which MH would be better for a 29 with 130 watts of PC?

[gfk]

So i have a 130 watt PC fixture 65 watts of 10,000K and 65 watts of actinic.

would i be better off on a 29 with 250 watts of 15k MH only,

or 175 watts of MH 20k with 130 watts of 10,000K???


what do you guys think?

[All Delight]

I think MH is too much for a 29g. Wouldn't the heat of the MH be too much for 29g's of water?

[gfk]

a lot of people have MH in 10 and 20 gallons as well at 29 gallon

[rick051074]

I run a 250w MH on my 29 with 2x96w pc's for actinic (until I get a new 15k bulb). My temp runs a steady 82 with an enclosed hood and no fans. I was actually suprised I did not have heat issues.

[gfk]

how far up is your light from the water?

when you have a 15k bulb are you going to run the actnics? what are you using normally, 10k 15k or 20k?

[totaltrev]

Get a MH. I got PC's for my 25g and now I wish I've gotten MH. It's true....the colours come out so much brighter and nicer under MH.

[nam2212]

I have a 250W HQI on my 29G and run a small fan. It keeps the temp at 77.9 all day.

[gfk]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6586313#post6586313 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by totaltrev
Get a MH. I got PC's for my 25g and now I wish I've gotten MH. It's true....the colours come out so much brighter and nicer under MH.


i have PCs now and im upgrading my tank, i was referring to supplimenting the MH with PCs

i think i might go with a 250 watt 10k and maybe use my pc's for actnics

[mokujin22]

yeah, i agree... go with 250W MH. i have a hanging pendant over my 26 gal bowfront with no top. it's about 6" off the water's surface. i was having some heat issues, but am now running a small fan, blowing straight down on my 10 gal sump. 80-82 degrees.

as for color, i don't have any actinics; so i went with a 15K bulb to get some of the bluer coloration to show. am considering adding an actinic VHO tube to get some night effect, but will most likely hold off until i setup my 120 gal.

[alpine]

My old 29 had 2x175 watt mh with 12k sunbursts,and 4x 32watt pc's actinic o3.The temp stayed at 78 all day long.The hood had 4-4in fans,2 blew in and 2 blew out.The bulbs were about 5 inches off the water.Do keep in mind that my 29 was plumbed into my 75 which had a chiller to keep the temp down.All in all the look of halides cant be duplicated with pc;s vho's or t5's.Just my opinion though.

[aleiodubua]

I had a 150w MH over my 12g nano-cube, just 6in off the water for around a year, and now wish I would have went with the 250w since I've since upgraded to a 20L. Go with the MH, there's really nothing to worry about. Just move your low light corals to the bottom, or under ledges.

[gfk]

people never cease to amaze me.


I AM GOING TO BUY A HYLIDE!!!!

my question was whether to suppliment it with the PCs i already own.

lol

[alpine]

In that case,it would probaly depend on what kelvin of halide you buy.Personally I love the bluer color in my tanks,so I always add actnic pc's to supplement the halides.

[gfk]

i think i might since i already have the PCs

i think i might go with a 250 watt 15k bulb and go from there, i also might get a 30 gallon which is 36" long (see other thread) so i might have to figure that out too, i should just be safe and go with the 29 knowing one hylide will suffice

[aleiodubua]

The more light the better. Supplement with the PCs since you got them.

[surfnvb7]

no way a 175w 20k bulb will work with a 29g, seen one myself and severely underlit IMO, unless you choose 10k and supplement with actinics.

perfect would be a 250w w/ 20k over a 29g.

[Paladin]

I also have a 29g with 250w MH in a canopy. Works great.
If you're going to supplement your lighting with PC, then I'd suggest getting the 10K bulb for the MH--better PAR. Why get the bluer MH bulb if you can supply it with the PC?

[gfk]

yea im still a little hesitant about the lights.

luckily the only reason im figuring the lighting out now, is so i can plan the rest of the tank, the lighting will be purchased last, as i can still use my PCs until i can afford to upgrade in 6 months or so after i get that tank running