Metal Halide On 6G: Is this overkill?

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aquemeni5110

New Member
I couldn't resist. Yesterday, I won a 175w Hamilton MH retro fit with 10,000k bulb off eBay. I've always wanted to go halide and this will be my first.

My questions is, will this be too much lighting for my 6 gallon nano? I Plan to build a canopy with (2) 60mm cooling fans and 1 to 2 pc actinics. My estimated clearance from the lighting to the surface of the water is 3 to 4 inches.

Because I have kids running around the house, I do NOT want to hang my lighting from the ceiling (although I know it would be best).

Please let me know what you think. I am open to all suggestions. I really want to use this set up but if I can't, I'll probably use on my next (bigger) tank.


Here's the eBay link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/175-WATT-HAMILTON-T ... dZViewItem
 
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ShawShank

New Member
Won't work. You will overheat the tank and with that much light + pc + hood, you could slap whatever amount of fans you want on it, it will still kill the tank. Plus, you will burn up anything you put in there.

Consider a larger tank or (i cant beleive I am saying this) a lower wattage light.
 
J

Jennie

New Member
I agree, the heat that is going to be produced will be astronomical.

But at least now you have an excuse to upgrade to a larger tank

:mrgreen:
 
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aquemeni5110

New Member
Thanks for the replies guys. I'm pretty bummed but glad. So what's a good tank size for this set I've won? I visited three pet shops the other day and one of them had a 18 gallon tall which is the same dimensions as my tank 6G (Please keep in mind that my tank is a 10 gallon converted to a 6 because of the built in filtration). Is the 18 gallon big enough for 175w MH?

What if I bought a 14k or 20k bulb? I assume they are less brighter because they have more blue in them. Also how much clearance should I have with the bulb and the water if I build a canopy?

Last but not least, how does the 70w MH sound?
 
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ShawShank

New Member
A 175 can easily run a 28 gallon tank comfortably. I would say anything below 15 gallons is going to be unstable due to the heat.

Also, it does not matter (as for heat) which K bulb you go with. They all produce the same amount of heat. Some more than others but there is a baseline. A higher K bulb will decrease par and would not be as "bright" which helps. However, heat would still be an issue.

18 Gallon should be fine. Please plan your hood correctly. There is nothing worse than seeing a beautiful tank with a 12+ cap sitting on top of it. That takes so much away from the tank. This is my opinion tho.

Yes, a 70w will work on a 6. Again however, on a 70w - stick with 10k only. Anything other than that (higher K bulbs like 15/20's) will result in drastically reduced par.
 
skipm

skipm

Moderator
Staff member
I have to agree with the masses, too much heat for you current tank.
The 70 watt MH will also be a great addition to your current tank but IMO a 14,000k bulb even though will have less PAR than a 10,000k should be fine for your tank unless you are keeping high light SPSs.
 
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aquemeni5110

New Member
Okay. My decision is made. I will hold and save the 175w MH for my next bigger project. As for the 70w, what would be better, visually and performance wise:

10k + 2 pc actinics?

or

14k by itself?

Input please!!!

What does PAR mean?
 
TimSchmidt

TimSchmidt

New Member
PAR is Photosynthetic Active Radiation (usable light by plants). I vote for 10k with pc actinic supplements.
 
proraptor

proraptor

New Member
14K by itself...There is no need for the extra heat being put off my the actinics...

Put that 175 watt on a 20 gallon or 25 gallon and you will have a nice tank
 
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aquemeni5110

New Member
Yes, that's true but I'll be able to replicate sunrise and sunset with the actinics. I can always change one of the actinics to a daylight when the halide bulb burns out.

Can anyone list some pros and cons of each set up?
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Even in a larger tank 3" - 4" above the water surface is still way too close, because of heat issues. They also may pop if cold water gets splashed on them (happened to me). They should be mounted about 10"-12" above the water surface and definitely ventilate the canopy with a couple of fans - large (4") fans - IMHO.
 
proraptor

proraptor

New Member
aquemeni5110 said:
Yes, that's true but I'll be able to replicate sunrise and sunset with the actinics. I can always change one of the actinics to a daylight when the halide bulb burns out.

Can anyone list some pros and cons of each set up?
Click to expand...
Sunrise/sunset is over-rated...Im sure your fish know they arent in the ocean anymore they wont mind...

My halide hangs about 7-8 inches off the water surface and thats the highest I would go with it
 
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mikeguerrero

Active Member
I have a 6 gallon with a 150 watt HQI; it's a 14,000 K bulb. My tank heats up like you would not believe. That's why a chiller is in question for these types of setups.

MG
 
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aquemeni5110

New Member
Thanks to everyone that replied. There's a few 70w MH retro fits I've seen and the one I like is the one with the glass uv lense which should prevent bulbs from popping.

Mike, I do have a Nano Customs ICA Chiller 2.0 installed on my tank. It's proven to be very useful and consistent. Besides the fact the that your MH is double ended and mines a srew on, it's only a 25 watt difference.

What if I ventilated the crap out of it? (2) 4" fans, one going in and the other going out. Is this more of a heat issue or too strong of light that it burns and kills corals?
 
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Anonymous

Guest
aquemeni5110 said:
What if I ventilated the crap out of it? (2) 4" fans, one going in and the other going out.
Click to expand...
If the canopy does not have an open back, then using one fan blowing in and one fan blowing out works well. But if the back of the canopy is open, I would put both fans blowing cool air in.
aquemeni5110 said:
Is this more of a heat issue or too strong of light that it burns and kills corals?
Click to expand...
Can be both, depending on what corals you keep. Not all corals have the same light requirements. Even corals that require strong lighting can be burned by strong lights, unless they are first slowly acclimated to it.
 
skipm

skipm

Moderator
Staff member
Actually the glass on a double ended bulb is for UV protection. A single ended MH bulb has a UV shield built in, if you look at it there is a smaller bulb inside of a larger glass envelope. A double ended MH bulb is like the inner part of a single ended bulb because of this you have to have a piece of glass for UV shielding between the bulb and the tank.
 
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aquemeni5110

New Member
Gary & Skip - Thanks for the help. My 175w MH arrived about a week ago. I tested it and I said to myself no way can I put this on my tank. It's way too much for my nano. So I went ahead and purchase the Coralife 96w quad retrofit from aquabuys on eBay. It arrived today and I tested over my tank to see how it looks. I am very satisfied with how it looks. Comparing my old setup to this one is a big difference. I will post some pictures shortly.
 
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