Okay so I bought a used 45 gallon cube and right now I have two of these I was wondering if a metal halide would be overkill? I don’t have a ton of money to spend on lights

I run a MH on my 36x24x12 frag tank. 150 watt de Hamilton with 14k phoenix bulb. Bulb is replaced once a year. I ran the same unit on my 18" cubed, 25 gal, frag system. I also run 2-250 watt MH on my 120. It is not over kill as many would say. Its personel preference per individual. My temp in the tank is unaffected by my Halides. Start with what you have and do more research as you will get many opinions on the subject. Check my build thread. Here is my frag tank. First pic is an 17.5k giesemann and is very white. Second is the one I run now to match my 120.

What would you guys recommend for wattage and bulb?

To me a canopy is a must for all light sources. I find t5 and LED to be just as guilty of light pollution. I already am kind of bothered by the amount of light that illuminates the room just from the tank, when all primary light source is canopy contained. Part of why I prefer lower kelvin more daylight centric spectra. I despise the blue room phenomena of a reef tank Thanks for the note back. I have the narrow beam reflectors on my Kessil A360X lights so there is no light spill sitting in a chair nearby. The Refi LEDS also are configured to minimize light spill. I am just not a canopy guy. I like the open top look.

Would a metal halide be overkill?

Feb 25, 2021

Uroplatus

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Okay so I bought a used 45 gallon cube and right now I have two of these Amazon product
I was wondering if a metal halide would be overkill? I don’t have a ton of money to spend on lights