Metal Halide Question

[wom001]

Fixing to pull the trigger on my ballasts but I wanted some to hear everyone's opinion. I have a 240g and I'm planning on going Sps dominant with some LPS n zoas for movement.

I was planning on placing 3 400w halides over my setup but from some new research iv been reading people are now saying it's overkill and 250s are a better option both power and heat wise. I am planning on running t5 or led supplement and to transition between day night but for the most part. Anyway love to hear yalls opinions,

One last bit. My tank is roughly 25inches deep from waterline to sanded.

 

[Coralreefer1]

Halides run very hot, produce alot of heat which isn’t good for maintaining stable water temperatures. Electricity bill will be outrageous...do you have any plans of using LED’s?
If halides are still your weapon of choice, then I would go with the 250’s. You will have enough PAR and PUR for those light loving corals by placing them closer to the top of your tank and right under your halides. Corals requiring less light can be placed lower in your tank and off to the side of your lights so they don’t bleach.

 

[RCS82]

What halides are you running Coralreefer1?

 

[Coralreefer1]

I sold mine a few years back and went with LED’s. I used (2) 20k 250 watt pendants on my 125 gallon reef tank.

 

[RCS82]

Wom001, what are the dimensions of your tank and what reflector size are you planning?

 

[Reefcowboy]

A giesemann spectra with 3x 250 w will work perfectly. I have the 48”, 2x 250 w version on my sps tank and grow sps on the sand. 3x 400w is way overkill

 

[Syntax1235]

The electricity cost argument is overblown. I run three 250 watt halides with an electronic ballast and spend about $28 a month running them. I pay about $.18 a kw/h and run them 6 hours a day.

Go to a site like this and run the numbers yourself.

https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/...and-electronics/estimating-appliance-and-home

 

[Jay Norris]

The electricity cost argument is overblown. I run three 250 watt halides with an electronic ballast and spend about $28 a month running them. I pay about $.18 a kw/h and run them 6 hours a day.

Go to a site like this and run the numbers yourself.

https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/...and-electronics/estimating-appliance-and-home

I have also been using MH/VHO custom fixture over my system for a very, very long time, and I love the way the corals grow and the shimmer effect. the electrical part of running the lights is the cheapest part, replacing the bulbs every 9-12 months isn't that bad, but it is getting harder to find the SE bulbs I like, had to switch from the 14k Phoenix to the Radium 20k bulbs, due to the fact they no longer make the Phoenix bulbs. The biggest expense for me is the cost of the electrical bill and the cost of the chiller to run these lights, as I will be going with the Radion, or 7200 series Mitras when the bulbs finally wear out. I also love the Sunrise, Sunset cycles.

 

[Captain Quint]

I've run 70w DE's,150w, DE's, 175s moguls, 250w moguls, 400w DE & Moguls for different applications and 250w moguls have always been my favorites which I ran in combination with 454 VHO's.

The more I think about MH's the more I miss using them. argh.

 

[jda]

400w is not necessary if you are only going to illuminate a 24x24x24 (or so) area with them. Choose your reflectors well and you can be at 600-800 PAR at the top of the rocks and 300-250 near the bottom.

Fans keep my tanks cool even on the 100 degree days. I do not live in Florida or a desert though, where fans are sometimes not enough.

 

[DesertReefT4r]

I have also been using MH/VHO custom fixture over my system for a very, very long time, and I love the way the corals grow and the shimmer effect. the electrical part of running the lights is the cheapest part, replacing the bulbs every 9-12 months isn't that bad, but it is getting harder to find the SE bulbs I like, had to switch from the 14k Phoenix to the Radium 20k bulbs, due to the fact they no longer make the Phoenix bulbs. The biggest expense for me is the cost of the electrical bill and the cost of the chiller to run these lights, as I will be going with the Radion, or 7200 series Mitras when the bulbs finally wear out. I also love the Sunrise, Sunset cycles.

Phoenix bulbs are still very much around. BRS carries them

 

[jda]

He was using the SE Phoenix bulbs. I have only seen the DE around lately, unless you can find some older ones on eBay from time to time.

 

[wom001]

Wom001, what are the dimensions of your tank and what reflector size are you planning?

I picked up a set of lumenbrite reflectors (not the minis) that reefkeeping did a piece on that sparked a bunch of numbers and reviews on reefcentral and here. The more I keep hearing makes me thing that the 250s are the better way to go. The amount of vertical distance from the reflector to the waterline is really what is setting them apart right now.

 

[ycnibrc]

I love my halide and so are my stag horn.

 

[vanpire]

I live in the desert and have no issues with MH. When I restarted my tank 4 years ago, I really thought of going to LEDs but the economics didn’t work for me. I have a 8’l x 2.5’w x 2’ h. I use 3x 250w Radium with electronic ballasts on HQI mode and lumenbrite minis mounted 18” above the waterline. MH bulbs with lumenbright reflectors have amazing spread. I have a tiny fan that comes on occasionally. I like to keep my tank between 80 and 82 because I read that 82 has the best growth. Not sure if that is true but my tank does well.

I got all the eqipment used for a total of around $500. I also bought some spares because they were so cheap back then. To do the same with radions for my tank, i estimated, I would need 6-8 units, have been over $4.5k to $6.0k at $750/ea.

I replace my bulbs annually but might delay that based on the BRS findings and watching my coral growth.

I use about 850W and my electricity is $0.10Kwh. I have my lights on during the off peak parts of the day. My pumps, powerheads and skimmers has more power cost. Halides warms the water but not that much as I have a rimless without canopy. It warmed it more when I had a normally braced tank with a canopy but still acceptable.

Bought a chiller but never hooked it up because I never needed one. Fans on the hottest days are fine. I keep my house at 79 during the day and 77 at night.

People tells you the cost to cool but they never tell you what the cost to heat their tanks. For most people, this is probably a wash with MH, especially those in colder climates. A little extra on the AC in the summer and some some heater savings in the winter. During the winter months, even in Phoenix, I use a heater to maintain my tank at 77-78 degrees. Yes, my winter temps are slightly lower to save power. Growth might be a little slower but not by much. PH is way more important for growth.

I am sure Radions grow corals very well but for me, the economics weren’t there. I would never get a good ROI. It would take a very long time in extra electrity and bulb replacement to make up the 4.0K - 5.5K difference in initial investment.

Btw, use ballasts with selectable wattages so u can always change your mind. And you might go with Hamiltons instead of Radiums as I heard good reviews on them and they are much less expensive. I will do that the next time I change bulbs.