Which Fixture Would You Recommend for a 40 Gallon Breeder?

[Puff]

tank measures roughly 36" x 18" x 16".

im trying to decide whether to go for metal halide or T5s. im trying not to break the bank, and have narrowed it down to 6 or so fixtures (although im still up for suggestions!).

which of these would some of you recommend?

i was at Seahorse_Fanatic's house today and was very impressed by the 250W aquamedic that he was running on one of his tanks, so that is at the top of my list right now.


Metal Halide
250W Aquamedic MH

IceCap 250W HQI All Aluminum Pendant (with IceCap 250 Watt Electronic Metal Halide / HQI Ballast)

(two) JBJ K-2 Viper 150W HQI Clamp on Lamp Lighting Fixture

T5HO
Current USA Nova Extreme 4x39W T5HO

Current USA 6x39W Nova Extreme Pro T5HO

Current USA SunDial T5 HO 4x39W w/ Timers & LED

[Samw]

Did you consider this as one of your options? You can go dual 150 or dual 250. Comes with LED moonlights.

http://www.current-usa.com/sunpod.html

This costs less than the 2 Aquamedics and possibly the IceCap pendant ballast combo as well.

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewIt...t~CU01163.html


*EDIT*

Oops, I misread. I thought you were considering dual 150 or 250 pendants, not a single pendant. Ignore this post then.

[Puff]

Originally Posted by Samw

Did you consider this as one of your options? You can go dual 150 or dual 250. Comes with LED moonlights.

http://www.current-usa.com/sunpod.html

This costs less than the 2 Aquamedics and possibly the IceCap pendant ballast combo as well.

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewIt...t~CU01163.html

i have a 20" 150W sunpod on my 24G aquapod. great lights, but they run nearly 600$ for the 36" one!!

if i went with the ice cap the 250W pendant would be 150$ and the ballast would be 130$. so 280$ for ONE 250W setup (plus bulb)

one 250W aquamedic is 299.99, or i could get two 150W aquamedics for 200$ each.

would 2 150W cover the tank properly?

[Myka]

Probably...depends on what kind of corals you want.

[Myka]

Wouldn't it cost less to buy a single pendant like a Lumenarc? They are about $160, plus your choice of ballast and bulb. If you don't want to keep SPS, then you likely don't need the big guns, but the single Lumenarc reflector should do a good job covering that tank.

If you're stuck on getting two, then go for PFO mini HQI pendants. they are $120 each, plus ballast (you can get a dual ballast), plus bulbs.

I think the Lumenarc would be your cheapest route. Think of all the T5 bulbs you'll have to buy!

[Puff]

Originally Posted by Myka

Wouldn't it cost less to buy a single pendant like a Lumenarc? They are about $160, plus your choice of ballast and bulb. If you don't want to keep SPS, then you likely don't need the big guns, but the single Lumenarc reflector should do a good job covering that tank.

If you're stuck on getting two, then go for PFO mini HQI pendants. they are $120 each, plus ballast (you can get a dual ballast), plus bulbs.

I think the Lumenarc would be your cheapest route. Think of all the T5 bulbs you'll have to buy!

i MIGHT have an SPS or two, but it would most likely just be monti caps or digitata (which i have under my 150W sunpod). other than that i dont need too much light.

where can i find these Lumenarc reflectors and other stuff that you listed?

i might look at a 50 gallon breeder now (just measured out a 40G breeder and it seems a bit shallower than i thought, the 50 is only 2 inches taller though, so im not sure if my lighting choice would have to be altered too much.

thanks a lot for all this help everyone, im very appreciative of it!

[Samw]

Originally Posted by Puff

i have a 20" 150W sunpod on my 24G aquapod. great lights, but they run nearly 600$ for the 36" one!!

if i went with the ice cap the 250W pendant would be 150$ and the ballast would be 130$. so 280$ for ONE 250W setup (plus bulb)

one 250W aquamedic is 299.99, or i could get two 150W aquamedics for 200$ each.

would 2 150W cover the tank properly?

Since you asked, I think dual 150's would be better than 1 250 on a 36" tank.

The dual 150 Sunpod is about $460.

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merch...Category_Code=

You can get pendants cheaper. But for my tank, I prefer a hood because I don't need to hang them. I just put it right on the top of the tank and I haven't had heat issues. I don't have a Sunpod so I can't comment on its performance. I like that the ballasts on Sunpod 150's are enclosed rather than remote. I have remote ballasts now but wished they were enclosed to save space and wiring.

[Myka]

Google "Sanjay reef lighting".

If you go with MH don't go HQI, go mogul. The moguls have much better coverage. I did a lot of studying when I was gonna set up my 65g (same dimensions as your, but taller), and decided on the large Lumenarc reflector, a PFO 400w HQI ballast, and a Giesemann 400w Coral 14,500K mogul bulb.

Your biggest issue will be to spread that MH light the full 36" of the tank. MH are generally considered to cover a 24x24" area, not 36". The Lumenarc reflector is known as the best reflector on the market to spread light evenly, and as far as possible, and keeping the PAR as high as possible. So this would be the best reflector choice for you.

Choosing to run a mogul bulb on an HQI ballast will overdrive the bulb and put out WAAAAAY more PAR than a regular mogul or even an HQI. Be sure to choose a mogul bulb that is compatible with an HQI ballast.

I picked the Giesemann Coral 14,500K mogul bulb because they have the greatest output run on a PFO 400w HQI ballast. If you want to go with 250w, then the XM 10K mogul bulb has the highest output on the PFO HQI ballast, but would need to be supplemented with some serious actinic to pull away from the yellow tint of the 10K.

Check out Sanjay's website to compare PAR (look at the PPFD number...the higher the better). Pick a ballast and compare the bulbs to it.

For T5s, I would go with Sunlight Supply Tek or Aquactinic.

[Puff]

how much did that light and reflector cost?

most likely a LOT more than i have to spend!!! im trying to spend a max of about 400$. your setup sounds absolutely amazing though! im jealous!

what about 2 150W clamp ons or something?

[Myka]

Most clamp ons suck. Look for pendants.

You're looking at about $500 for Lumenarc reflector, 400w HQI ballast, and Giesemann bulb. With tax. A bit less for 250w.

I forgot to ask...what kind of corals do you plan on keeping? Maybe you don't need this super powerful lighting...?