Metal Halid Recommendations

[Ken]

I'm new to this hobby, and have made what I believe to be my first big
mistake. I recently purchased two 36" CustomSeaLife Power Compacts.
These feature a 96W 10K florescent, and 96W Actinic, and their
"moonlights". This gives me a total of 384W (3W/Gallon) of light into
my 125Gallon tank (72" long).

I'm thinking of maybe adding MH lights. My question is, is there
anyway for me to take the lighting I've already purchased and mount
them into a fixture that would include MH lighting. Also, if I did
this, would I be better of to change out my 10k flourescents to
Actinics, and let my MH's provide the "sunlight"? If I purchase a
hood with MH lighting, I don't see how I could keep the Power Compacts
(the PC's would be in the way of the MH's). The alternative would be
to purchase an additional two PCs, but I really like the shimmer of
the MH's.

[Marc Levenson]

Hi Ken,

How do you add up the numbers to get 384w? How many 96w bulbs are over your
tank?

On a 125, even that is woefully inadequate unless you're planning low light
creatures for the most part. For a tank 72" long, you need 3 MH bulbs spread
out so that each one lights up 2 square feet per bulb. So technically, you'd
center those three over the 72" to cover all of the tank equally. Since your
tank isn't that deep, you can use 175w bulbs, but everyone will tell you to use
250w. ;)

You can use your PC bulbs for the actinics, just arranging them to fit your
canopy and surround the MH bulbs. It'll take a little DIY to make it all work,
but many people succeed.

Marc

Ken wrote:

> I'm new to this hobby, and have made what I believe to be my first big
> mistake. I recently purchased two 36" CustomSeaLife Power Compacts.
> These feature a 96W 10K florescent, and 96W Actinic, and their
> "moonlights". This gives me a total of 384W (3W/Gallon) of light into
> my 125Gallon tank (72" long).
>
> I'm thinking of maybe adding MH lights. My question is, is there
> anyway for me to take the lighting I've already purchased and mount
> them into a fixture that would include MH lighting. Also, if I did
> this, would I be better of to change out my 10k flourescents to
> Actinics, and let my MH's provide the "sunlight"? If I purchase a
> hood with MH lighting, I don't see how I could keep the Power Compacts
> (the PC's would be in the way of the MH's). The alternative would be
> to purchase an additional two PCs, but I really like the shimmer of
> the MH's.

--
Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com

[Ken]

Marc,

Thanks for the response. My PC's are 2x96w each, and I've got two of
them on the tank (two 36" arranged side by side). That gives me a
total of 4x96w or 384w.

I've seen several arrangments of MH lights online where the owner will
put something like 125w on each side and a 250w or 400w in the center.
Do you know if there is any purpose to setting up this way, or would
having consistent lighting across be more natural.

Also, if you are familiar with the CustomSeaLife PC's, can you tell me
if there is a DIY way of taking out the lights and ballasts from the
enclosures they are in? The enclosures are nice, but make it
impractical for me to mount the entire enclosure into a hood (they'd
take up so much room, that either they or my MH's would only be
halfway over the tank from front to back, if that makes sense). I
would ultimately like to have the PC's and MH's in a single hood. If
you know of any examples of custom hoods online, I'd be interested in
looking.

Thanks,
Ken

Marc Levenson > wrote in message >...
> Hi Ken,
>
> How do you add up the numbers to get 384w? How many 96w bulbs are over your
> tank?
>
> On a 125, even that is woefully inadequate unless you're planning low light
> creatures for the most part. For a tank 72" long, you need 3 MH bulbs spread
> out so that each one lights up 2 square feet per bulb. So technically, you'd
> center those three over the 72" to cover all of the tank equally. Since your
> tank isn't that deep, you can use 175w bulbs, but everyone will tell you to use
> 250w. ;)
>
> You can use your PC bulbs for the actinics, just arranging them to fit your
> canopy and surround the MH bulbs. It'll take a little DIY to make it all work,
> but many people succeed.
>
> Marc
>
> Ken wrote:
>
> > I'm new to this hobby, and have made what I believe to be my first big
> > mistake. I recently purchased two 36" CustomSeaLife Power Compacts.
> > These feature a 96W 10K florescent, and 96W Actinic, and their
> > "moonlights". This gives me a total of 384W (3W/Gallon) of light into
> > my 125Gallon tank (72" long).
> >
> > I'm thinking of maybe adding MH lights. My question is, is there
> > anyway for me to take the lighting I've already purchased and mount
> > them into a fixture that would include MH lighting. Also, if I did
> > this, would I be better of to change out my 10k flourescents to
> > Actinics, and let my MH's provide the "sunlight"? If I purchase a
> > hood with MH lighting, I don't see how I could keep the Power Compacts
> > (the PC's would be in the way of the MH's). The alternative would be
> > to purchase an additional two PCs, but I really like the shimmer of
> > the MH's.

[CapFusion]

> Also, if you are familiar with the CustomSeaLife PC's, can you tell me
> if there is a DIY way of taking out the lights and ballasts from the
> enclosures they are in? The enclosures are nice, but make it
> impractical for me to mount the entire enclosure into a hood (they'd
> take up so much room, that either they or my MH's would only be
> halfway over the tank from front to back, if that makes sense). I
> would ultimately like to have the PC's and MH's in a single hood. If
> you know of any examples of custom hoods online, I'd be interested in
> looking.
>
Why not just built your own hood and take apart the original fixture you
currently have. Like built a box that will surround your tank top. Use your
current ballast with your PC end cap. Add another ballast like a IceCap for
MH and get some water proof endcap and reflector.
You can try hellolight for your DIY lighting.
http://hellolights.com/diykitsparts.html
Or get a preassemble MH fixture or retro kit -
http://www.petsolutions.com/cgi-bin/cgipagls?l=29&g=102453

CapFusion,...

