MH for a 40 breeder frag tank

im going to have 2 t8 actincs and a 14k mh over my frag tank.
what watt mh will i need?
will 1 mh bulb be enough for a 40 breeder?
how high should i hang it?

 

1 would be plenty. I'd go with a 250w. 400w would be too much, and heat the tank a lot. Hang it high enough that the light covers the entire tank. Depending on your reflector, I'd guess 8-16" range.

 

you could even get away with a 150w or a 175w if you dont want to do 250w

 

I like 2x150s on a 36" tank. There will be some overlap and where they overlap will get a ton of PAR, with good PAR all the way to the edges. I single light will have some dark areas to the sides and you'll be limited to what you can keep there. This may be okay, it's sort of a personal preference. If you go with 1, I'd probably go with at least a 175 just because there are better reflectors available for the 175s. The parabolic reflectors have a lot to be desired, but seem to be more or less the only ones available for 150s..

 

175 watt with T5s and moon

My two cents would be 175 watt MH with (2) T5s and Moon Lights. This would cover and grow corals well while giving you full lights to use timers and save power cost.

Happy ReefN,

 

1x 250 will be plenty, just get yourself a nice reflector like a lumenarc


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