i found my 200 gal (1 Viewer)

[Guest]

hey all,

im upgrading to a 200 gallon this week. its an Oceanic RR, etc.

i finally found one i liked

im trying to think about what kind of lighting i should use, i'd like to start getting into SPS, cause the colors ive seen on some are really nice and i think ive been bit by the bug.

but anyway, so im thinking about a 3 x 250 HQI 10,000K Aquaspacelight and then supplement with some VHOs. but im not sure if i should do all actinics or try some other bulbs in there like maybe aquasun or whatever. i'd like to do HQIs but i dont know if i should get the fixture, or try to rig it up myself, because i read you need to have the bulbs behind glass?

anyway, my goal is to be able to keep as many varieties of corals in the tank, i dont want SPS to dominate my tank. just like the top of the tank. im more of a zoa, softies, mushrooms, and lps kinda guy but i'd like to have some nice SPS colonies too. also i'd like to have enough light for them to grow rapidly cause i love seeing corals develop and grow.

i need some help here, can anyone give me any suggestions, ideas, opinions on light combinations or whatever.

if you'd like to help me setup the tank or whatever please let me know too that would help greatly. i also need help with ideas for flow.

thanks any input would be appreciated

An

 

[Guest]

the 250 HQI's are nice. I would do that with the actinics. You could also do 13-14k bulbs and not supplement with actinics

 

[Guest]

Are you planning on setting this one up where your 55 is now? If so, you need to seriously consider how much heat the HQI's will add to that room. Even if you can get away with not running a chiller, you will still have the heat from the lights themselves, and whatever your cooling fans are blowing into the room. Not trying to discourage you - just plan ahead, or you may find yourself wasting a lot of money like someone I know.

Now, if you decide to go with the HQI's, you have 2 options. If you want a pendant, I would go with the Sunlight Supply Maristar - it has 3 HQI bulbs (150w or 250w) and 4 T5's for supplementation, all in a slick fixture you can suspend above the tank. The other option would be to build a canopy. In that case, it is easier to just buy an RO3 pendant for each bulb and mount the pendant inside the canopy. That way you don't have to worry about adding the UV shield, and your wiring is done for you.

If you need any help with this stuff, let me know. I live nearby, and dealing with lighting and plumbing and stuff is one of my favorite parts of the hobby (hmmm, probably explains why I am perpetually rebuilding my tank).

EDIT - since you want to keep a lot of softies too, you might want to consider the 150w HQI instead of the 250w. That would probably give you the balance in lighting you need to keep all coral types.

 

[Guest]

yea i was thinking about the 150's too. 250's were expensive, i like the look of the aquaspacelight, and i want a fixture that has the 3 HQIs by itself so i can supplement with VHO.

VHO wont be expensive for me because my uncle can get me ballasts for like 50 bucks, and they can run 2x6 ft bulbs each.

but anyway i'd appreciate the help mike. see i was considering building a canopy so i can get those VHOs in there too, and i'd like to install a bunch of computer fans into it as well. pretty much as many as i can fit in there cause i can get computer fans relatively cheap too.

yea i definitely need help with plumbing and lighting the most.

i dont know anything about halides

oh and what do you think about the aquaspacelight?
ill take whatever is better priced.

 

[Guest]

Unless you are planning on living with your parents for a long time I would suggest you put a lot of thought into making it simple and hassle free so when you are gone the tank won't go to .

 

[Guest]

It seems like it would be a shame to buy an Aquaspace light and hide it inside a canopy. They are such nice looking fixtures - I would be tempted to just buy one with the PC actinics and suspend it over an open-top tank.

Also, do you know if the ballasts are on the fixture or remote? That's a lot of extra heat if the ballasts are on the fixture, especially if you close it up inside a canopy.

If you really want to do a canopy, you would probably come out way ahead just buying some RO3 pendants and mounting those inside the canopy alongside some VHO's. Keep in mind - those bargain VHO ballasts could cost you a bundle in the long run if they burn out your bulbs every 10 months. Make sure they are electronic ballasts at the least.

 

[Guest]

An
What's your dimension? is it brand new and how much did u pay for it? where did u get it from? i hate rich folks

 

[Guest]

yea i thought about that too, but my uncle's been using his them for at least 5-6 months without any problems.

but then again im not sure how to tell there are problems even if the bulbs fire.

yea i really like the look of the aquaspace light but dont know if i'd like to go powercompact for my actinics. it would be nice to have it all in one fixture so i can hang it over an open tank.

so its hang it over an open tank (the aquaspacelight w/ pcs) or make a canopy? i understand the canopy can produce a lot of heat, but is there a a way we can combat that with fans or somethin? even if i have a canopy, will the lighting still be alot better than the aquaspacelight?

 

[Guest]

That's why I suggested the Maristar fixture - just as slick as the Aquaspace, but it uses T5 instead of PC for the supplementation. If you don't like the T5 actinics, then run the blue-plus bulbs instead - between them you should be able to get the look you want. My T5 actinics should be here today, and I'm already running the blue-plus bulbs. You're welcome to come over and see if you like the looks of the T5s.

If you decide to go with the canopy, the heat is definitely manageable with cooling fans, and worst case a chiller. I've done it both ways - canopy and pendants - and it's really a matter of what you are looking for. Both ways have advantages and disadvantages. I really liked having a pendant just for ease of maintenance and cooling. But, the canopy is nice too, because it hides all the plumbing around the top of the tank, and gives it a nice clean look. Plus no ugly chains from hanging the pendant (although admittedly, you can do a lot cleaner job of hanging the pendant than I did). The downside of the canopy for me is that I have more of a heat problem than I did before, and my Sea Swirls won't fit underneath the canopy. I'm also getting a lot of salt spray on my bulbs and reflectors, but that is because I'm using the standard Oceanic canopy which is not very tall. Eventually I may have to break down and build a different canopy which is a little taller, but the Oceanic one looks so slick.