Can I use metal halide lights from Home Depot on a tank?

[Dom]

I'm planning on purchasing some new frags and placing them in a 10 gallon quarantine tank. Can I use metal halide bulbs form Home Depot to provide them with lighting until I move them into my display?

Thank you.
Dom

 

[Pntbll687]

I'm planning on purchasing some new frags and placing them in a 10 gallon quarantine tank. Can I use metal halide bulbs form Home Depot to provide them with lighting until I move them into my display?

Thank you.
Dom

Can you, yes.

Seems like an expensive option for a 10g tank. You would probably be better off with one maybe 2 par 38 bulbs with some reef spectrum led's, like this

 

[Dom]

Can you, yes.

Seems like an expensive option for a 10g tank. You would probably be better off with one maybe 2 par 38 bulbs with some reef spectrum led's, like this

I was thinking these:

 

[Pntbll687]

I was thinking these:

The color spectrum on those is 4000k which is going to a very yellow light. It will wash out colors on corals and probably appear very dim.

If you can find those bulbs in the 10k or 14k, they would be a much better option.

How long do you plan on qt the coral for?

 

[snorklr]

halides throw off a lot of heat and would probably be a problem over something as small as a 10

 

[reefinatl]

I'm a huge halide fan, but this is a bad idea. I've used cheap halides with generic bulbs and junk ballasts and they look like poop but still work even if not that well. The issue here is its on a 10g. I'm not big on LEDs for a few reasons but you could buy almost any generic reef LED setup from amazon/ebay/aliexpress and have a better looking light that will work on a 10g. Halides just aren't the right tool for a 10g and a bad halide even moreso.

 

[Dom]

The color spectrum on those is 4000k which is going to a very yellow light. It will wash out colors on corals and probably appear very dim.

If you can find those bulbs in the 10k or 14k, they would be a much better option.

How long do you plan on qt the coral for?

Thats just it. I've never QT'd corals before, so I'm still trying to figure out my exact plan. I've always placed my frags on a rack in my display, right from the bag.

Reading posts on here, I've come to learn that QT is important for corals too.

I've ALWAYS QT'd my fish.

 

[Dom]

halides throw off a lot of heat and would probably be a problem over something as small as a 10

It's a 3 pack, but I'd only use one. With proper cooling, I would think that I can get by for the QT period. But long term, heat would be a concern to me.

 

[Pntbll687]

Thats just it. I've never QT'd corals before, so I'm still trying to figure out my exact plan. I've always placed my frags on a rack in my display, right from the bag.

Reading posts on here, I've come to learn that QT is important for corals too.

I've ALWAYS QT'd my fish.

What lights do you have on the display?

 

[Dom]

I'm a huge halide fan, but this is a bad idea. I've used cheap halides with generic bulbs and junk ballasts and they look like poop but still work even if not that well. The issue here is its on a 10g. I'm not big on LEDs for a few reasons but you could buy almost any generic reef LED setup from amazon/ebay/aliexpress and have a better looking light that will work on a 10g. Halides just aren't the right tool for a 10g and a bad halide even moreso.

Again, this is for QT. Appearance is secondary.

I have a fixture that I retrofitted to take halide bulbs. Just making a choice.

 

[Dom]

What lights do you have on the display?

Orbit Marine 24" IC Loop Pro Dual LED, for a total of 4 fixtures.

Great light, lots of function and features. Although it is a bit under powered. Good par on my 12" deep tank. But since moved them to a 16" tank. You can see the difference.