PowderBlue Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 M thinking about switching to halides. Probably a dual 250 watt setup so when I upgrade to the 90 I have enough light. As of now I have a 40 breeder. I will probably run a single bulb over this, Needing a canopy built my questions are How high should I run the bulbs above the water can I run both? Or is it too much? Should I supplement with T5 or will the halide be enough? Best bulb temp for blueish coloring, but not overkill blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeFit Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 dual 250 on a 90 should be fine, i'd run them around 8-12" off the water with a good hammered reflector. supplement with 2 t5s for additional color options only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderBlue Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 dual 250 on a 90 should be fine' date=' i'd run them around 8-12" off the water with a good hammered reflector. supplement with 2 t5s for additional color options only.[/quote'] Awesome! So if I'm going to run one over my 40 breeder until the 90 is done is the height apx the same? Higher? Lower? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveHash-fish20 Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I'm running a 250 MH on a biocube 29 and have it 11" above the water and haven't burnt any corals yet. On a 40 breeder at 8-12" you should be golden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderBlue Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 I'm running a 250 MH on a biocube 29 and have it 11" above the water and haven't burnt any corals yet. On a 40 breeder at 8-12" you should be golden. Sweet thanks bro! Now just need to get this guy to build me a canopy, or build one myself at work in my spare time. Oh wait... I have none lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev311 Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I have a single 250 watt mogul fixture over my 40b @ 12 inches and everything gets along famously. Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 You could get away with 2 on the 40 i bet too, id worry more about heat in that scenario though you only need to run light like 5-6 hours a day so t5 also add more uptimr for enjoyment as you cun run those 8-10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderBlue Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 You could get away with 2 on the 40 i bet too' date=' id worry more about heat in that scenario though you only need to run light like 5-6 hours a day so t5 also add more uptimr for enjoyment as you cun run those 8-10[/quote'] Yea that's my worry even if I ran them a little higher up to run two of them, the heat Would be an issue. Winter I think I'd be ok, And by summer I'll have the 90. Only other issue it viewing time. Id have to time them to be on from like 4pm to 10pm due to the times I'm home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toby Flenderson Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 When I had my 250's set up I ran them 8 hours a day and a couple t5s for 12 hours. What MH bulb brand and temp are you going with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderBlue Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 When I had my 250's set up I ran them 8 hours a day and a couple t5s for 12 hours. What MH bulb brand and temp are you going with? Looks like a Hamilton hqi 250 watt not sure on bulb temp yet, I want more blue than white, but not totally blue. Got any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev311 Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Looks like a Hamilton hqi 250 watt not sure on bulb temp yet' date=' I want more blue than white, but not totally blue. Got any suggestions?[/quote'] I've got 14000k sps bulbs supplemented with actinic and I am happy with the look and growth Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimberlee Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 I like the 14 or 20k, but that is me. And while you will love the colors you start to get from the halide, heat will be a big issue over the 40B. I'm running a 250 over mine and will have a chiller by next summer because of the added heat. Shouldn't be so bad now that the weather is cooloing, but I would keep some ice bottles on hand for a warmer day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveHash-fish20 Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Looks like a Hamilton hqi 250 watt not sure on bulb temp yet' date=' I want more blue than white, but not totally blue. Got any suggestions?[/quote'] I also run my 250w MH 6 1/2 hrs on my biocube with a desktop fan.. No heat issues.. IMO if you have the fan blowing on the MH and if you even wanna be more sure add another pointing on the water you will be fine. If I leave my desktop fan on high for more than 2 hours my temp drops a degree-2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveHash-fish20 Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Also if you want more of a blue a 14k Phoenix is actually almost more blue than a 20k radium.. I think the 20k radiums are nice that's what I use and I think the color is real natural. None of that windex nasty blue.. I'd like to add a Fiji purple and a 20k t-5 or some LEDs so I can run them before and after halide for looks but I feel all day staring at blue would get old and i would want the more natural light again. But that's just me and my opinion on MHs and smaller tanks. I don't think it's as much if an issue as ppl claim it to be. MHs do get hot, but so do t-5s and ever since LEDs came out everyone uses it as an excuse. Ppl have been running halides for a long time with success. GL and nice switch to halides. They do mess with the energy bill tho But I will go LEDs in the future just waiting for that price drop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderBlue Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 Looks to me I'll get the 14k Phoenix! Seems to be a popular bulb so ill give it a shot! I have a pretty good understanding for halides in general, used them in the past. It should only bump my bill a minute amount. I ran 3 1000 watts in the past and it wasn't even terribly bad. I'm building a hanger out of conduit today, I'm trying to work in a fan to it and it not look tacky. Thinking of mounting two of my fans from an old canopy on the right side of the tank, attach them to the conduit, but if it looks stupid I'll ride it out. My house stays usually around 60 during the day, so I don't see heat being much of an issue. The few hours I'm home, that it will be on should be ok. If not, it's even more of an excuse to get the 90 going haha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderBlue Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 So thanks to Shaun I picked up a 250 watt Hamilton with a Phoenix 14k bulb today! My DIY light hanger is almost done. Waiting for the paint to dry, I'm going to start at 12 inches and probably work my way down to 8. At 12 it doesn't look as bright as the 6 bulb, but I had those 3 inches off the water.. The color is nice on the halide that's for sure! I think once the canopy is done it will help a lot with keeping the light focused more on the tank. Any input is much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderBlue Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 So the light is hung, it's been on for about 20 minutes, the middle is def brighter but it doesn't seem as bright on the sides. I've seen a 40 on reef central that looks like it has a spotlight shining on the entire tank lol. Could the light he to close? Not close enough? It's at 11 inches right now. I know halides have more penetration so coral growth should be noticeably better but I want the entire tank bright..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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