250w Halide too much for AP24?

ReeferRyan · #1 11/01/2007, 11:11 AM

I am about to upgrade my Aquapod lighting and I am probably going to go with the sunpod but my question is, will the 250w be too intense for such a small tank?

InsaneClownFish · #2 11/01/2007, 11:22 AM

What are you planning on keeping?

ReeferRyan · #3 11/01/2007, 11:24 AM

SPS and LPS

ezcompany · #4 11/01/2007, 12:07 PM

its fine. it is however very hot and you will need a chiller.

rickh · #5 11/01/2007, 12:08 PM

If you mount the light directly on the ceiling you will be fine.

If not you will be shopping for a chiller. R

ReeferRyan · #6 11/01/2007, 01:08 PM

I was hoping to avoid the chiller route. Will one of the mini chillers from nanocustoms cut it or do I need to get something along the lines of a 1/15th?

Jambi · #7 11/01/2007, 02:04 PM

you should be fine without a chiller just aim a fan at the surface of the water, and make sure you hang the light. If the temp is too high, then hang it a little bit higher and keep testing until its about right.

jman77 · #8 11/01/2007, 02:06 PM

should be ok

rickh · #9 11/01/2007, 02:19 PM

The fan height will be high enough when the light is on the celling.

You are asking for trouble. Most of the Nano tanks are on the verge of over heating from just the pumps and standard lighting.

Your tank is not very deep, you can use a little light close to the water surface or a big light 2 feet from the surface. The amount of light reaching the bottom of the tank is the same.
You don't need to mess with big lights, chillers, fans, or ATO if you chose the right light.

There are several other threads in this same section from people who have big lights on a little tanks and they are having problems with over heating. Search for similar threads on RC , Nano reef, etc. Remember--much of the advice given here is second hand information from a friend of a Friend who knew a guy---. Good luck

ReeferRyan · #10 11/01/2007, 03:03 PM

I understand the problems associated with halides as I have used them before on my larger tanks. I would love to go with T5 but they don't make them short enough. I really don't care about how powerful the light is, but I am tired of using the bare minimum light necessary for SPS and having them grow slowly. The 64w PC lighting on the tank now is useless for even zoas in my opinion and I don't want to upgrade lights more than once.

gotbags-10 · #11 11/01/2007, 08:46 PM

if your going to stick with the 250 and u dont want a chiller what about adding a good size sump to help dissapate some of the heat. Thats what i did with mine. I drilled the back of mine and added a 30g sump with no heat issues. Or you could cut the hood and go with an overflow, that way you wouldnt have to tear down the tank to drill.

gotbags-10 · #12 11/01/2007, 08:46 PM

if your going to stick with the 250 and u dont want a chiller what about adding a good size sump to help dissapate some of the heat. Thats what i did with mine. I drilled the back of mine and added a 30g sump with no heat issues. Or you could cut the hood and go with an overflow, that way you wouldnt have to tear down the tank to drill. way cheaper than a chiller

121a · #13 11/01/2007, 09:28 PM

i have a 40g b with 250w DE mh aquatrader, with upgraded ballasts. It is cool to the touch after about 4 hours of operation. as long as you have a fan in the fixture and a fan on the tank you will be FINE. However you will have a lot of evap. so i would recommend getting an ATO. Also upgrade the stock pump to a MJ900 or MJ1200, if you have not already done so. To further the cooling, drop the room temp a few degrees and cut the lighting to 6-8 hours. Or you could do two 4 hour periods allowing the tank to cool in between the periods.

Crackerballer · #14 11/01/2007, 09:41 PM

Why don't you get the 150? I don't think you will need much more than that.

kingnitro1 · #15 11/03/2007, 06:47 PM

I run a 250w Sunpod on a Biocube 29 with a temp.controller and a fan.The fan only runs if needed.The 150w was way to dim for my taste.

Chiefmcfuz · #16 11/04/2007, 09:47 AM

I am running a 250w sunpod on my ap24 right now. My rk2 turns on a fan and turns off the lights when the temp gets too hot. I upgraded about 2 months ago and have had no problems.

m2434 · #17 11/04/2007, 02:20 PM

Not all SPS and LPS corals will like that much light, but most will. To keep the temp down, you will need some fans and will get lots of evaporation, so I agree that a auto-topoff system will be almost required.

Badgerman · #18 11/05/2007, 08:48 PM

The heat will not be as much of an issue if you put some distance betreen the halide and your tank.
I have a 250 watt pendant over my 24 gallon nanocube with temps rising less than a degree when I run it. Then again, it is over a foot over the water's surface.

zack85 · #19 11/05/2007, 09:03 PM

too... much... light?

im confused...

GobyJohnKenobi · #20 11/05/2007, 09:22 PM

What bulb do you want to run? 20K? 50K? Radium?
Maybe a 250 with the really blue bulbs. Maybe...

A 150 HQI will pull over 200 watts on an HQI ballast. And there are a lot of great bulb options in the 12 - 14K range since you probably wont be running actinics.

How big are these colonies really going to get in a 24 cube, and how fast do you really need them to grow? And how stressed will they be with the temperature swings?

ReeferRyan · #21 11/05/2007, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by zack85
too... much... light? im confused...

I know, I know. What I meant originally was would it burn some of my other corals such as zoos and lower light LPS. I decided to go with the 150 and I will just put SPS in the middle and top of the aquarium. It helps that I got it new on ebay for $150

BCreefmaker · #22 11/06/2007, 10:51 AM

i have a 150W over my 20G with my sump everything stays nice only peaks at 83 on hot days without a fan. and i have too keep my little fan on the lowest setting and not really pointed at my tank top at all, i was amazed at the cooling effect they have and now i'm considering a 250W HQI next for my tank.