Calling all metal halide gurus

svogun · Mar 22, 2017

I have been running a Radion Gen 3 pro on a 93 cube and found a tremendous amount of shadowing so I supplemented that with 2 2 giesmann retrofits. I've done alot of reading and despite the older tech of metal halides, it seems more intuitive as a plug and play. Despite having a par meter I'm not convinced I'm going to get that pop for an SPS dominant set up. Tank is 5 months old and have not added corals. I have a 34 gallon coral QT tank that I'm running a Radion XR15 gen 4 and not thrilled with the results.

Just playing with light spectrums, I'm wondering if a switch to a single end metal halide like the reefbrite 15 inch with a 400w Radium would be the way to go on the DT. And perhaps bimini 250 on the QT tank. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

mcarroll · Mar 22, 2017

Fiddling with the spectrums has been a downfall, I suspect, of many a reefer. Maybe try treating your Radions more like Radiums – set them and forget them. Pick a color you like – don't go crazy with the crazy color LED's...remember that the blues and whites are your anchors. The rest is just flavor. Then set the intensity with your meter to where you want it. Then, like I said, forget it. Stop playing and let your corals adapt for at least a few months. Focus on everything else but lights.

Not sure what the spread is like on that Reefbrite unit compared to what you'd want for a 30" cube – that's a question about the reflector – but in theory if you don't mind the cost, halide is a safe bet. Maybe something like a Cayman Sun SE pendant?

svogun · Mar 22, 2017

I was thinking the same on my way home. Just set it and forget. I may let it ride for a while. But the allure of a proven light like halides is tempting.

Blue Spot Octopus · Mar 22, 2017

250 MH is fine for that tank. I would use Radium bulbs and a M80 ballast.

Abhishek · Mar 22, 2017

Well if its of any help, I run 2 x 250 watt radiums on a Blue wave 7 HQI magnetic ballast and Lumenarc mini reflectors over a 30 in x 30 in x 18 in tank. So same footprint as a 93 gallon tank.
I went with 2 x 250 watt radium rather than a single 400 Watt radium in a cayman sun only because of the way my scape is . There's no shadow whatsoever and I easily get 250-300 PAR on the sandbed .. Ofcourse my goal is to grow acros on the sandbed which am doing happily with the radiums

Regards,
Abhishek

Bpb · Mar 22, 2017

You can absolutely get the job done with LEDs. Just probably need to double up on them. That being said...I've seen a lot of lights. But I've yet to see something that has that sort of magical look that Radiums do. Once you give them a good run, everything else is second best...at best. To my eyes anyway

Nomadic1 · Mar 22, 2017

As others have said, 400W is too much for that tank. You're very likely to need to use a chiller with that kind of wattage over your tank.

svogun · Mar 23, 2017

Yeah, the more I think about it I'm just going to make sure the PAR is dialed in correctly and then set and forget. Have started some frags in my 34 gallon QT with a Radion XR15 gen 4 on AB+. So I'll see what happens after a few months. Sometimes for me I think the ability to tinker gets me overthinking and over tinkering!

I thought about the heat aspect as well but my tank is on the second floor and I have the sump plumbed in the basement. I'd be suprised if I would need a chiller. For now I'm going to stick with the Radions and see what happens. Thanks for all the info.

~Chris