wtb/wtt need a mh for frag tank

[Topher]

starting/started a frag tank, last thing needed is the light, it is a 10 g tank now that may magicly(whistle) increase to a 29 gal tall soon(deciding factor,(wife)(wife)) also would like to upgrade the 55g tank with mh and actinics also, this may have to wait(wife)(flame)(wife)

[ReefSafari]

Not sure what your looking for wattage wise, but I have a 20" 250w Sunpod that has the hanging kit, not sure if that would work for what you are wanting...I am tearing down a tank this weekend, let me know if your interested.

[Rick]

I have a dual pendant 250w PFO MH setup I've been thinking about selling. You could start out with one of them and then use the second one later when you get a larger tank. If interested send me a PM. The pendants can be seen in my tank build thread via the link in my signature below.

[Topher]

Not sure what your looking for wattage wise' date=' but I have a 20" 250w Sunpod that has the hanging kit, not sure if that would work for what you are wanting...I am tearing down a tank this weekend, let me know if your interested.[/quote']

 

i am not quite sure..i will look it up and see

[reefnjunkie]

If you are looking for a light for a 10 gallon that may turn into a 29 gallon and are looking at a 250 MH hopefully you have about 5 feet above the tank to mount it (laugh)

 

You will want to consider heat and after having a 24 gallon nano cube and a 20 gallon frag tank, both of which I switch lights to MH-one the light was so intense I was not pleased, and then the heat issues-

 

Just research before you "jump".

 

I can just say from my experience-it was not fun and hindsight is a mother.

 

I ended up going with a 4 bulb 24 watt T5 set up for the 10 gallon and a 6 bulb T5 set up on the nano

 

My opinion-

 

Good luck with what ever you decide-worst thing is it heats up and is too much light and then you will need to upgrade to a bigger tank-so that is a good thing

 

If you think T5's may be right I have a 24" fixture with 4 -24 watt bulbs and moon lights, individual reflectors and built in timer to run 2 sets of the T5s and the moonlights-I am just not sure I care to part with it, but I just upgrasded the 20 gallon to a 40 gallon so I am 90% sure I will never use it.

 

If you do go MH, look at the 70 watt set ups if it is for a 10-29 gallon

[Topher]

If you are looking for a light for a 10 gallon that may turn into a 29 gallon and are looking at a 250 MH hopefully you have about 5 feet above the tank to mount it (laugh)

 

You will want to consider heat and after having a 24 gallon nano cube and a 20 gallon frag tank, both of which I switch lights to MH-one the light was so intense I was not pleased, and then the heat issues-

 

Just research before you "jump".

 

I can just say from my experience-it was not fun and hindsight is a mother.

 

I ended up going with a 4 bulb 24 watt T5 set up for the 10 gallon and a 6 bulb T5 set up on the nano

 

My opinion-

 

Good luck with what ever you decide-worst thing is it heats up and is too much light and then you will need to upgrade to a bigger tank-so that is a good thing

 

so you're saying(scratch), worse case(whistle), i may have to move up to a bigger tank(clap) hummmm what to do, what to do...it will be either a 20g or 29g tall now. the 10 g is out of the picture... experience is the best teacher and i am open to opinions..thanks!

[reefnjunkie]

so you're saying(scratch)' date=' worse case(whistle), i may have to move up to a bigger tank(clap) hummmm what to do, what to do...it will be either a 20g or 29g tall now. the 10 g is out of the picture... experience is the best teacher and i am open to opinions..thanks![/quote']

 

No BIGGER-LOL

 

What I have and had over the 20 and 24 gallon nano was a 150 DE MH (double end metal halide-no insult meant) and it was to much light for the depth.

 

I know have a 40 gallon with the 150 MH over it and its GREAT.

 

Depends what you want to "grow" most corals like medium to lower light, unless you are a SPS junkie like me and 90% of them like high to intense light.

That is what my 75 gallon in 2-250 DE MH w/2 54 watt T5's.

 

If you got the tall route the a 150MH may be ok (anything more for that specific tank is overkill, unless again there is another upgrade coming). Having just had the same 150MH light that is now on my 40 gallon over my 20gallon, when it was over the 20 it was to much-(UNLESS you are going SPS (again my opinion)) I had 3 layers of window screen to defuse (right word???) the light when using the MH on the 20 gallon.

 

Intially I got a 4 bulb 24 watt T5 set up, thought I should upgrade to MH so I bought one-BAD idea (again) way to much light for a 20 gallon (this time IME not IMO) so I shelfed the MH set up and put the T5 set up back on.

Later I went back to the MH but with the window screen.

 

LONG story-short answer 70 watt MH for 20 gallon, maybe, MAAAYBE on a 10 gallon, and 150 watt MH for 29 gallon high if you can hang the light above the tank as to using feet on the edges of the tank.

 

One really important question to ask is what corals are you wanting to grow out and frag or grow frags of.

 

SPS is a whole different ball game than LPS and softies-the SPS will really thrive under a MH but if you are not doing those, the MH is not needed-IME/IMO (for a 20 or 29 gallon)

 

Thats my opinion

[Rick]

How high will the 29g be? I personally would run a 250w over anything from 18" to 22" deep. Actually I had one over my 40g also which was only 16" deep and it was about right for it with primarily LPS with a few SPS and softies tossed into the mix.

[Topher]

How high will the 29g be? I personally would run a 250w over anything from 18" to 22" deep. Actually I had one over my 40g also which was only 16" deep and it was about right for it with primarily LPS with a few SPS and softies tossed into the mix.

 

the 29g is the same highth as a standard glass 55g, 18"

[Topher]

i am really leaning toward the 70watt mh.best place to find one or anyone have one they are not using?

[Bitricker]

I'm running a 250 over my 20g frag w/ no heat issues ... of course it's hanging way above the tank. I'd use a 150 I think if I didn't already have the 250.

[TankIt]

MH

 

OK, so a couple of years ago now I had a 29 gallon tank and I was running a single ended 400 watt MH 20K with no other light except the simple t-8 I had on the sump/fuge. My tank was a pretty consistant 79-81* except during a major heat spell in the summer when it got over 100 for a couple days in a row. I had frozen 2 liters I rotated out of the freezer and that worked just fine. I think my temp got upto about 88* and yes I know that is high but I think since everything was already used to higher temps it wasn't to bad. I didn't loose a single thing and nothing realy looked affected either. When I get home I will send you an old pic I had of my tank. Total I had a 29 gal display and a 10 gal sump/fug about 3/4 of the way full of rock and water.

 

So it can be done and be done successfully. I had the tank running for about 2 years with halide and all levels of coral/clams and anemones....

Its all in how you do it.

1. Go Slow

2. Go Slow

3. Go Slow

4. Always buy the biggest and badest the first time cause you will always want more!!!!