finally get to buy stuff! - help me spend my money...

so i just did my taxes and i can now afford to do some things.... im going to have $800 budgeted for the tank from this! so happy!:

its a 75gal that, as some may already know, has a broken light fixture, running on a BACKUP return pump, and recently had a baffle in its sump decide to give way.

i need a new skimmer, new return pump, and new lighting.

for lighting i already ordered a fulham workhorse 5 to power two of my actnic bulbs i have left over from the dead fixture.

im thinking i should go with two 250W MH and to start with i am going to run phoenix 14k bulbs and use a sunlight supply ballast. then use the t5 to supplement actnic with some aquablue bulbs because i hear they have good par.

that said i am looking at the following (prices vary a bit depending on where i go from)

2x LumenMax Elite DE HQI Reflector
2x Phoenix 14,000K 250W Bulb
1x BlueWave 7 Dual HQI 250W Ballast
Cost: $670

is dual 250w + dual 54w actnics overkill?

i could also just get another fulham wh5 and get all 4 bulbs back up and running and buy the return pump and new skimmer. im just not sure what id rather get done first.

return pump and skimmer would be right around $400 (swc xtreme 160 cone and a 1000GPH external pump of some sort)

 

That will just about eat up 800.00!!!! No 2x54w T-5 will be perfect for supplementing actinics.

 

anyone else? is that too much wattage for a 75gal? id like to one day be able to have the tank full of corals of various species so i figure the more the merrier. i dont want to bleach out things though

 

dual 250s with those reflectors will allow for SPS on the deck. Should be awesome.

 

I have about 760w on my 75g and its wonderful. Its just costs me a fortune when its time to replace bulbs

 

great! now time to find the best deal on things. any idea if its beneficial to go with a dual ballast versus individual ballasts for each reflector?

 

bump - need to know the pros/cons of using a dual ballast versus individual ballasts

 

I ran 2x250 with 2x54 of t5ho on my 90g.

Now 2 things I would consider. That 14,000k phoenix bulb will be VERY blue. If you are running t5s as well, I would seriously reconsider using the phoenix 14ks. Instead I would go with say xm or other brand 10000k halides and supplement with 2 54w ATI blue +.

Halides make "white" light better than t5ho, and t5s make "blues" better than halides.

If you don't plan on any supplemental lighting running phoenix 14ks is a good idea.

Otherwise if you will have supplementals, you are leaving a lot of growth on the table by running 14k MH.

 

Awesome! Good to know. Ill go with 10k bulbs then and ATI Blue + for the actnics. Thanks Horkn

 

;Dlol;D