12g nano cube light/halide question

i want to upgrade my lighting in my 12g nanocube, i have all soft corals and want to get into other corals,i was looking at the kit upgrades they sell and then i found this Odyssea Metal Halide Pendant
its cheaper and offers alot more watts 178! my coral will be extremely happy.
id like some opinions on this, i would make my own hanging bracket to hover over the top of the nano with out the hood.
opinions such as too much watts!, not worth it, are you stupid?, and too much money are welcome.;D

 

WOW!

Looks like a lot of light!!!!

For the money it looks awesome.

The only concern I would have with that fixture is its heat output - it will be very large compared to the relatively small volume of your tank. You might find that you will have to elevate your light fixture so much that it starts to drop off efficiency lest it be close to the surface and while it may well-illuminate the tank - carries the potential of nuking it as well.

If you keep your residence cool all year and are not worried about paying a little more for electric due to increased cooling load on your AC and increased power draw from the fixture - then go for it.

But considering LED's may bring you in at nearly the same initial price point but may alleviate all or most of the concerns of a higher powered MH fixture over a nano tank.
Then remember - in 9 or so months you have to spend another $100 on just a set of replacement bulbs. 150 MH Bulbs are about $45 and the T5 Bulbs are probably $25 or so apiece. Even if the LEDs bring you to a higher initial price point - the short term payoff will likely be realized within a years time.


Just my $0.02.

 

I like M-Ocean Man's LED suggestion. You will fry your softies with that unit if you use the mounts. You will want to hang it a good 12" above the tank to keep from heat issues. If you upgrade to T5HO you would only need 2 bulbs.

 

thats a very good point, i was planning to hang it and put additional fans. $150 for the nano upgrade or $100 for 178watts i figured this was a steal. even if i do get the upgrade nano lighting i still cant have some of the hard coral i wanted, with the halide i can have more options