Help with lighting

[Camona2333]

Hello everyone,

I am trying for the first time to keep anemones in a reef tank that has been established for about a year and a half, but I'm not sure what kind of lighting I need. I know that metal halide is the best kind of lightbulbs to get, but my tank is very deep (about 65 cm = 26 inches), so I was wondering if anyone knew how much wattage I need to be able to keep anemones alive (they will be at the bottom of the tank). My tank is about 110 gallons, 121 cm long, 45.5 cm wide and, as I previously said, 65 cm. It has about 1.5-2 inches of sand on the bottom and has an attached refugium (about 50 gallons).

Can anyone suggest a specific product/vendor or at least the amount of wattage I should use? Also, I was wondering if VHO lighting systems would be sufficient (they are much cheaper and I'm on a limited budget). Any and all suggestions would be appreciated and if you need any more information, just ask in a response and I'll reply asap.

Thanks!

[cocoa_pleco]

IMO on that deep of a tank get halides

personally i would get something like this

http://cgi.ebay.com/48-Corallife-Metal-Halide-Fixture_W0QQitemZ280293774661QQihZ018QQcategoryZ46 314QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Much of what you use is going to depend on the species of anemone that you choose to keep. If you are going with a Bubble Tip then you could use a 175w, however something to keep in mind, is that it is recommended that you use at least 250w Halides on any tank over 21" in depth. Up to 21 you can go with 150 or 175, but over 21" you need the greater penetration of light. One of the absolute best bulbs on the market today is the Radium bulbs. They produce more par per bulb than any other bulb on the market.
I would personally go with a fixture that uses 250w bulbs. When it comes time to change the stock bulbs in it I would definitely look into getting the Radium bulbs.

[cocoa_pleco]

in my first post i was thinking of GBTA. if you want something higher light, i would consider getting a wood canopy and retro fitting 2 250w halides and 4x54w actinic T-5's

[Camona2333]

Oops, forgot to say - I am getting Bubble Tip Anemones, so yea, I do need a really intense light.

Thank you all for your suggestions.

[Wartorn]

Hello everyone,

I am trying for the first time to keep anemones in a reef tank that has been established for about a year and a half, but I'm not sure what kind of lighting I need. I know that metal halide is the best kind of lightbulbs to get, but my tank is very deep (about 65 cm = 26 inches), so I was wondering if anyone knew how much wattage I need to be able to keep anemones alive (they will be at the bottom of the tank). My tank is about 110 gallons, 121 cm long, 45.5 cm wide and, as I previously said, 65 cm. It has about 1.5-2 inches of sand on the bottom and has an attached refugium (about 50 gallons).

Can anyone suggest a specific product/vendor or at least the amount of wattage I should use? Also, I was wondering if VHO lighting systems would be sufficient (they are much cheaper and I'm on a limited budget). Any and all suggestions would be appreciated and if you need any more information, just ask in a response and I'll reply asap.

Thanks!

Well I had a rose bubble tip doing just fine in a 29g bio cube. It only had PC bulbs by coralife 10k and actinic.

Well I dont know if this fits your budget but building a canopy isnt so bad.
Dont use Fir or Pine they soak up water like sponges regardless if sealed..just not good wood. I suggest using 3/4" Birch for the top and side panels. Also getting some Mylar (reflective material) you can find in indoor gardening stores. It should increase light efficiency by roughly 30%.

The next part is lighting on a budget. You can go the Mogul bulb route.
3x 250W covering the side and center of the tanks display to have an abundance of light.

Pricing for my area : Reflectors 20 bucks ..screw cap piece for the bulb 15 bucks.. the bulbs are normally 100 dollars a piece. Unless you find a sale going. Many reefers like Giesman (spelling?) Reflux Hamilton bulbs.

Spectrums we find a happy med spectrum with 14k ratings. This covers your near sunlight spectrum plus your blues for depth and also brings out some color.

Lets see lets do the math :
300.00 for the 3 bulbs to have roughly 750watts
45.00 for caps that the moguls screw in
20.00 for the mylar roll
60.00 for the 3 reflrectors
3 MH ballasts.. Ice caps are roughly 159.99 each..CoralVu about 139.99 each.

Now I picked a happy medium on pricing and bulb suggestion. but with this set up you can support a SPS tank with no problems also.

you could take out one bulb from my line up if you like...just not sure having 500w over that tank would be sufficient for a sps ..it may be. That would be roughly 4.5 watts a gallon with that general rule of thumb...but that rule really is just a guideline vs anything else.. Normally 5w a gallon using that formula is good for LPS and some SPS.

I posted earlier about a blowout sale and I dont mind sharing it with you.
Ballasts are at 30% off and bulbs at 30% to 50% depending on brand.
http://www.bluesierraexotics.com/

Take advantage of it.. these guys do this once a year... check out the sales info on the site. Things are so cheap at this time. I bought duncans for 10dollars a head... which is crazy cheap.

Good luck on the route you pick on lighting.

[AABatteries]

Here are some MH that a very cheap: http://fishneedit.com/metal-halide.html
I don't know how good the quality of them is though. I'm getting a t5 fixture from the same place, so if it is good, then I think all their fixtures should be.

[cocoa_pleco]

if you get the fishneedit fixture, replace the bulb right away. i bought the 150w and made the mistake of using the bulb for 6 months. less than a month ago i came home and the light almost caught fire because the bulb screwed up and burnt a connector pitch black. i found the pendent making a spark noise, off, and making a burning plastic smell

i was able to fix the pendent and its fine now, just dont make the same mistake

[Camona2333]

So after much looking and agonizing over prices, I believe the lighting system that I am going to go with is this one:

http://www.petsolutions.com/SunPod-HQI-Metal-Halide-Fixtures+I42901060.aspx
(the 48" 500W system)

Any opinions?

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Good choice. Sun Pods have a fairly good reputation in the hobby and should fit your needs quite nicely.

[cocoa_pleco]

awesome choice, i love the look of sunpods and have heard nothing bad of them

[Camona2333]

Yay! I got my lighting system (the 48" SunPod HQI one from the previous post) in last night, which means I am ordering the clownfish and anemones next week. They should come in on Wednesday! ^__^

[labnjab]

Congrats on the new light...bow, seems like everyone is upgrading their lighting lately