Mh Lighting For Reef Tank

[milkton]

hey guys, i just got a 135 US gallon about 500 Litres, and was wondering how many watts of MH lighting i should have in there. I wana keep some SPS and some LPS if possible.

Thanks

 

[ballo1000]

Hi, you will find differences of opinion. Personally on my 6x2x2 I have a twin 150 as this allows the edges to be darker than the middle. This then covers all areas for the corals, some thrive in bright light, some shy away, even stonies. This allows the fish to sit where they feel confortable aswell with out having to go into a cave if they feel exopsed

 

[ben1987]

we need dimensions as there is not watt/gallon rule.

the deeper the tank the more wattage you need. Each halide is usually good for a 2 foot cubed area. Unless you go for large lumenarc reflectors.

 

[milkton]

sorry for the extremely late reply guys, i was very busy. The dimensions for the tank are 72x24x18. Also, can someone give me a breif description on MH's and which ones are the best?? What is PFO or HQI regarding the MH??

thanks alot

 

[ben1987]

18 as in 18 tall? or 18 front to back.

on 72" i would prbably go for a triple unit, then you get an area each side that is a bit shaded, meaning fish have a hide out. You dont have to clean both edges glass wise very often.
Then you got 3 halides to grow your SPS under.

remember though, lighting is the first battle with SPS dont add them to a young tank, make sure you get it stable first.

 

[milkton]

thx ben,

18 inches tall, srry about that. ill go for the triple unit then, also if i put some LPS's in the tank, would they die?? What if i put the LPS on the bottom??

thx

 

[ben1987]

No LPS should be fine. At 28" depth i would probably be tempted by 150W halides.

LPs dont like as much light, or much flow so be careful.

 

[milkton]

No LPS should be fine. At 28" depth i would probably be tempted by 150W halides.

LPs dont like as much light, or much flow so be careful.

can i get sps if i have 150w-175w halides as well?? i realy like the LPS but i want to give SPS a try too. are there any powerheads you would reccommend?? and how many?

thanks
milkton

 

[ben1987]

ooops i meant 18" deep not 28"


Montiporas would be nice under that at most depth and acros in the top 1/3rd under the 150's.

Go for 250's if you waant. SPS will grow under either. Water quality is more important though.

 

[milkton]

ooops i meant 18" deep not 28"


Montiporas would be nice under that at most depth and acros in the top 1/3rd under the 150's.

Go for 250's if you waant. SPS will grow under either. Water quality is more important though.

i was wondering if there was a typo too

alright, thanks for the help