Hello everyone, I have been in the hobby for 10+ years but mainly focused on nano tanks. I am making the jump to something bigger and need some advice. I got my hands on a very good 125 deal and will be going full reef setup, I will focus mostly on softies, LPS, and maybe a clam or a hardy LPS. My question, will 2 250 watt metal halides be enough light for this kind of setup? Thank you all in advance.
Lighting Question
- Thread starter blooper01
- Start date
- Tagged users None
Hi, in theory 2 x 250 watt MH would be fine for your tank, but the issue you may face is shadowing caused by the tank cross braces. If you have a standard 125 with 2 plastic cross braces, then you ideally want 3 MH lights to eliminate shadows. If you have just a single cross brace (either plastic or glass), then 2 MH will be fine. HTH & welcome to R2R
BestMomEver
2500 Club Member
Use two but get some t5’s as well. Lots of blue...
Btw... welcome to the reef!
Btw... welcome to the reef!
BestMomEver
2500 Club Member
Yes but it’s a matter of preference. MH’s are hot. LEDs are cooler. You have more control over LEDs... thinks such as sunrise, etc. and LEDs will take less electricity. BUT... MH/t5’s are still used/preferred by many and there are still coral sellers/venders that use them. Jason Fox for instance. I wonder if the MH combo doesn’t do a better job growing corals. I love the look of halides and the initial cost. You can pick up parts almost anywhere. But when I set up my new tank, I bought Radions. I love the programmability of them.
BestMomEver
2500 Club Member
Back in 2002 we had a 500 gallon tank running four 400 watt MHs and eight power compacts in blue, actinic, violet, etc. we had a canopy on this tank so we employed four fans designed for computers. We never needed a chiller. We live in the south and run the AC constantly. But the bulbs were seriously hot. Our power bill was huge but consider all the other stuff needed to run a tank of that size. I loved them. Our corals grew like crazy but there are definitely drawbacks. Same with LEDs. Corals grow well... there are drawbacks, price being one of them.Yeah, cutting down the heat would be most helpful for sure. Thank you
Mastiffsrule
Where ever you go, there you are, so be nice 2 you
#WelcometoR2R
I would suggest what bestmom said with a hybrid. I like MH, I think they are still one of the best light sources, but T5 and Leds have made up a lot of ground. If you are not going full out sps I would recommend T5 and LED Hybrid. As bestmom mentioned they also have the T5 MH hybrid. If you are going with clams you may want the MH, or a strong led. The good think with the T5 hybrid is you can get away with 2 led or mh to avoid shadowing. You just need to be aware of placement of corals and their need for light.
I would suggest what bestmom said with a hybrid. I like MH, I think they are still one of the best light sources, but T5 and Leds have made up a lot of ground. If you are not going full out sps I would recommend T5 and LED Hybrid. As bestmom mentioned they also have the T5 MH hybrid. If you are going with clams you may want the MH, or a strong led. The good think with the T5 hybrid is you can get away with 2 led or mh to avoid shadowing. You just need to be aware of placement of corals and their need for light.
GoVols
Cobb / Webb - 1989
Reef Squad Leader
Excellence Award
Reef Tank 365
MTRCMember
Article Contributor
Hospitality Award
R2R Research
My Tank Thread
blooper,
Welcome to Reef 2 Reef.
MH/T5 combo is still top notch and (2) 250 watts would be fine.
For the coral's that your going with, and if it's in your budget, I'd go (2) Kessil Ap700's and call it a wrap.
JMO...
Again,
Welcome, and hope your feel at home.
xxkenny90xx
2500 Club Member
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2019
- Messages
- 4,654
- Reaction score
- 6,045
I "upgraded" from metal halides to leds because I was tired of buying mh bulbs. I love my leds, very user friendly
Metal halides, VHOs, T5, T8 , T12 & LEDs all have only so many useable hours of output. The difference is some lose intensity/spectrum & others just stop working, but sooner or later they will all need replaced. I'm squeezing 18 months out of my MH bulbs & replace them on a staggered routine. I can't visually detect any intensity drop or color shift between the old bulb & new, but I know it is there. I just factor the bulb cost in with all the other costs involved in this hobby & honestly 3 bulbs every 18 months (approx. $180 total) is worth every penny for the growth & color I get IMO
xxkenny90xx
2500 Club Member
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2019
- Messages
- 4,654
- Reaction score
- 6,045
Very true, I had to replace an led bulb after 5 years. The bulb was cheap ($2) but replacing it was a chore