[Marc Levenson]

Hi Ken,

Now I understand the wattage. I pictured two bulbs total for some reason.

If you put a very bright bulb in the center, you'll always have to be careful where you put
your corals. If you decide to rearrange rock and corals, you'll end up moving a coral that
is used to more intense lighting and now is in an area receiving less. This isn't
necessarily a major issue, but in my experience with corals thus far, they simply *hate*
being moved and often decline when they feel relocated (horizontally *or* vertically). They
sense the change in lighting and the change in flow. Some are more forgiving that others.
Acropora sp. are the worst when it comes to losing their glory, just because they were moved
slightly.

I prefer a tank with consistent lighting so I don't have to do all that extra thinking. :>)

I'm sure you could pull apart your lights to use the guts, but it will be a real DIY
project. I've done it myself with some NO lights at one point, and only buy DIY parts at
this point. I build my own canopies, as Capfusion suggested.

If you aren't in a hurry, I would watch the For Sale forum on Reef Central and see if you
can buy someone's used 250w setup. You never posted the full dimensions of your tank, but
with it being 72" long it can't be more than 24" deep at the best. You do need three bulbs,
three reflectors, three mogul sockets, and three ballasts. Because it is three of each, you
might consider buying two dual-ballast units. It would result in you having 4 ballasts, but
think of the fourth one as a backup in case on of the three fail. Buying used is cheaper,
but there is a little risk. If you see something you are interested in, you want a
guarantee from the seller that it is in working order, and have it shipped insured. Lastly,
MH bulbs are good for 12 months. So if they said they were used for 3 months (or less),
you've got 9 months (or more) of life in those bulbs. Many bulbs run about $80 to $90 each,
so getting a used setup will often times get you bulbs virtually free in the process.

Have them ship the bulbs well packed in a separate box so they won't be broken by the heavy
ballasts.

If you prefer all new stuff and have the money, still get two dual setups for the back up of
one ballast.

Marc


Ken wrote:

> Marc,
>
> Thanks for the response. My PC's are 2x96w each, and I've got two of
> them on the tank (two 36" arranged side by side). That gives me a
> total of 4x96w or 384w.
>
> I've seen several arrangments of MH lights online where the owner will
> put something like 125w on each side and a 250w or 400w in the center.
> Do you know if there is any purpose to setting up this way, or would
> having consistent lighting across be more natural.
>
> Also, if you are familiar with the CustomSeaLife PC's, can you tell me
> if there is a DIY way of taking out the lights and ballasts from the
> enclosures they are in? The enclosures are nice, but make it
> impractical for me to mount the entire enclosure into a hood (they'd
> take up so much room, that either they or my MH's would only be
> halfway over the tank from front to back, if that makes sense). I
> would ultimately like to have the PC's and MH's in a single hood. If
> you know of any examples of custom hoods online, I'd be interested in
> looking.
>
> Thanks,
> Ken
>
> Marc Levenson > wrote in message >...
> > Hi Ken,
> >
> > How do you add up the numbers to get 384w? How many 96w bulbs are over your
> > tank?
> >
> > On a 125, even that is woefully inadequate unless you're planning low light
> > creatures for the most part. For a tank 72" long, you need 3 MH bulbs spread
> > out so that each one lights up 2 square feet per bulb. So technically, you'd
> > center those three over the 72" to cover all of the tank equally. Since your
> > tank isn't that deep, you can use 175w bulbs, but everyone will tell you to use
> > 250w. ;)
> >
> > You can use your PC bulbs for the actinics, just arranging them to fit your
> > canopy and surround the MH bulbs. It'll take a little DIY to make it all work,
> > but many people succeed.
> >
> > Marc
> >
> > Ken wrote:
> >
> > > I'm new to this hobby, and have made what I believe to be my first big
> > > mistake. I recently purchased two 36" CustomSeaLife Power Compacts.
> > > These feature a 96W 10K florescent, and 96W Actinic, and their
> > > "moonlights". This gives me a total of 384W (3W/Gallon) of light into
> > > my 125Gallon tank (72" long).
> > >
> > > I'm thinking of maybe adding MH lights. My question is, is there
> > > anyway for me to take the lighting I've already purchased and mount
> > > them into a fixture that would include MH lighting. Also, if I did
> > > this, would I be better of to change out my 10k flourescents to
> > > Actinics, and let my MH's provide the "sunlight"? If I purchase a
> > > hood with MH lighting, I don't see how I could keep the Power Compacts
> > > (the PC's would be in the way of the MH's). The alternative would be
> > > to purchase an additional two PCs, but I really like the shimmer of
> > > the MH's.

--
Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com

[Jimmy Chen]

> I'm new to this hobby, and have made what I believe to be my first big
> mistake. I recently purchased two 36" CustomSeaLife Power Compacts.
> These feature a 96W 10K florescent, and 96W Actinic, and their
> "moonlights". This gives me a total of 384W (3W/Gallon) of light into
> my 125Gallon tank (72" long).

> I'm thinking of maybe adding MH lights. My question is, is there
> anyway for me to take the lighting I've already purchased and mount
> them into a fixture that would include MH lighting.

Build your own hood out of wood. Use the PCs as supplemental lights for the
MH. However, being your tank is an 125g, you may also want to consider what
livestock you wish to keep as you will not want to have 3x400w MHs if you
wish to keep softies.

jc