Switching from LED back to T5/MH: advice for 6'Lx3'wx27"d tank

[A. grandis]

That makes it simple. Trying to catch up on MH tech in a crash course is challenging. Lots of discussion in recent years mentioning XYZ is being discontinued etc.


Back in the day I used 10k giesemann bulbs and didn't really think about anything else. Plug play and grow!

I'm leaning towards 10k hamilton or 14k phoenix and I'll use my $4500 worth of LED fixtures blue if needed...

Matter of application. Like jda said before... HQI bulb/ballast will run at a little higher wattage and deliver more intensity.
In your case the HQI will work great and the Cayman will be also great!!
You will be able to run any 250W HQI bulb you want. Doesn't have to be Phoenix.

 

[zalick]

Matter of application. Like jda said before... HQI bulb/ballast will run at a little higher wattage and deliver more intensity.
In your case the HQI will work great and the Cayman will be also great!!
You will be able to run any 250W HQI bulb you want. Doesn't have to be Phoenix.

So with all the rumored shortages/discontinued etc. Think it's worth stocking up a bit on bulbs? Or are these bulbs also used outside the aquarium hobby?

Thanks for all the help from you, @nereefpat and @jda !

 

[A. grandis]

So with all the rumored shortages/discontinued etc. Think it's worth stocking up a bit on bulbs? Or are these bulbs also used outside the aquarium hobby?

Thanks for all the help from you, @nereefpat and @jda !

Only God knows about the future.
What I sure hope is that we would have many halide options in a near future! I'm happy to think that Hamilton will still be with us for a long time! Hamilton is a company worthy of our sincere admiration for their hard work throughout the years! They truly deserve our respect for the quality they kept serving us and this hobby with the best available in US!
It is a good idea to storage for a year or 2 anyways, just in case they go out of stock when you need to change bulbs.
This could be just the beginning of a great halide movement!!
I'm very happy to see how people are enjoying the results of metal halides!

 

[zalick]

@A. grandis I haven't pulled the trigger yet as I wanted to make certain my choice would meet all future needs. I came across this post:

Which Metal Halide Fixture?

Hi everyone, I have a dilemma on which HQI fixture to choose for my new 54 corner. My first choice was the Hamilton Caymen Sun double ended 250w w/ LEDs but then I came across the Hamilton Bimini Sun double ended 250w. Which would you choose for a 54 corner? Thanks for any input!

www.reef2reef.com

And watched the BRS video discussing PAR for the Cayman using 250w bulbs. The photo below is the PAR measurements at 18" deep. Considering my tank is 27" deep, should I just go with the 400w Caymans? I'd love to have the option for clams on the sand which would be near the 6" line in this photo but at 27" deep versus 18".

I suppose I could always just buy 3 of the 400w Cayman pendants from BRS for $49 each right now just in case.

 

[BradR]

I use 400W Radiums in Coralvue Lumen Bright Mini Metal Halide Mogul Pendants w/ $80 250-400w adjustable e-ballasts in a 30” deep tank. Each bulb covers 24x24” and this pic shows an acro on the bottom that grows partially shaded. Further into the shade you can see where the coral died off. You can always back off to 250w but not hqi w/o changing the fixture. Given you’re trying to cover more area I’d recommend the 400w and maybe a bigger reflector? Good luck!

 

[A. grandis]

@A. grandis I haven't pulled the trigger yet as I wanted to make certain my choice would meet all future needs. I came across this post:

Which Metal Halide Fixture?

Hi everyone, I have a dilemma on which HQI fixture to choose for my new 54 corner. My first choice was the Hamilton Caymen Sun double ended 250w w/ LEDs but then I came across the Hamilton Bimini Sun double ended 250w. Which would you choose for a 54 corner? Thanks for any input!

www.reef2reef.com

And watched the BRS video discussing PAR for the Cayman using 250w bulbs. The photo below is the PAR measurements at 18" deep. Considering my tank is 27" deep, should I just go with the 400w Caymans? I'd love to have the option for clams on the sand which would be near the 6" line in this photo but at 27" deep versus 18".

I suppose I could always just buy 3 of the 400w Cayman pendants from BRS for $49 each right now just in case.

Question is: How much PAR you would have close to the surface and middle range with 400W over that system? It can be done, but you will need to watch your time of exposure too. If you want to try go ahead. It can be done! In most cases it's not going to be necessary. A 250W HQI is already more powerful than regular 250W halides.

 

[zalick]

Question is: How much PAR you would have close to the surface and middle range with 400W over that system? It can be done, but you will need to watch your time of exposure too. If you want to try go ahead. It can be done! In most cases it's not going to be necessary. A 250W HQI is already more powerful than regular 250W halides.

I imagine 400w would give me significantly higher than these measurements of the 250w at 12.

Maybe best to just start at 250 and if I find it lacking then upgrade. In for a penny, in for a pound!

 

[Bpb]

@A. grandis I haven't pulled the trigger yet as I wanted to make certain my choice would meet all future needs. I came across this post:

Which Metal Halide Fixture?

