what would u put for lighting on a 180

acanthurus4lyfe · #1 05/19/2004, 05:41 PM

im setting up a 180 and know a lot about everything ecept lighting hqi pfo eye i have general knowledge but not to mutch and would like some people to help me make my decision

im thinking of doing the 3 mh and 4 pc from marinedepot.com

any info that would help me in making my decsion is appreciated

greg s · #2 05/19/2004, 06:03 PM

how tall is a 180?

greg s · #3 05/19/2004, 06:03 PM

o yea, sps or softies?

Looper121 · #4 05/19/2004, 06:05 PM

some 60 watt softwhites should do the trick.

greg s · #5 05/19/2004, 06:15 PM

make sure they are the "party bulbs" lol
i would use 3, 400..or 4 250 "de" bulbs
all on the "hqi" or electric ballest..then
maybe 2 six foot actinic's vho's..

acanthurus4lyfe · #6 05/19/2004, 06:21 PM

im doin a mix tank with mainly sps and clams with a huge gorgonia and lots of fish im gonna do some sort of 3 400w mh and either 4 96w pc or 2 72" vho what ballest and kinds of bulbs and stuff would be the best

Scuba Dog · #7 05/19/2004, 06:25 PM

I like the PFO HQI ballasts, and as far as bulbs, that depends on your taste...if you like the crisp white look go with 10k's if you want bluer try the 13 or 14k over even some 20K bulbs, just remember you get more par out of the 10k's or the iwasakies but youl get a lil yellow tint and real fast growth rates...

greg s · #8 05/19/2004, 06:31 PM

well, it seams to be very personal.. i run two 20k 400's
on the hqi.. with 3 actinic, and one aqua-sun (10k)
and i really like the look.. it tends to be more blue..
i have tried 10k 400's and thought things looked
a bit washed out, but w/ more actinic this wouldnt be the
case.. i tend not to run the vho's all the time, so with
just MH light, my tank still has the "actinic glow"....
i know 10k MH will give you better growth, and will last
about 9 months compared to about 6 mnths w/ the 20k
....and when your buying 3 or 4 bulbs every 6months
starts to add up quick!!