MH Question: Good for a 29?

I've found what looks to be a good deal on a MH system, it includes the following for $175. Would this alone be sufficient for a 29 gal if I decide to try some corals?

I may be getting ahead of myself, I'm not even sure of my ability to keep the parameters in spec for them. Nor if it's even worth trying for anything but a few softies with my size. But for the price, it looks to be comparable with what a T5 setup would cost.

Thoughts?

Lumen Max 3 HQI Metal Halide Pendant by Sunlight Supply - AquaCave
ARO 250W Metal Halide Electronic Ballast - AquaCave
Phoenix 250W 14,000K Metal Halide Lamp, Double Ended - AquaCave

 

That would be more than enough for a 29. IMHO possibly even a little too much. A 150 would give you enough to keep just about anything, specially if you supplemented with actinics.

 

i agree one 150 or 175. anymore and you would over heat.
you dont even really need actinics if you get 14k bulb or higher, but they would help bring out colors better.

my nano only has one halide 175.

 

My 36" long 30 gal. has one 150w MH 2 65w PC combo and it's way more than enough, bordering on too much.

 

Exactly what I needed, thank you all. K+

 

Yes you can do perfectly fine with MH, but you can also have anything you want under T5's also...With a 29g tank at only 18" deep, that's really not that deep. A simple 4 bulb T5 fixture would do the trick, there's more versatility with bulb choice and you don't have to worry about heat either.

 

What enclosure are you using ermano? Most of the T5 setups I'm finding jump from 24" to 36". The few 30" fixtures look to be 2x65W.

 

That's true. I was in the same pickle as you were, i couldn't find a fixture that would fit the length of my tank. So I bought a 36" fixture (current nova extreme). There's 3" of over hang on either side of the tank. Unless you're really OCD and you want a fixture that's going to fit your tank, then I guess you can go with a MH fixture. BUT personally I went the way I did because I really wanted T5's and didn't want to deal with the issues commonly dealt with MH lighting.

 

I would go like Ermano said with the t-5's the 250 would be way to much..