Commercial MH

[jonathen81]

hey guys....i was just wondering why the 70 watt MH is not a popular option especially for nano tanks. the following are a number of Pros which i could think of.

1. They generate less heat than 150 watts, and one might get away without the need of a chiller.

2. The commercial ones can be easily DIYed to fit on top of a tank. (esp those with the ballast seperate from the lamp holder.

3. They satisfy the general wattage per gallon rule.

4. Cheaper to run. (and obviously the initial costs, the total MH set up of mine cost me 140 sgd)

Cons can be the issue of availability....( but i have just acquired one from Victron Lights )

well the price for a 70 watt , 14k is around 72 dollars (BLV). And i know that you can get similar prices for 150 watters....but in the long term its about satisfying your needs.

I have seen rather bizzare methods of trying to minimise heat generated by placing 150watters so high above the water level, that you might not even need lights for your room.

well anyway i was just wondering whether i am missing something obvious...or is there a grave flaw in my understanding...

hope you guys out there can contribute...

thanks..

jon

[Skipper32]

so with ur 70w mh wat is ur water temp?

and also e growth of ur corals...

[jonathen81]

hey bro...i am just a newbie...my tank is cycling with just 4200k MH at the moment. My tank is in the UK. Its just i have been doing some research for the past 6 months and i figured that ppl in the US and UK to some extend use lower wattage MH for their Nanos and picos...

Btw my tank is at a stable temp of 26.5. Using a reliable rena heater!!!!

jon

[subxero]

hey bro...i am just a newbie...my tank is cycling with just 4200k MH at the moment. My tank is in the UK. Its just i have been doing some research for the past 6 months and i figured that ppl in the US and UK to some extend use lower wattage MH for their Nanos and picos...

Btw my tank is at a stable temp of 26.5. Using a reliable rena heater!!!!

jon

you might have problem when summer comes.. the water temp will rise

[jonathen81]

you are rite...well i just hope for the best and cross that bridge when i come to it...

[mUAr_cHEe]

Theoratically, your reasoning sounds logical.

In reality there are alot of things more commonly known in business as Hidden Cost.

If I were you, I will try it, and do a review here later and share my findings with everyone!!

*hint* *hint*

I am sure most nano owners here would appreciate it!

[jonathen81]

thanks bro.....well i have put a lot of thought in my new set up. will post some pics of it when i get back...

jon

[tigershark]

if i were u, i'll go for 150W directly as the setup cost is almost the same.... u'll be spending $$$ to et another ballast and bulb in the futureif you found that ur light is not enought...

on the other hand, lighting is never enough in a tank... no matter how strong is the artificial light, you just cant compare with the natural sunlight that were provided to the coral in the nature....

of course, there are other consideration to put in such as temp, electricity cost and bla bla bla.... as you mentioned, just roughtly calculate how much u can afford for the startup and the monthly maintainance cost.... try to give ur tank the best...

[jonathen81]

dear tigershark,

i understand exactly what you mean. in the end i guess it all depends on what one wants?

If someone intends to keep a nano for the time being due to a budget constraint and intends to upgrade in the future...then it would be certainly wise for him to go for MH of higher ratings.

However i guess (and hope) that there is a significant proportion of nano reefers here who like the challenge or art of mainitaing a small and controlled environment. For those who intend to keep a nano for a long time, it might be ideal to get the equiptment which would yield long term benefits.

In some of the sites that i have seen in the US and UK...nano reefers prefer to use lower rated MH. Mainly an issue of heating and plus they seem to be concerned with the fact that they sometimes have to place the higher wattage rated MH too high up their tanks in order not to fry their LS.

I have seen some tanks here in this forum that have placed a 250watter MH on a 2.5 feet tank. If the reefer has an intention of upgrading in the near future, it makes economic sense.

However i am a firm believer that bigger is not always better. There are somethings that you can't overdo in a nano....but i think there are some that you can. anyway will post the results of my trial in a few weeks time.

jon

[ericlong]

me using 2 70w 14k mh for my tank. Why 70w u may ask??? well my workshop happen to had 2 set of 70w mh light holder laying there collect dust. Guess not to waste to much cash on the start of this hobby.....

[jonathen81]

hey eric, seen your tank first hand man!!! certainly NOT A NANO LAH!!!!

but on that note....i am not really sure whether 70 watts will be enough for you. However i think you can get over that problem with the placement of your corals at the appropriate locations.

But your tank really looks nice...considering that most of the things you did were made on your own.

jon

[ericlong]

if need the holder can upgrade to 150w for a cost. but guess i will now save the cash for other diy stuff, such as a wave maker...