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[reefmagnet]

Hi everyone, i was wondering for a tank that is 20" tall with a canopy that is 10" tall. What is a good wattage for MH? Does the "21 inch tall or lower tanks require 175 watts..." apply here? Or does the 10" canopy throw this off the equation?

Tank dimensions are: 92 inches long, 18 inches wide and 20 inches tall.

I really want to get the 175 watts because of operating costs. I want to have varieties of corals and Sps and clams with no limitations. My canopy will be the issue so I will be settling with Spiders Metal Halides to get around the brace in my canopy. I want to get something that can be the best alternative to minimize the the electrical bills and keep practically anything.

What I really want is 175 or 250 watts IceCap Ballast, 10k USHIO bulbs. There isn't Ushio bulbs that come with the kit, but I will probably purchase them. http://marinedepot.com/aquarium_lightin ... sp?CartId=

But other interests include the one setup i was looking at is the 175 watts here at DIYReef.com but i dont know if its good stuff. http://diyreef.com/shop/product_info.ph ... ucts_id=81

I was really considering the ARO ballast at hellolights:
http://www.hellolights.com/17methalbalk.html

I am not sure if I will know how to wire anything. I'm not an electrician, so I don't find DIY kits interesting because i am afraid of investing into something and it doesn't work.

For pics of my tank, here's my website. At the bottom are links for updates etc., http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~tsv23/aqua.html

PLEEEEEASE give me your opinions and what I should do, I will take it into consideration.

Thanks for all your help everyone! I am filling up the tank later this week, I would say Saturday the earliest. I have 90% of everything except for Live rocks and Lighting.

 

[reefmagnet]

Also, does anyone know what's the max for the wall outlet socket? I dont want to overload the circiut breaker. It's a socket in the wall.

 

[SaltyMist]

Also, does anyone know what's the max for the wall outlet socket? I dont want to overload the circiut breaker. It's a socket in the wall.

All depends on how your house or apartment is wired.

I just found out to my dismay that all (and I mean ALL) the plug sockets in my house (with the exception of the washer and dryer) are wired into one 20amp circuit breaker.

So now it's getting hot and I have 3 AC units (one in each room), and if I have 2 of the AC units on, 1 65w light, 1 55w light, 2 rio 50 powerheads, 1 rio 200 powerhead, 1 seaclone skimmer, 1 eclipse 12 tank filter and light, 2 JBJ nanocubes with pumps and lights on, then I will trip the breaker if I put on a fan in the house.

I will also trip the breaker if I turn on an electric fan in any of the rooms or a ceiling fan.

So it all depends on how your house is wired. In my last home I had to run an extension cord under the persian rug to the other side of the room to run enough electricity to keep just my tank powered up without tripping the breaker, but each house is different so your mileage may vary. The reason being that in my old house, the plugs were seperated to 3 different breakers, but in my current house all wall plugs go to the one 20 amp breaker. Hmmmm Go figure.

 

[reefmagnet]

ok, I looked and it says 10,000 Amps. I guess that's a 10 amps.

The exact readings were as follows:

120/240 VAC, 3 wire, single phase
10000 A

So what is that in terms of wattages?

Thanks!

 

[Fl_Seagull]

Your wall outlet is tied to either a 15 amp or 20 amp breaker depending on the part of the country and the age of the house. Some older houses have 10 amp circuits. The breaker box maybe say 10,000 amps but it has a main breaker that limits the current to less (mine is 150 amps).

Each circuit is limited to the number of electrical outlet/lights is can have wired to it. The wall outlet is likely rated at 15 amp outlet even if the breaker is 20 amp.

To make things even more confusing circuit breakers often trip at 80% of the rate current.

How much can you plug in? You may have to ask an electrision. But, if it is a 15 amp (1800 watts) rated outlet with a 15 amp breaker. You may find you can only plug in 12 amps (1440 watts) or less!!

watts = volts X amps

 

[reefmagnet]

thanks fl_seagull, i'll look into it.