My friend have a 160gal with 4 20,000K 150watts MH bulb. Will that be too much or just enough? and is it true that an old MHbulb will encourage algae growth?
how deep is your tank? i think 150w is not that much for a 160 unless it is shallow but soft corals and lps will probably do ok. i hear old mh grows algae too but i dont konw yet, i get my mh up and runnin in a few weeks. when my old flourscent bulbs got old algae would grow so maybe it is true.
There is no positive proof of it, and AFAIK, it is just antedote. My opinion is that if a reefer is not up and doing his/her job (like changing out old bulb), other aspect of reefkeeping tasks (water change, water filter, feeding, etc.) will also suffers. As a result, you will correlate excessive algae growth with old bulb.
For those that want to argue with the fact that spectral shift as bulb ages, you need to explain the fact that a tank with brand new 20,000K bulb can be better environment to a tank with a old 6500K bulb.
Think of it as poor family and lower test score. Intelligence has nothing to do with parental wealth, but if you have to deal with lack of food and paying rent, you properly won't be able to tutor your kids on their homework, or hire extra help if they are not doing well in school.
