MH question

[CSCco]

I have a 50 gallon and want to convert it to metal halides. What would be the best setup for the tank? Wattage, bulbs, should I run it with other bulbs?

[evolust]

What are you keeping or planning to keep. Height of the tank is also important info.

[sir_dudeguy]

i dont have any experience w/metal halides, but i know lots of people who do have mh's run pc's along w/them...but the pc's will just be actinics from what i see. Some people run 20K bulbs, and if you do that, i dont think you have to have any actinics...but i could be wrong.

so i'd say you could do a dual 175 mh setup? maybe less..idk.. (if you had the dual i'd think that you'd be able to grow whatever you wanted. and then have either 1 or 2 pc's that are just actinics...not sure if it would matter on the wattage or not.
this is all just going by what i've seen some people do, as i dont have any mh's nor have i ever had any...so someone please correct me if i'm wrong, or if i didnt completely cover what is needed.

[CSCco]

height of tank is about 30". I have VHO's now. I know I can buy the VHO's with the the MH built in, but looking for a cheaper method

[rljlll]

I would do 2 250w MH with that depth and actinic VHO or PCs supplementation for color. I suggest the 14k phoenix MH bulbs they look very nice. I run 2 on my 90 with one actinic T5 and 2 actinic PCs

[evolust]

I have never seen a 50g that was 30" deep? What kind of coral do you want to keep? This will make a big difference on what kind of light to get.

[CSCco]

i had it custom made to fit on my wall

[CSCco]

I want to keep my brains and leathers and also a few of my sp's. not really into acros yet

[rljlll]

go with the mh my .02

[clkwrk]

IME I would go for 250w metal halides those will give you the penetration you will need if you ever want to keep a clam @ the bottom of the tank . Also I haven't run into any corals which can't live under 250's and love it . The really low light guys can be off in the shadows .

But before you decide 175's or 250's decide on the color temp you wish to have......If you like a white look with a little blue you can use USHIO 175 SE bulbs and standard magnetic ballasts and have a very very good amount of light . Compared to lets say a 250w icecap ballast running any 12k -20k bulb and the 175w setup will produce more par. Also it is IME that I find softies really like the ushio bulb alot and if its not white or blue enough you can run 4 3ft Super actinic VHO's to enhance the visual appeal.

So before you decide what wattage you want to go with decide one the bulbs or color temp you wish to have then we may be able to help you get the most light out of your money .

[CSCco]

im going for the shimmer of the MH and since i dont have acros or clams im going for the color right know. So I would probably want a more white look. Does anybody know how well the pc/mh with the lunar light combo system works.