mh help

[Smith11]

So I' ve been looking into lights for my 36" inch long 20 inch tall now front tank which is 50 gallons. And I found two metal halides for a decent price. Do you guys and gals think there's any better options for a sps mixed reef than these two 250 lights? Would two 150 watt lights do the job just as well? Or could a t5 set up work just as well?

 

[EricTheRed]

Here's a quick answer...No, the 150's and/or T5's won't be as good as the 250's. Handsdown...MH's are the best for growth. (Sorry LED fans, but you really can't dispute it ) Would 150's work with a 20" deep tank, yes, but why not go with 250's? IMO, 150's and T5's are about the same so if you were to go with either, I'd go with the T5's for better colors and less heat.

 

[poidog]

I'm gonna throw a little more information in there..... Neither..... For a mixed reef tank.

The 2x250 will be too much light for mixed and you can support a full blown SPS tank (depending on other factors) on a 36" long. The 150w will not have enough power to keep sps unless directly under the bulbs. It whorls be a bett choice for a mixed reef those.

FWIW I have a 36" long with 1 20k 250w MH and 4 24w T5 and my tank is full SPS sith some LPS off to the bottom sides.

 

[dohc97]

i agree with Eric, i was doing a 40breeder full sps reef with a 250 mh with 2 24" t5s and everything was growing. I currently run a 6 bulb t5 over the same tank and i feel brightness and growth looks to be the same, of course my sps crashed due to a bunch of pests but thats not related to the lighting.

 

[Kevin Says]

One 250w mh with lumenmax. Hang it high and it will cover 36 inches.