I'm a halide noob. A couple questions

[Anonymous]

Ok. My first reef is going well. But I don't like it. I already want bigger and better. So I want to take the stuffs (skimmer, DSB, LR, backpak fuge, powerheads) and put them in a new tank. And upgrade from PC to MH lighting. Here is the aquarium I'm thinking of:

Not sure which size to get, but I like the idea of making a volcano/mountain kind of shape for the pile of LR, so ...

54 Corner: 38x27x22 or 92 Corner: 48x34x24


Assume I choose the 54....

1. If this was you, what kind of MH would you get (asking for brand preference)?

2. How powerful should it be? Do metal halides have any kind of wattage rule or how do you decide the strength needed?

3. Because of the shape, can i get one pendant style bulb? Will that suffice? I would probably augment it with a smaller actinic PC bulb.

Thanks a lot for any advice!
-me

 

[Len]

I'd get either a Sunlight Supply (with Reef Optix III reflector) or Aqualine Buskhe 250W Double ended ("HQI") system. These two manufacturers tested best in some independant test Sanjay published in www.advancedaquarist.com. For the 54, you could probably get away with a single pendant, although the sides will be a little dim. For the 92, you really should run two halides.

Minimum wattage of halide is determined primarily by tank depth and length (since most tanks are under 24" wide, width is usually not a consideration). I guess all you need to know is the more light you can put on top of the tank without encoutering heat problems, the better

 

[Anonymous]

So 250 for the 52g would be generally good wattage but because it emits from a single source, not good coverage.

Should I consider two smaller pendants? such as two 150's or something?

 

[taikonaut]

I would go with two pendants if you are getting the 92 gal. Otherwise, stay with one 250watter. You can always put low-light coral near the corners, you know.

The ignoring thing about one pendant over a tank with center bracket is that you are going to heat up the middle piece quit a bit... very ignoring if you get some salt on it, and needed to be clean periodically.

 

[Anonymous]

Aragorn says stay AWAY from Ice-cap ballasts, and go with Bluelines.

 

[Anonymous]

Well perhaps I will go with a single 250w pendant. I was planning on making my reef be like a volcano/mountain shape in the center, with the edges and such being the open sand area - mostly because it will be easier to clean that way, and I like that shape. So perhaps a 250w single pendant is the right way to go ... I won't be putting any LR/corals near the edges anyhow. Though, that would limit me from EVER doing so if I should change my mind.

Thanks for the tips, everyone!
-me

 

[ChrisRD]

Aragorn says stay AWAY from Ice-cap ballasts, and go with Bluelines.

SM, is he talking about the new style IC ballasts or the old? (IIRC the new ones just became available in the past couple of years...)

The reason I ask is because I've heard about a lot of problems with the old style, but the new ones seem to be a big hit so far...

 

[ChrisRD]

Hwarang,

I think you'll be fine with the single pendent on the 54. IIRC there's no center brace on either one of the AGA corner tanks...

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, there's probably enough of a curve where the force is more evenly distributed and therefore little or no need for a brace.. - Of course, a bowfront is a little different.... 8O

http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=43190

 

[tazdevil]

Nope, no center brace on either, here's a direct link to AGA corner tanks:
http://www.all-glass.com/products/aquariums/index.html


Hwarang, are you getting the predrilled version with the overflow kit for the back, I've been eyeing that for a while now for my master bedroom. My only worry is to find a lighting system with powerful enough light, yet not suspended, that also fits the tank, prolly going to do some kind of retrofit with an oak cap top or something.

 

[Morganjen]

I am working on setting up a 58 (I think that is the size) and thought I would get into the middle of this string myself. I have a hood with 1 MH light and 2 fluorescents for the blue light. I am going to redo with another MH light but should I change over to power compacts for the blue or forgo the additional light all together? I have to redo because the ballast box for the lights is an electrical hazard and I don't want to blow up my new house! All advice is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

tazdevil! we should plan the tank together, that would be an interesting experiment to see how two similar setups turn out!. yes i am looking at the predrilled and yes i cannot suspend my pendant i have to house it in a cabinet above the aquarium (can't drill holes in an apartment ceilng).

