New tank arriving tomorrow

[steiger33]

So I found a bargain on a 120 gallon tank. 4x2x2. It is a beautiful tank. I will post picks when I go to pick it up then tear down and putting back together tomorrow. Question is it comes with a coralife 175 watt single end metal halide with 2 96 watt actinic light fixture. Now is this light a good light for the corals? I have monti'a, Acro, acan, and Zoa's. Or would it be better to sell and get this Maxspect 320 watt 15000k ?

 

[ReefMadScientist]

Congrats! Yes, please post up pics.

As for the lights, can't help you there. I have no experience with metal halides or T5's.

 

[steiger33]

I am currently running 2 36" 6 bulb T5 on my 150 and Led on my frag tank. I know I shouldn't be running different lights on each. The 150 came with t5 and the frag I got a good deal on the LED. Here are the 2 tanks up and running.

150 gallon with T5

40 gallon frag tank I built. Got all the frags moved over tonight.

 

[mfinn]

So I found a bargain on a 120 gallon tank. 4x2x2. It is a beautiful tank. I will post picks when I go to pick it up then tear down and putting back together tomorrow. Question is it comes with a coralife 175 watt single end metal halide with 2 96 watt actinic light fixture. Now is this light a good light for the corals? I have monti'a, Acro, acan, and Zoa's. Or would it be better to sell and get this Maxspect 320 watt 15000k ?

A single 175 watt mh is really on the low end for a proper light for corals in a 4' tank.
Before you go to the expense of buying a Maxspect fixture, make sure it will cover the 4' tank. It may not and you would still be looking for more coverage.

 

[steiger33]

I'm sorry I miss wrote that it is a dual 175

 

[steiger33]

The only reason I asked about the maxspect is my buddy is been ranting and raving how good it was. I would rather turn hear to get others opinions to see what they would recommend. I have always heard halides are the best for corals just they run hot and are not energy efficient.

 

[ATB USA]

Congrats

 

[Justiful]

It depends on how "into" the hobby you are.

If you plan to spend $1000 on corals for that tank I would invest in a light meter. One that measures kelvin, par, and LUX. If you are "really" into perfection this will tell you where to place certain types of corals in your tank for ideal conditions with the lighting you have. It will also tell you if the lighting map most lights have is accurate or not, and it will tell you when to replace your bulbs because you will see the change in your lighting conditions. (bulbs need to be replaced BEFORE they burn out, as the values change over time with those kind of lights)

I will add a meter cost 1/4th the cost of Maxspect 320 watt 15000k that you thinking of buying... And is a good investment, because if you buy a 900 dollar light you can return it right away if it is not the values you wanted, without waiting weeks or months finding out watching corals. If you have that kind of money, you can afford to be sure.

I never used them for aquariums myself before, but I am new to hobby. I have used a few different types when I was in college though for various reasons.

 

[jboone82590]

It depends on how "into" the hobby you are.

If you plan to spend $1000 on corals for that tank I would invest in a light meter. One that measures kelvin, par, and LUX. If you are "really" into perfection this will tell you where to place certain types of corals in your tank for ideal conditions with the lighting you have. It will also tell you if the lighting map most lights have is accurate or not, and it will tell you when to replace your bulbs because you will see the change in your lighting conditions. (bulbs need to be replaced BEFORE they burn out, as the values change over time with those kind of lights)

I will add a meter cost 1/4th the cost of Maxspect 320 watt 15000k that you thinking of buying... And is a good investment, because if you buy a 900 dollar light you can return it right away if it is not the values you wanted, without waiting weeks or months finding out watching corals. If you have that kind of money, you can afford to be sure.

I never used them for aquariums myself before, but I am new to hobby. I have used a few different types when I was in college though for various reasons.

I have a qestion about light meters if u don't mind sorry to jump in a conversation but what's a good light meter cost?

So I found a bargain on a 120 gallon tank. 4x2x2. It is a beautiful tank. I will post picks when I go to pick it up then tear down and putting back together tomorrow. Question is it comes with a coralife 175 watt single end metal halide with 2 96 watt actinic light fixture. Now is this light a good light for the corals? I have monti'a, Acro, acan, and Zoa's. Or would it be better to sell and get this Maxspect 320 watt 15000k ?

 

[steiger33]

It depends on how "into" the hobby you are.

If you plan to spend $1000 on corals for that tank I would invest in a light meter. One that measures kelvin, par, and LUX. If you are "really" into perfection this will tell you where to place certain types of corals in your tank for ideal conditions with the lighting you have. It will also tell you if the lighting map most lights have is accurate or not, and it will tell you when to replace your bulbs because you will see the change in your lighting conditions. (bulbs need to be replaced BEFORE they burn out, as the values change over time with those kind of lights)

I will add a meter cost 1/4th the cost of Maxspect 320 watt 15000k that you thinking of buying... And is a good investment, because if you buy a 900 dollar light you can return it right away if it is not the values you wanted, without waiting weeks or months finding out watching corals. If you have that kind of money, you can afford to be sure.

I never used them for aquariums myself before, but I am new to hobby. I have used a few different types when I was in college though for various reasons.

I have been in the hobby since 1998. I just haven't been into the corals until this year. I have probably 2k in different corals. I think I would agree about getting a meter, better safe than sorry. I was just using the maxspect as an example I don't know much about the LED.