how to choose

how do you choose the right MH, how many watts and do i need to use them with other lighting

 

wattages usally are dependent on how deep the tank is. for under 24" deep 175w are ok. deeper than 24" to 30" 250w are better. most mh have a 2sqft coverage area. so on a 4' long tank 2 mhs are good, on a 6' , 3 mhs are better. you can do mogul or double ended type bulbs. u dont have to use other types of actinics if u uses a 14k or 20k mh bulb as it will provide good amount of blue light by itself. electronic ballasts are usally the way to go over getting a magnetic one. IMHO. with more watts and number of bulbs comes heat, so fans and/or a chiller may be required to keep water temps stable. also not all reflectors are created equal.

what size tank are you using?

 

i have a 55 gallon tank

 

Im using 2 175w 14k bulbs on my 55g. i also use 8 cree leds for blue actinics. space is limited on 55g tanks, so u can use some 20k bulbs if u prefer not to uses supplement lighting. u can check out my DIY $100 cree thread in the DIY forum. it shows my MH/LED canopy setup.

phoenix 14k, iwaski 15k, and radium 20k are really good bulbs.

 

What type of corals are you wanting to keep/grow?


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