Need Advice on MH Reflectors

[EricTheRed]

Greetings,

I'm new to using MH's (and also the forum ). I had been a T5 guy for years but decided to go with MH a few weeks ago since my tank is mostly sps. I bought 2 used AquaMedic Ocean Light DE pendants with Aqua Medic Reeflex Cube Magnetic ballasts. I was told that the ballasts were decent but I'd probably want better reflectors, so here I am, wondering what kind I should get.....?

I don't know much about the specific brands and which is the best. I'd like to get the best ones and not need to worry about upgrading later. I would need something that can be mounted inside of my wood canopy. My tank is a standard 90G (48x18x25) and the bottom of the inside canopy is 14.5" above the waterline. So essentially I need something less than 18" wide and preferably no more than 7 or 8" deep so they won't be too close to the water. A friend has Lumen Brights that are 16x16x7 but, if possible, I'd prefer something that was a little more compact.

So I would like one that:
1) can mount in a wood canopy (would I need to mod something, like a heat sink?)
2) be less than 18"x8" (but preferably smaller and also one that would give good spread being ~ 7" from the waterline)
3) will not need to be upgraded

The next thing I'm unsure about is whether I should go SE or DE. Presently I have a DE pendant and run a Phoenix 14k bulb. It's too white for me so I'd really like to go with a 20k bulb. I've heard the radium 20k's are the best SE bulbs but have also recently heard great things about the Neuco 20k DE bulb.


Thanks in advance for your input,

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Aqua Medic Spacelight EX Metal Halide Pendants[/FONT]​

 

[usfpaul82]

Hi. I just set up a 90 and used lumen max 2 reflectors. These provide good spread and the footprint is small enough to mount them in the canopy of a 90. Since those ballasts are magnetic, I would go with single end radiums. This is a great ballast/bulb combination. Crisp white with nice hint of blue and great par for a 20K bulb when used with a magnetic ballast. I think you will be very happy if you go this route.

I got my reflectors from Bulk Reef Supply.

 

[EricTheRed]

Hi. I just set up a 90 and used lumen max 2 reflectors. These provide good spread and the footprint is small enough to mount them in the canopy of a 90. Since those ballasts are magnetic, I would go with single end radiums. This is a great ballast/bulb combination. Crisp white with nice hint of blue and great par for a 20K bulb when used with a magnetic ballast. I think you will be very happy if you go this route.

I got my reflectors from Bulk Reef Supply.

Thanks for the tip, I'll look into these.

 

[nater]

I had two se lumenmax elites on my 90 when I had it. Had them mounted 10 inches above my tank and I really thought it was almost too much light. I would just give the fixtures u have a shot. If I had to do it over I would have went with de bulbs and fixtures. I think if u went with either the radium or maybe xm 20k in the fixtures u have would probably be just fine. As far as the canopy. Either way you look at it u might have to modify the canopy. I would put the fixture as high as possible to start. The fixtures u have seem like decent fixtures IMO. I wouldn't see a need to get new ones. Also u may want to look into getting some fans or a chiller as you will find halides to be a lot hotter then t5.

 

[EricTheRed]

I had two se lumenmax elites on my 90 when I had it. Had them mounted 10 inches above my tank and I really thought it was almost too much light. I would just give the fixtures u have a shot. If I had to do it over I would have went with de bulbs and fixtures. I think if u went with either the radium or maybe xm 20k in the fixtures u have would probably be just fine. As far as the canopy. Either way you look at it u might have to modify the canopy. I would put the fixture as high as possible to start. The fixtures u have seem like decent fixtures IMO. I wouldn't see a need to get new ones. Also u may want to look into getting some fans or a chiller as you will find halides to be a lot hotter then t5.

Thanks for your opinion. You don't have to tell me twice not to spend more $$ on this hobby I've had them up for a few weeks and I like what I see so far vs. my old T5 setup. My Emerald City table is finally green :lol: It just seems that the light doesn't get spread out too much. So far, so good with the heat. I have a small fan on my RKL and don't need a chiller. I'll give these a shot for a while and see how it goes. Someone else told me they weren't that great

BTW, how long are MH bulbs good for before they need to be replaced?

 

[nater]

Bulbs can go 9-12 months. Also , which way did you hang the fixture in the canopy? Which way does the bulb run?

 

[EricTheRed]

I hung it so the bulbs run parralell with the tank.

 

[nater]

I would try hanging them horizontal. Bulb front to back. That way the reflector will push light from side to side instead of front to back. Giving u more spread from left to right.