Which metal halide should I get?

[zalick]

Okay. Thank you for all the help! Just to confirm since i don’t know tons: Lumenmax elite pendant (make it to where I can adjust somewhere in the 20-28” range), 400w ballast, and 400w 10k bulb?

I think you'd be fine with a 250w bulb but I'll defer to @Bpb on this one. Maybe @jda can chime in. They know more than me on this.

 

[JosephM]

I think you'd be fine with a 250w bulb but I'll defer to @Bpb on this one. Maybe @jda can chime in. They know more than me on this.

Okay. I’ll wait to see what they say. Thank you again

 

[zalick]

Okay. I’ll wait to see what they say. Thank you again

With a selectable ballast you aren't locked in to one bulb which is nice.

 

[JosephM]

With a selectable ballast you aren't locked in to one bulb which is nice.

True. So I could go with like a galaxy or ice cap 400w and always have that room to upgrade if 250w bulb isn’t it or if I upgrade tanks.

 

[zalick]

True. So I could go with like a galaxy or ice cap 400w and always have that room to upgrade if 250w bulb isn’t it or if I upgrade tanks.

Yup, and just so we are on same page: galaxy or ice cap selectable.

 

[vanpire]

There are a few things you should consider.

Your tank is only 16" high. 400W is a lot for a 16" high tank, even the reflector is mounted a little higher. I think you said you want a mixed tank and some of your corals will be mounted in a tiered format. The ones mounted on the top tier and probably the middle tier will get a lot of light.

The Elite is probably OK, but consider that if you mount it higher, it might cause a lot "glare" into your eyes. The metal halide will "shine into you eyes" when you are near the tank. Again, this depends on your eye level and where the pendent is, but take that into consideration. If I had a choice of reflectors for your tank, I would pick the lumenbright large as my first choice. Lumanarc second and the Elite third. The larger the reflector the better.

 

[JosephM]

There are a few things you should consider.

Your tank is only 16" high. 400W is a lot for a 16" high tank, even the reflector is mounted a little higher. I think you said you want a mixed tank and some of your corals will be mounted in a tiered format. The ones mounted on the top tier and probably the middle tier will get a lot of light.

The Elite is probably OK, but consider that if you mount it higher, it might cause a lot "glare" into your eyes. The metal halide will "shine into you eyes" when you are near the tank. Again, this depends on your eye level and where the pendent is, but take that into consideration. If I had a choice of reflectors for your tank, I would pick the lumenbright large as my first choice. Lumanarc second and the Elite third. The larger the reflector the better.

Okay you convinced me. I’ll go with the lumen bright large. Only a little bit more then the lumenmax and it’ll be new instead of used. How high should I mount that one? And you think 250w 10k bulb will be the better choice between 400w and the k’s (idk what it is, light spectrum)?

Edit - looks like I didn’t look hard enough. It seems like they’re out of stock everywhere. Is that something I’m going to have to hunt down and buy off of another reefer? Might just go with the lumen max elite, idkkkk. I’ve re-read Sanjays article a few times now lol. It seems like they’re all good options. I guess it’s more of what you guys have been saying with having to mount it higher

 

[Bpb]

You’re severely limited on new halide stock. Especially in the realm of singular pendants. Despite the hopes and optimism of some, it doesn’t appear these companies show any signs of revamping their reflector lines. A lumenbright large would glare a lot less, for sure. But finding one may prove to be next to impossible. Hamilton and reef brite seem to be the only ones hanging in there in that ballpark. Reef brites pendants aren’t the right geometry for your goals, and Hamilton can’t seem to keep the big cabo sun units in stock (or they may be discontinuing them much like the Cozumel sun pendant has been just a guess). Even the horticultural world is getting difficult to find decent pendants for.

At this point. If you’re simply able to locate a working 250-400 watt ballast and a quality reflector of any brand, you’re in as good a shape as you can hope to be.

And yes “K” or “Kelvin” numbers basically refer to how blue or white a lamp appears. That is dumbing it WAY down and it is a bit more complicated than that, but at the end of the day, that’s a layman’s takeaway

 

[zalick]

You’re severely limited on new halide stock. Especially in the realm of singular pendants. Despite the hopes and optimism of some, it doesn’t appear these companies show any signs of revamping their reflector lines. A lumenbright large would glare a lot less, for sure. But finding one may prove to be next to impossible. Hamilton and reef brite seem to be the only ones hanging in there in that ballpark. Reef brites pendants aren’t the right geometry for your goals, and Hamilton can’t seem to keep the big cabo sun units in stock (or they may be discontinuing them much like the Cozumel sun pendant has been just a guess). Even the horticultural world is getting difficult to find decent pendants for.

At this point. If you’re simply able to locate a working 250-400 watt ballast and a quality reflector of any brand, you’re in as good a shape as you can hope to be.

And yes “K” or “Kelvin” numbers basically refer to how blue or white a lamp appears. That is dumbing it WAY down and it is a bit more complicated than that, but at the end of the day, that’s a layman’s takeaway

Dave says they got completely wiped out of stock by the public aquariums. I believe he says June now for the Cozumels to be in stock.

Also, just missed 3 mint lumenarc on RC! Right when I stopped checking daily.

 

[JosephM]

Makes sense. Thank you guys so much for the help. Even though I probably still have a couple months I’m going to go ahead and purchase the lumen max one. I’m impatient and if I had the tank setup and couldn’t find a good pendent I’d probably get frustrated. I’ll just have to deal with the glare lol

 

[xtian]

Good luck finding a lumenarc. I’ve literally never seen one for sale anywhere in the last 7-8 years. The above article does paint the lumenmax elite in a bit of a negative light. I think rather than looking at brand recommendations, instead just ensure you’re using a reflector with at least 18” of length both ways. For a square footprint of that size you want a large reflector. Ideally something in the 20-24” range if you can find it. I’d prefer an electronic 250-400 watt adjustable ballast with whichever color bulb you like. I’d probably use a 400 watt 10,000k or 6500k bulb for a propagation tank, but I prefer a daylight appearance. If it’s going to be for growing chalices and zoas and such, a 250 watt 20,000k bulb will do fine

Lil’ flex. I would never