2 250w Mh 10000k + 4 96 W Pc Smartlite

[kcirtap]

HELLO ALL,
I AM NEW TO THIS FORUM AS WELL AS REEF KEEPER, ONLY HAD FISH AND SOME INVERT FOR A FEW YEARS IN 100 GAL TANK WITH LOTS OF ROCKS.

I AM BUILDING A 250 GALLONS TANK TO BE VIEWED ON BOTH LOND SIDES (70" 32" 34 HIGHT )

ABOUT LIGHT , I WAS PLANNING TO PUT 3 250W 10000K MH
AND 4 POWER COMPACT OF 96W EACH SMARTLITE .

AS THE TANK IS QUITE BROAD,I WAS PLANNING TO PUT 2 OF THE PC TIP BY TIP ON EACH SIDE (WELL ON THE SIDE) AND INCLINATE THEM TOWARDS THE CENTER OF THE TANK TO DIRECT THE LIGHT TO THE CENTER.

AFTER FINISHING THE BUILDING OF THE TANK ( GLASS )

BY THE WAY I WAS RECOMENDED HALF A INCH WAS ENOUGH (LOTS OF REENFORCMENT AT THE TOP) TELL ME QUICKLY IF IT IS NOT ENOUGH, I ALREADY HAD A 800 GALLON TANK EXPLODED ONES (IT WAS AT NIGHT OTHERWISE I MIGHT NOT BE HERE TODAY) MISTAKE IN BUILDING THE CONCRETE FRAME, AND A SMALL EARTHQUAKE. ???

COMING BAK TO THE LIGHT I HAVE BUILD 2 GLASS COLUMNS OVERFLOWS IN THE CENTER OF THE TANK (DRILLED) AND I NOTICED THAT IF I PUT 3 MH , 2 WOULD BE ON TOP OF THESE COLUMNS AND MOST OF THE LIGHT WOULD BE LOST.
SO I WILL GO WITH ONLY 2

IS THAT LIGHT ENOUGH FOR DIFERENT CORALS SOFT AND A FEW HARD HIGHER UP,ANEMONES... AND DO YOU THING THIS COMBINATION OF 2 MH 10000K WITH 4 SMARTLITE IS GOOD

THANKS IN ADVANCE

KCIRTAP

[dvups1]

IMO, I would go with a minimum of 4 250w MH and try not to shotgun the light down the overflow. My old 150 gallon tank was drilled in the center and I got rid of it because my dual 250w HQI Aquaspace light was blasting light straight to the sump under the stand. My new 150 in drilled on the side.

[RandomChaos]

crank that baby up, put some 400W MH in there.

[kcirtap]

THANKS FOR THE ANSWERS,

IT SEEMS NOBODY GOES FOR THE POWERCOMPACT,WHY???

I THOUGHT 4 96 W OF POWERCOMPACT COULD HEPL ME WITH THE "STUPID LOCATION OF THE 2 GLASS COLUMNS OVERFLOW.

I DID CHOOSE FOR THAT OVERFLOW, GLUING SOME SMALL 2X4" DRILLED GLASS PLATES ESPECIALLY ON TOP AND ALSO ON THE 2 BLIND SIDES OF THE TANK, TO ATTACHED ROKS AND CORALS WITH PLASTIC TIES.

IT IS LATE TO CHANGE ,BUT BETTER LATE THAN EVER.

[dvups1]

PCs just dont have the penetration power needed for deeper tanks.

[moonpod]

PC bulbs are fragile, the 96w in particular are not very effecient, and the bent tube design inherently loses a lot of light that gets reflected onto itself. Linear bulbs are a better way to go.

BTW, lose the caps lock key....

[kcirtap]

THANKS FOR ALL THESE GOOD ADVICES

I WILL GO WITH 4 250W MH 10000K PROBABLY

AS THEY WILL BE IN A RECTANGLE ( 2 IN LINE ) THE TANK IS ONLY 68 INCH LONG AND ABOUT 10 INCHES ON EACH SIDE ARE USED FOR THE OVERFLOWS AND CAVERN LANDSCPE .

IS IT A GOOD IDEA TO INCLINATE THE REFLECTOR BASES TOWARDS THE CENTER OF THE TANK?????


WHAT ABOUT THAT 400W ADVISE???

[dvups1]

400w is what you want if your going to keep light loving animals at the bottom of your tank (SPS and T.clams)