light help

[Poseidon]

hey im doing a diy project and am wondering how high my 250w metal halide should be above my frag tank... the tank is 7" deep...
any advice is appreciated!
thanks

 

[unibob]

7" isn't much water, so be careful especially if they have never seen MH before.

 

[Poseidon]

how high do you think i should go? 24" ? more?

 

[unibob]

Start higher, then slowly lower as corals get used to light. What sort of corals are you planning on growing. I have my led fixture at least 10" above tank, and my water depth is like 10-15 inches depending on which rack.

 

[Salty Cracker]

Maybe T5's or LEDs would make more sense...probably a lot cheaper to run in the long run too.  A lot of us know how to DIY a good setup that would be dimmable, and save a $$$ over the LFS pricing.  Better for your frags too.

 

[reeffreak]

I would Definetly be putting t5 over that metal halides is to much IMO or do what Jerry mentioned but again I would go t5 all the way Or led whichever u prefer over the 2

 

[jones02]

I 3rd that about t5s aswell.

 

[Poseidon]

well problem is i already have a 250w metal halide pendant and a couple old powercompact fixtures... im taking the pc ones apart and basically making a 48" fixture out of the two... i wouldnt mind a 48" t5 fixture but do they have the same growth effect on corals as good ole' metal halides do?? i plan on growing everything from softies to sps....

 

[jones02]

All my sps are doing amazing with t5's.

 

[Poseidon]

lol anyone want to trade a 250w hamilton tech metal halide with ballast and new bulb for a 48" t5 or led fixture???

 

[spyd]

I will have a REAL NICE 48" 6 x 54w T5HO Tek Lite Elite fixture for sale by this weekend.  I don't need a metal halide unit though. 

 

[unibob]

Most Frag tanks I have seen have been lit with t5's. Only reason I choose led was so I wouldn't have to replace bulbs.

 

[Poseidon]

so would a marinland LED fixture... the 300$ one that IA has work for sps, lps and softies??

 

[Salty Cracker]

I would say not, that fixture uses 1W LED's.  As always, personal opinion, but you need 3W LED's for good growth on sps.  For LPS and softies, it would likely be fine. 

 

[jones02]

I wouldn't evem use it on lps or softies lol. And for 300 that's crazy! Go look at jerrys frag tank and look at getting those lights. Been reading lots of good reviews on them.

 

[Poseidon]

k thanks for the input... will look into it!...