Need to upgrade my lights!

Ok so i am going to upgrade from my PC lighting. I want to be able to keep lots of SPS, and really whatever else i want. I think i am going with the 24" current outter orbit pro fixture. My tank is a 36 gallon corner and is 18" deep. My question is, do i go with the 150w MH, or 250w MH. I want lots of light, but i dont want to cook my tank. Will i be limited with the 150w? Will 250w be too much? The fixture comes with 4x 24w T5 actinics. Thanks!

 

the 150 should be good enough for a 30 gallon, the 250 would overheat the tank and maybe burn the fish.
i tried a 250 on a 15g(12" tall) fish would hide in the shade

 

At 18 inches deep, with the 150, you will not be able to keep much sps at the bottom of the tank, while the 250 will allow a lot more sps at the bottom.

The 250 will put quite a bit more heat into the tank as sostoudt says.

So if you want to keep anything as you say, I would suggest the 250, but you will need to do something to keep the tank cool. With a 150 you will be able to keep most items without any problems, but you will need to keep the sps corals in the top 2/3 or so of the tank under the halide.

Kim

 

You're fine with the 150. Current is a decent brand of lighting, but it is still only middle of the road at best. If you have a little extra money, take a look at maristar. Reefgeek.com gives good prices. They are spendy, but you get what you pay for big time with lighting, even more than skimming IMO.

 

Thanks for all your replies! I guess 150 it is. I am not dead set on the Current fixture, but figuring out whether i need 150 or 250 helps me narrow down my choices. I will take a look at the maristar, is there any other fixtures i should check out before i buy?

 

is a retro fit something you would want to try that is if you like the diy thing

 

I like the hamilton 175 watt pendants

 

I dont have a hood, and they dont make one for my tank or i would be all for retrofitting. I checked out the maristar's, and it looks like the smallest fixture is 36", which is a foot too big. I did check out the pendants, but decided i want to incorporate actinics.

 

i would go for the retro fit my self

 

Ok, so i think i found one i really like. Daniel072 brought up hamilton as a good brand of lights. So i did some more research and i found this:
Hamilton Technology Belize Sun Metal Halide Lighting T5 250 Watt
Its a 150MH with 2x24 wt T5 with blue lunar lights. So what do you guys think? This or the Current?