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Lighting for a 29 gallon?

B

Big Jay

I am in the process of setting up a 29g reef. Right now i have 2x65w PC. I wanted to know everyone's thoughts on adding a MH to the setup.

My goal is to eventually disassemble the PC fixture. Salvage the ballasts and caps. Purchase two new reflectors. Add to a DIY wooden canopy with a MH.

do you think the MH plus 130w PC will be over kill? I would like to eventually put some sps in there.

Thoughts?
 
A

Absinthe

I tihnk a single MH wouldnt be overkill at all. With a good reflector and the right height off the water, you shouldnt have any shadowing.
 
B

Big Jay

Do you think the MH plus the PC's would be overkill? I know then it would DEFINATELY be plenty of light, just want to make sure its not too much.

I run my A/C in the room during the summer and in the winter i keep the house cool. I don't think heat would be an issue.
 
mynd

mynd

I think the first question you need to ask yourself is " What will I be keeping in the tank?" The answer to that will determine if the lighting is overkill or not. I also think that you could probably just go with a coralife hood ( money speaking ) instead of building a hood yourself and dealing with the nightmare of if it will cause a fire, and is there enough circulation. You can get a nice reasonably priced fixture / hood that has the halides and actinics along with moonlights and a controller and not have to worry about it at all.

So what's going in the tank? Oh and WELCOME TO NJRC!
 
kabal2

kabal2

when i had my 29g i had a 250w MH with a 10k bulb, and 2 pcs bulbs, its ok if you put it like 6" high for coveragen and heat, after that you will not have problem growing nothing in that tank

Gabe
 
B

Big Jay

Well right now i currently have a Coralife 2x65w PC hood. Which is fine just to set up the tank.

I want to strip down the coralife hood, take the reflectors, ballasts, and PC holders and mount them in a homemade hood with a 150-175W MH retro.

I am thinking about eventually keeping some Acro's, SPS, and maybe a clam. Which all need alot of light (for the most part).

I am pretty handy with woodworking and electrical work.
 
mikem

mikem

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
That would be a nice setup for a 29gal. With the PC's and a 175watt halide, that would make it 10.5 watts per gallon.
 
B

Big Jay

Actually, scratch that. Iwasaki doesn't make a 175w 6500k single ended MH bulb. Going to have to go either 150W or 250W.

Would 250w be too much?
 
mikem

mikem

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
Yes a 250 would be a bit much. Then theres the heat problem. Why are you going with a 65K ?
 
kabal2

kabal2

mike i had a 250mh in my 29g and i did not any issues with heat and my canopy was almost all the way close just with 1 clip fan

Gabe
 
B

Big Jay

mikem said:
Yes a 250 would be a bit much. Then theres the heat problem. Why are you going with a 65K ?
Click to expand...

Well I am new to the whole MH thing period. Iwasaki is the only bulb that can be fired by either a MH or Mecury Vapor Ballast which is the ones used in the DIY. They don't make a 10k i believe.
 
Z

zucker26

I have a 29 right now that I'm running a Catalina Ultra Reef hood with 150W HQI + 2x65W PCs. It sits about 6" off the water, and I have never had any heat problems (no chiller). The light difference is amazing between now and before the HQI. I highly recommend the upgrade!!
 
S

Subliminal

NJRC Member
I just bought a hamilton ballast and a 175w 14k bulb and a pfo reflector, made a hood and stuck a clip-on-the-bed-post type of fan by it. The bulb is probably 7 inches from the water, and my tank temps have been staying round ~78.

Loving the upgrade from the PCs I used to run.

:)
 
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