Lighting Questions

[Rob Willett]

I really would like to keep stony corals, but I have some concerns about the energy use of a system capable of supporting them.

My tank is a 90 gallon. I know that I will need metal halides. My first question is regarding nessasary wattage. Do you guys think that two 250 watt metal halides will support stony corals? My next question is how much will this lighting add to my electric bill every month.

Thank you in advance for your responses.

 

[Anonymous]

Your lighting bill will increase obviously..how much, im not sure, i dont pay attention..to answer the other question, yes I think 250 would be sufficient for stoney corals but only if you place them really close to the top..and you would need two MH fixtures for that 90gal...

 

[ChrisRD]

IMO 250 watt halides should be enough light for anything in a tank that depth (2'). If energy consumption is a big priority, depending on what type of stony corals you're interested in, you could get away with less, for example say 2 X 150 watt DE halides. The more light demanding stony corals will, however, usually grow and color-up much better under the intense lighting of 250 or 400 watt halides. Another option for conserving power is using electronic ballasts, although with halides they tend to underdrive the lamps so you generally get less light as well.

As for what your actual costs would be, you'd have to look at your power bill and figure out what you're paying per KWH in your area. Sometimes it's a bit confusing the way power companies break-out the charges, but generally if you just divide your total $$ by the total KWH you used that should give you your actual rate. From there, based on how many hours a day you're going to run the lighting you can estimate what the costs will be. If you know the specific ballast/lamp combination you want to run, or test the actual draw of the lighting system at the outlet you can get a much more accurate number.

 

[Rob Willett]

Thanks guys,

Im still shopping around for lights. I think I might end up going with two Aqua Medic 250's. They are about $260 w/ 13k bulbs. Thats pretty expensive

If any of you have any suggestions please fire away.

 

[ChrisRD]

Aqua Medic generally makes good quality products. For a DE setup, that's actually pretty cheap. Good choice IMO.

 

[Anonymous]

They are about $260 w/ 13k bulbs. Thats pretty expensive

Not really..Ive seen far more expensive for that set up without the bulb..thats actually IMO a deal for 250W setup...

Trust me I understand that the money issue is frustrating but you wont regret it after you have it...You'll actually look at it as an investment after its up and running...