Hi everyone, I have a dilemma on which HQI fixture to choose for my new 54 corner. My first choice was the Hamilton Caymen Sun double ended 250w w/ LEDs but then I came across the Hamilton Bimini Sun double ended 250w. Which would you choose for a 54 corner? Thanks for any input!

www.reef2reef.com

And watched the BRS video discussing PAR for the Cayman using 250w bulbs. The photo below is the PAR measurements at 18" deep. Considering my tank is 27" deep, should I just go with the 400w Caymans? I'd love to have the option for clams on the sand which would be near the 6" line in this photo but at 27" deep versus 18".

I suppose I could always just buy 3 of the 400w Cayman pendants from BRS for $49 each right now just in case.

I’ve not used those reflectors but their par numbers were shockingly low compared to what I saw with my lumen brights. At 12” off the water, 24” deep in the water under the bulb I get 400+ par. Perhaps it is the off centering of the bulb? DE bulbs wouldn’t suffer from that as they’ll always be perfectly centered but mogul
Bulbs will vary in length

 

[zalick]

I’ve not used those reflectors but their par numbers were shockingly low compared to what I saw with my lumen brights. At 12” off the water, 24” deep in the water under the bulb I get 400+ par. Perhaps it is the off centering of the bulb? DE bulbs wouldn’t suffer from that as they’ll always be perfectly centered but mogul
Bulbs will vary in length

This was for the Cayman which is DE.

I wish there was a place to get the lumen brights..... Not sure if they make em anymore??

 

[Bpb]

This was for the Cayman which is DE.

I wish there was a place to get the lumen brights..... Not sure if they make em anymore??

They don’t. I just sold 3 of them with ballasts to a local for $100.

 

[A. grandis]

I’ve not used those reflectors but their par numbers were shockingly low compared to what I saw with my lumen brights. At 12” off the water, 24” deep in the water under the bulb I get 400+ par. Perhaps it is the off centering of the bulb? DE bulbs wouldn’t suffer from that as they’ll always be perfectly centered but mogul
Bulbs will vary in length

I didn't check what bulbs BRS used. More importantly is the ballast. They pobably used electronic ballasts.

 

[A. grandis]

This was for the Cayman which is DE.

I wish there was a place to get the lumen brights..... Not sure if they make em anymore??

Lumen Brights were made to reach deeper tanks.
You can get those 400W, if you want. Just have to be careful and do not over expose the system. As I've said, can be done. Using 250W HQI bulbs in the right photoperiod will do the job too.
Remember... people can "grow corals" with Christmas lights called LEDs.
Search and decide. We can't do that part for you.

 

[zalick]

I run my 400 G DT (80x34x32.5) with 3 250W in Lumenbright pendants as well as 4 Radions G4 PRo for supplementation. I ran 4 lines of T5s from back to front with the halides and believe the LEDs so offer better color supplementation option than the T5s (realize you didn't want LED discussion but just mentioning them as potential add on to the halides Vs t5s)
I also run 6 other tanks lit by LED only and all tanks are connected to the same system as DT so same water parameters and flow and relatively similar flow concept in all...
I agree that the growth I get under halides is far better (Still need to run some coral grow out comparison to have amore scientific or quantifiable comparison)
I run 14 K Phoenix halides which I believe are a perfect mix of white and blue for my purpose where I get white with a crisp blue into the mix. I run my radions at 100% on all channels for 2-3 hours a day which contributes to the more intense/white color that I like and believe contributes to faster growth (intensity not color) then at dawn and dusk I can get the increasing blue light effect and end it with the complete blue for a nicer phosphorescence from LPS which I reallly missed when I ran halides and T5s.
you would still be able to run great lighting with Halides and T5s, you just need to experiment with different T5 combination to get the color you want in combination with halides when running then a nice combination for T5 only and finally a nice actinic mix for more phosphorescence.

Do you run the lumen bright mini? I currently have one lumenbright mini (16x16) in perfect condition with a galaxy selectable. I've got a line on another 2 new in box. My tank is a peninsula so, if I go this route, I'd have the 3 lumen brights across and flank the two outside ones with Mitras LX7 on each side - four total. Hoping to be able to grow Maximas on the bottom. What do you think about that config?

 

[maroun.c]

Do you run the lumen bright mini? I currently have one lumenbright mini (16x16) in perfect condition with a galaxy selectable. I've got a line on another 2 new in box. My tank is a peninsula so, if I go this route, I'd have the 3 lumen brights across and flank the two outside ones with Mitras LX7 on each side - four total. Hoping to be able to grow Maximas on the bottom. What do you think about that config?

Yes running the mini pendants with dual ended bulbs.
Believe with that setup you'd have no issues keeping maximas on the sand bed. Clams never did well in my tanks for some reason but have a maxima on the sand bed since at least 1.5 years and its looking very healthy.

 

[A. grandis]

It's better to have the 250W HQI bulbs ON for longer in the photoperiod over a 27" tall tank than have the 400W toasting the top corals with that fixture during a most likely shorter photoperiod. Besides, it's unnecessary IMO.
The 400Ws would need a good spread from a wide distributing fixture to work perfectly. Or to be placed higher, when using the narrower angled fixture.
Remember... you want to use HQI 14K bulbs with those HQI ballasts. They are load with goodness and some great PAR.

 

[Bigfish10]

I have 3 new radium 250’s if you need any.