LOL!

 

[Len]

I am working on setting up a 58 (I think that is the size) and thought I would get into the middle of this string myself. I have a hood with 1 MH light and 2 fluorescents for the blue light. I am going to redo with another MH light but should I change over to power compacts for the blue or forgo the additional light all together? I have to redo because the ballast box for the lights is an electrical hazard and I don't want to blow up my new house! All advice is appreciated.

Thanks

If you want the nice actinic look (the type that makes certain corals fluorensce like crazy), I recommend going with VHO actinics instead of PCs. Even PC "true" actinics don't have the same effect VHO actinics have IME. More light is always good, so if you can fit it and afford it, I say add it

 

[Len]

Oh, and ....

 

[Morganjen]

Thanks Len!

I definately love the blue hue to the tank and even more when the corals fluoresce. Do you have any recommendations on sources and name brands for the MH and VHO's? I have a catalog for ThatFishPlace.Com and I have ordered a few things from them in the past.

Also I have been seeing ads for the "moonlight" lights that you turn on the tank at night -- is this a good thing for a reef tank or one of those cool gadgets that don't do much?

 

[Len]

URI makes very good VHO bulbs. As for MH, I prefer Aqualine Buskhe or Ushio 10,000K bulbs. People have had sucess with a great range of bulbs, however.

What type of MH system are you currently using? Is your lights currently housed in a canopy, pendants, or sit atop your tank? Lastly, is your tank acrylic or glass, with or without center brace(s)?

As for the moonlight, it's one of those cool gadgets that aren't needed. If put on a moon phase cycle such as that provided by Aquacontroller computers, they can induce some corals to spawn. But spawning isn't really a great thing IME since it really mucks up the water.

BTW, check out www.reefs.org/sponsor.html . Our sponsors cater more to the reefkeeping community and they sell a wider range of reefkeeping products compared to thatfishplace, usually at better prices.

 

[Morganjen]

The lights are fixed in a hood that is hung over the tank (one large pendant). The tank is glass and it does not have any cross braces. It does have a fan on the hood that is positioned to pull air out of the hood. The hood also has an acrylic cover to protect from splashes and the accumulation of salt on the equipment.

I have used two different bulb spectrums in the past -- I believe 6500 and 10,000. I moved to FL last year and haven't had it up yet -- so my memory is failing me on any other details.

 

[tazdevil]

Just to throw in more confusion on that Hwarang:

Oceanic (basically the same company as AGA, use thicker glass though, kind of like buying a Ford versus a Mercury), makes a 54 corner bow as well, but you can't get it predrilled, yet it comes with a Oak canopy; that the AGA 54 does not, that you can get predrilled. Now I have a headache .

 

[Anonymous]

taz, i was looking at that ... now i think i'm going to go with the oceanic for the hood and have a LFS drill it for me and put the overflow thing in the back corner.

i'm going to get this light:

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=PF25PC

and an as-yet undecided sump/fuge combo below. i gotta figure out how big the space is in the cabinet below to see what i can fit in there.

another question for the smarties:
how to i put that light i linked above into the hood? (for an oceanic 54 corner tank: http://www.oceanicsystems.com/products_aq_bow.html) is there a common way to do it? does the hood have some kind of shelves or brackets or something that makes it "ready" to have a light mounted? thanks! just need to figure out how to mount the sucker.

-me

 

[tazdevil]

Never seen any brackets, you'll prolly have to make something up. BTW, very important thing about MH bulbs in that description:

NOTE: Double ended bulbs should always be used with the UV shield (supplied). Your corals can suffer from excess UV radiation otherwise. The bulb should be handled carefully as well since it has no outer glass casing. Using soft gloves is a good idea to keep finger prints off bulb. This is during installation and replacement.

Finger prints are very bad for MH bulbs. Just seems to me though that AGA may have a canopy for this. I don't know why OCEANIC does not drill their 54 corner bow, the bottom glass may be tempered, which if I recall correctly, is not supposed to be drilled.