70w or 150w MH?

[MarvinsReef]

upgrade time on the frag tank... I'll be moving it to my parent's house this weekend and I was planning on getting better lighting for it... I was thinking 150w and have it about 10"-12" above the water w/ a 14k bulb.. it will house some higher end zoas and palys and maybe some LPS...

and what fixture would you recommend... how much would a used one Vs. a brand new one... I'm leaning towards buying just a used one...

Thanks
Marvin

 

[pookstreet]

I personally think a 150W is more versatile. You also have more bulb options. There is no shame in getting a used one if you can find one in good condition I am currently running a Hamilton Reefstar, Aqua Medic, and a Current Sunpod. They are all good lights. The Hamy and the Aqua Medic are pendants and the Sunpod is a fixture with the ballast built in. If you can find a 150W ROIII pendant, that would be best IMO. I think it's one of the best pendants out there.

 

[MarvinsReef]

Thanks Kenny..

I'm really liking the pendant style also coz I plan on hangin' the fixture to have more access when moving frags around..

 

[pookstreet]

Here are some pix. Of the 3, I like the Aqua Medic the best b/c it's the most compact. The Hamy Reefstar is also a nice pendant and will probably give you a better light spread.

Hamilton Reefstar on my 16G Nano

Aqua Medic on my frag tub

Sunpod on my 24G

 

[minibowmatt]

the aquamedic pendants are sweet. How big is your frag tank? I would probly say 150HQI with a 10k for growth.

 

[pookstreet]

I want to get a 150 halide on my 14g nano. But I need to have it in a hood somehow so my daughter can't throw stuff in the water.

You can mount most of the pendant style MH inside a canopy. The only worry is the heat buildup so fans are a necessity. What I have been planning to build but never had the time was a canopy with an opening on the lid and mount the pendant on the canopy itself. That way, at least some of the heat generate is outside of the canopy.

 

[Brandon]

I vote for a 150w MH

I have one right now for my nanocube 12 and it does wonders

too bad im moving to a 20 long and switching the 150w for a 250w halide...

 

[impur]

I've got a 70w DIY MH pendant on my 10gal QT tank and it works great. The tank is for incoming zoas and other corals that might need QT.

After battling some kind of bacteria infection on some of my zoas, they had lost a lot of color. After a few weeks most have their color back. The 10k bulb i'm using doesn't show off the colors of the corals real well, but i get good growth when the corals are in that QT tank. All my QT'd zoos have new polyps.

Total cost was about $50 for the pendant, ballast, bulb, wiring. Money well spent for a QT IMO, but won't really suit your needs if you want a better looking pendant.