MH question

[kuay5]

Hi all, i recently bought an MH light from a fellow reefer here. It has a 150W 14K bulb. My tank is a Red Sea Max 130. I tried the lights and found that is not as bright as i have expected, in fact the built-in T5 is brighter.

I assumed the MH takes some time to "warm up", but after 1 hour although the bulb heats up and is very hot, the light is still quite dim.

So my question is

1) Is one 150W 14k bulb enough for 1 2ft tank?

2) Could it be that the placement should be directly on top? Since i was placing it slanted resting on the hood when testing

3) How long does a MH bulb last? Maybe it is due for change, i think it is a year old.

[Ketchup]

Hi all, i recently bought an MH light from a fellow reefer here. It has a 150W 14K bulb. My tank is a Red Sea Max 130. I tried the lights and found that is not as bright as i have expected, in fact the built-in T5 is brighter.

I assumed the MH takes some time to "warm up", but after 1 hour although the bulb heats up and is very hot, the light is still quite dim.

So my question is

1) Is one 150W 14k bulb enough for 1 2ft tank?

2) Could it be that the placement should be directly on top? Since i was placing it slanted resting on the hood when testing

3) How long does a MH bulb last? Maybe it is due for change, i think it is a year old.

hmm... 150W MH shd be enough for 2 ft tank but i think the main question is what is the depth of your tank and do you have corals that requires strong illumination.. MH is very hot... and cannot come direct contact with saltwater..

[Jameshong]

Hi all, i recently bought an MH light from a fellow reefer here. It has a 150W 14K bulb. My tank is a Red Sea Max 130. I tried the lights and found that is not as bright as i have expected, in fact the built-in T5 is brighter.

I assumed the MH takes some time to "warm up", but after 1 hour although the bulb heats up and is very hot, the light is still quite dim.

So my question is

1) Is one 150W 14k bulb enough for 1 2ft tank?

150W is definitely enough for RSM tank as I have tried 150W 2ft Solite MH on my previous RSM tank. 14kk bulb is bluish compare to stock T5 so you may feel dimmer.Why not try 10kk or 12kk instead.

2) Could it be that the placement should be directly on top? Since i was placing it slanted resting on the hood when testing

Could be. But reflector of your MH set also play an important role to have better coverage and brighter lighting.

3) How long does a MH bulb last? Maybe it is due for change, i think it is a year old.

I would advice you to replace it yearly if possible else not more than 15 months.