If you could do it all over....

[rededge2k1]

I need to take advantage of your experience (and mistakes)!

I'm setting up a 90g (48x18x24) reef and will be utilizing metal halide lighting. I have my mind made up in that regard, I love the shimmer effect of MH lighting. The tank will be built into a piece of custom solid wood furniture, with plenty of room above the water for lighting options/installation methods.

I plan on keeping a mixed reef - softies, LPS, SPS, and a clam or two.

Now that purchase time is here I'm starting to have anxiety over the details -- SE vs DE bulbs, color temp, 250w vs 400w, cooling fants, retro vs. pre-assembled, etc.


So....if you could start over fresh, how would you light the tank?


Thanks in advance for all your help, it's great to be settled down and able to get back into this great hobby!

 

[stroid]

If you are planning a canopy then retro is gonna be your best friend....you are going to have heat issues using mh lighting on a tank that site. If you are going to add a chiller then I would say two 400w retro 14k for a nice blue light. As far as SE vs DE I dont know to much but mine are single ended and work great. Cooling fans will be essential and should be considered when building the canopy. I believe aquabuys has some nice options for fans and retros plus an arc discount. Hope this helps a little.

 

[jetchris]

If you have an enclosed canopy, a chiller is just a matter of time IMO. If I could do it all over again I would go with T5's because they last longer and they dont put out as much heat, so you waont have to buy a chiller. Another thing I would do is create a closed loop water movement system instead of having powerheads. Also I would have made a pvc skeloton to attach LR to instead of stacking them up. As for the MH shimmer, i have seen people with T5's and the shimmer does not make to much of an overall difference IMO. I would also add an ATO system at the beggining.

 

[rededge2k1]

I'm not changing my mind on the MH, but nice try! I refuse to live without the shimmer effect

I've read lots of posts saying a fan blowing across the sump will take care of the heat issues. So, I'm going to give it a try. If a chiller is in my future, then I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Spending money isn't my fear, wasting money is. I learned that the hard way with my 30g two years ago.

 

[coblerx4]

ATO for SURE! On my 90gal I have to add at least 1gal a day. My tank is built in the wall and to late now. WISH i could go back in time.

 

[jetchris]

good luck, when you do buy a chiller i reccommend a pacific coast 1/10 Hp. I got it new for around $360.00. It is very quiet and efficeint.

 

[lorenk]

Regarding SE vs. DE bulbs. SE bulbs are UV shielded within by the bulb, DE's are not and you would need to put a shield in place. DE's are smaller.

If you are going for retrofit, you'll probably end up using the SEs unless you want to build in the UV shield. If you are going to use pendants, then you would use DEs.

I'm not sure if the lighting is any different.

That's just my opinion from my recent lighting switch. I went from PCs to 2x250w MH with SE bulbs in a modified canopy for a 55g. I didn't want pendants or a fixture on legs.

Do the research though...I may be completely wrong

 

[stroid]

Good point with ATO I dont have one and I run through about 7g a week that I must top of on my 29g with 10g sump. If you run 400w mh 1 or 2 of them I think a chiller is super important. The heat issue in the sump is a concern but I think heat issues in the main tank is more of a concern then in the sump. I would look into a controler for that size tank as well.

 

[FutureInterest]

Yah good point on the controller Stroid. If I could do it all over again, I'd get an AC jr right away.

 

[skriz]

Get a controller. I bought the RK2 after wasting too much money on timers.

ATO is a must. I am working on mine and wish I had done it from the begining. I lose about 25gpd when it's hot! Manual top off SUCKS!

Get concrete blocks, drill a hole in them and insert an acrylic rod/rods. Cement the rods in place. Put these in the tank FIRST! You can then drill you LR and put them in place without having to worry about then falling or anything. You can also do some really cool aquascaping. Add the sand and then water.

SE vs. DE: SE is easier to retrofit. Retro will save tons of cash...the best way to go, IMO. There are some bulbs that are not available in both formats, so if you wanted a particular bulb, make sure you pick the corresponding format (ie. phoenix 14K)

My temps went up to 83-84 deg. I added ONE $7 clip on walmart fan, and the temp is under 80 deg now. You can't beat that for value.

Have extra holes drilled. You'll wish you did and you will want to change the flow/setup.

Since your tank is only 18" tall, you can definately do 250W.

 

[victor626nj]

if your going to go with mh i have 2 250 de hqi and i love it if your intrested on how much i have invested in lights pm me and ill send you the info

 

[victor626nj]

i also dont need a ciller my tank runs at 78-79 and i saw 80 one day i left it on for like 18hrs just to see how hot it would get

 

[russ]

research and buy once. If you buy something sub-par then you end up buying it again. Research and get the best. your fish and corals are very expensive so dont be cheap.

MH are great. 250 will prob be ok for a 90. I had two 400 SE on my 120 and two VHO.

ATO... dont mess with salinity it will kill your livestock.

Capbay has the best stands/Canopy

get your lights at http://www.reeftanklighting.com">www.reeftanklighting.com</a> doug is awesome and will help you make a great decision and try to keep your cost down.

Know you are about to spend a lot of $$$, not a couple thousand...

 

[russ]

oh yeah, one more thing... take your time. I have been setting up my new tank since Jan. I got in a hurry a few weeks ago and now I am paying for it. the only thing that comes quick in this hobby are mistakes and that brings algae and dead livestock.

 

[wbholwell]

Good one, Charlie- a sealed sump area is nice. Hey, what was that text message earlier about jail? I'm glad to know you're obviously not incarcerated!

And if I had to do it all over, I'd go bigger! I see myself outgrowing my 72 fairly soon. I's also go with the most effecient pumps/powerheads available. It might save you from needing a chiller.

 

[suasati]

SE if you are going to retro, it is easier....
DE you can keep it much closer to the surface of the water since there is a shield, I have PFO pendants on HQI and love it.....

250W should be ok, but if you want high par and the blue/white color without any further actinic substitution, then you probably should think about 400W so you can go 20K's for which in your size tank you will need a chiller... You probably will, even for 250, unless you are ready to let a whole bunch of water to evaporate, in which case you need to make sure all that water doesn't stay in your house... I'll just say get a chiller and be done with it.

 

[schwaggs]

HQI (DE) reflectors typically focus the light to a smaller point and therefore achieve higher PAR in a small area. SE reflectors typically spread the light out a little more evenly. Check out Hellolights for a great deal on DE retro kits http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1325">http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1325</a>

Also, check out Sanjay's site for great info on PAR output from different lighting combinations: [IMG]http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com/">http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com/</a>

 

[schwaggs]

Things I would have done differently:

1) gone with a bigger display
2) Never put GSP in my tank
3) put more slope to the floor drain of my fish room

 

[ouling]

1. Never put ugly zoa in your tank or it'll completely take over and even kill frogspawns!!! (my biggest mistake, and it's impossible to remove them)

2. Have a bare bottom, which means no subtrate at all. (I did this with my new setup)

3. Buy the brightest light your money can get.

4. Go with a massive sump and skimmer.

5. Find a women that will be cool with all this.

 

[tsciarini]

For me:
- less rock
- more light
- built my canopy before filling the tank (I still havent built it)

here's a outdated pic for reference:
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