How much light is too much?

[Chubosco]

Remember the old rule...so many watts per gallon that has since fallen to the wayside? Well, if a tank (its' inhabitants) are given time to adjust (mixed tank of softies, lps, sps) that currently has dual daylight 10,000k/6700 and dual Actinic 420 nm and 460nm on a nano 10 gallon, can I add a 75 or 150 metal halide to have acros live in it as well? This a temp situation until I can get a 38 gal up and running because I'm combining two tanks together. The addition of the halide is a side mounted light I am thinking on buying. This situation would last for about 2 months. Is this crazy or what?

 

[mr_X]

i dunno. but i have seen a guy keep acropora in a nano with flourescent lighting. don't know how many watts, but his corals were thriving. watch you don't cook everything. my halides put off a ton of heat.

 

[IceMan0124]

For a ten gallon I would go VHO. X is right heat would be a big issue, a 150 watt halide can heat up 10 gallons realy quick,check out the nano forum , in the buildoff someone made a very impressive tank with some good sps growth using VHO. T5 might also be a good option, though I dont know for sure if they are available in 18" lengths, if you do go halide, I'd suggest a 50 watt clamp style light, and you would want to have some signifcant air movement between the light and the waters surface. Remember, the smaller the water volume, the geater the impacts from....well everything, heat, chemical additions,feeding, as a rule larger tanks are much more forgiving,

 

[wetworx101]

I would go T5 myself... more output than the halide w/o the heat problems.

 

[SnowManSnow]

75w MH would be my choice for around a 10 g nano

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[bradl.]

Heat will be an issue with smaller tanks IF the bulb is to close. You want light? Throw a pendant over that thing and raise it up. No worries.

 

[Chubosco]

I just bought on-line a viper 150. I am afraid of cooking everything like mr x said and a 75 watt would have been better (and cheaper) like SnowManSnow said but I want to get some use of the light in the future. You know how it is...it was on sale and I had a coupon from Drs. Foster and Smith. I have a glass cover for the 10 gal somewhere. I have never used a cover on any of my tanks. Would that help reduce the heat? Man I hope this is doable cause I don't want to lose nothing!

 

[mr_X]

if you created a shroud or something to reflect the light downward instead of in the room, you could position the light a bit higher off of the tank and it would work. you know what i mean?

 

[Chubosco]

Now that I think about it bradl. might have the solution. I could hang the light on a string or something (well secured cause of mr electric) and slowly lower it over a few days till everyone gets use to the light. Wonder how long it will take my girlfriend to get use to it? Tank sits on the bar in the kitchen. Hey, piss on her, what's important here. That's what I'm thinkin!

 

[mr_X]

let me tell you something. metal halide is bright. i promise you, you'll be eating with welding goggles on if you don't channel that light into the tank instead of losing alot of it in the room.

 

[Chubosco]

Yeah, just read your reply mr x. That would save me a lot of trouble! I'll try that first.

 

[LA-Lawman]

the coralife unit has a good reflector. even at eh max height it throws alot of light into the tank. there were a few nano reef guys who used it. I am gonna use a current usa unit on my 20g project. it is fan cooled. so i should be OK. it was originally on a 36 bow so. we will see what it does. i have a vho unit on the wokrs incase the halide is too bright. i am gonna light this tank with halide only.....

 

[Blazin__]

im just in the process of putting a tank together. 10g with 150 D E 14000k im just gonna use it to get frags goin in it and thats about all but i will have to put it a bit high off the tank so i dont evaporate 5g a day

 

[Anonymous]

Everyone go get your copies of 'The Reef Aquarium, Volume I' off the shelf. Take a look at the cover. Nice tank, yes? It's a 15 gallon. Lit by a 175w halide. Kept by Julian Sprung for nearly a decade.

Halides work fine on small tanks. I've done it, so have many others. Just don't do something like mount the bulb in an enclosed canopy 1" above the water or anything and you'll be fine.

 

[mr_X]

hmm.. i have 400 watt mh about 10 inches above my water in a 110 gallon total volume, and it heats up the water.
do you have a fan on it?

 

[Anonymous]

Haven't had that tank set up since 1998, but when I did: nope, no fan. Just an open top with the halide about 8" above the water's surface.