a decline in brightness as you go up in tempature, 6500 being brightest and 20K being "dimmest" 10K actually falls in the middle, but 14K bulbs that I have seen have been all over the place, some very bright, some very dim... I have coralvue 10K's on my tank now and have been happy with them, good growth and good color... I think something weird happens when you try to please everyone all the time, like the 14K is trying to do....

[Apache]

Well, I went ahead and got a 250w 14,000K light. It rocks! Very blue. Almost too blue. But it looks great. Everything in my tank has already started to open up and expand. Thank you guys for all of your help.


Now I am looking in to my protein skimmer. I have Bak Pak2 but it does not do too good of a job in my opinion. I have been looking at the My Reef Creations MRC-1 but I am not sure how will mount it to my tank???



I am looking at the Package 1 on this site.


http://www.myreefcreations.com/pspackage.htm

What do you think???

Thanks,

Austin~

[Reefland]

Apache,

Do you have a sump? This system rocks but will require a sump that you can set it in or use it externally to connect it to.

[Apache]

...I was hoping that I wouldnt need one. Back to the drawing board.


Austin

[salttanker]

COngrats on your lighting Austin. I really love the way the 14k's look on my tank. The good thing about these lights is you don't need to supplement with pc's or VHO's.

Mike

[Apache]

...of tripping out. My mushrooms are all shriveled up and my blue chromis is looking like he is going to die. I started out by only leaving my MH on for 2 hours a day, increasing the time by an hour per day and yesterday left them on for 6 hours. As soon as I kick off the MH everything looks healthier except my zooanthids, they are kicking ass and taking names!



Austin~


PS The new algae bloom is pretty crazy!

[Poseidon]

You have to go MUCH SLOWER!!! Add 10-15 MINUTES per day! Samper had a post about acclimating to MH not long ago...

Here

That is a VERY conservative approach, better to be safe then sorry...

[Apache]

...I slowly added 10 or so minutes per day and my tank looked worse and worse. Ironically about a week ago my MH bulb burned out so I put my old 96w VHO's back on and in a few days the tank looked great all the brown slimy algae was gone! The day my MH bulb burned out my tank was so dirty that I could not see the live rock! I did tons of water changes but nothing cleaned it up except the lack of MH.

I have a new bulb and will be trying it again. Will this eventually clear up?

Thanks in advance for any help given.

Austin

[Reefland]

It'll clear up Apache, it's just adjusting to the change in lighting. I think it's very similar to an old bulb shifting color, the tank isn't used to this lighting shift and some algae will grow. As long as you have good husbandry skills being employeed, I wouldn't worry much about it long-term.