lighting question

[beanpole209]

I am probubly looking to get a 75gl for xmas and was wondering if two 250w halides would be enough lighting for what would be mostley softies and maby a little sps or a clam and would also have 4 pc actinic's backing it up

[8BALL_99]

2x250 would be great for a 75gallon. You wont need the pc's. Get some nice 14 or 20k bulbs so you wont have to mess with the actinic's. I have 20k Coralvue SE bulbs and I love them. Alot of people like the XM 20ks aslo....

[Opiy]

I agree with william. but you may want the pc for dusk to dawn effect though.

[beanpole209]

ok I ended up getting sleepers 450wt mh pendant and have a couple of questions first I have a new 75gl that im setting up and was wondering should i place it in the middle till i can get something els on one side and how can i acclimate the corals to the extra light seeing as how that im using pcs on my 29gl

[greenbean36191]

When I went from PC to MH I put three peices of window screen over the tank and removed one a week. It seemed to work great.

[8BALL_99]

Not sure on how to place it.. with the tank being 4ft one mh pendant isn't goint to be enough to light up the hole tank. I guess maybe if you raised it really high, but then thats kinda of a waste of light and power. You would have been a lil better off going with two lower wattage Mh. Or I guess you could always add another 400watter, But that would be over kill for a tank with mostley softies. I guess place it in the center and you might just have to add PC's or T5s to help light up the ends of the tank.

Greenbeans method seems to work well. I've heard of alot of people doing that with canopys. If you have a pendant you could probably start with the light very high off the tank and just lower it a couple of inches every few days till you get it were you want it. HTH

[Philip Root]

do you have a brace in the tank, If you do I would not place my MH over it, one it could heat up and brake, I have seen this happen. And you get a shawdo in the tank from the base. I would get another 400 MH. Just me.

Philip

[beanpole209]

This is a Pfo Horizontal Pendant with Advanced ballast so planning on getting another Pfo pendant and replacing that ballast with a 250wt icecap and getting another icecap for the other side aswell. I here the Advanced ballasts are alot to run $$ wise

[Jason Williamson]

beanpole,sent you a pm