250 watt SE or DE?

[Darrin O'Bryan]

I have been doing my research on which lighting setup to buy, but I'm having
trouble with which type of bulb to go with. I will be getting a 65 gallon
tank (36x18x24) and plan on going with only 1 250w MH with CF actinic
supplement. I am going to have only a few SPS, LPS, fish, and possibly a
clam as I get more knowledge of how to keep them. I've been researching
this over the last 3 months and plan on doing more before I purchase
anything.


I will be getting a 250 watt Icecap ballast which can run SE or HQI DE.
I was considering XM 10K bulb with a spider reflector OR Ushio HQI DE.
I've read that a 250 watt DE has the output of a 400 watt and don't want to
end up with "fish soup". Plus I've read that the UV radiation from the HQI
needs to be filtered and don't know if it is worth the trouble to build the
necessary fixture vs. buying a regular SE MH bulb and reflector.

Any help and/or comments are appreciated.

Regards,
Darrin

[Marc Levenson]

It sounds to me like the 250w SE (mogul socket) would be the easier choice.

However, I have to say that I doubt an HQI 250w DE would create fish soup.
<grin>

Marc


Darrin O'Bryan wrote:

> I have been doing my research on which lighting setup to buy, but I'm having
> trouble with which type of bulb to go with. I will be getting a 65 gallon
> tank (36x18x24) and plan on going with only 1 250w MH with CF actinic
> supplement. I am going to have only a few SPS, LPS, fish, and possibly a
> clam as I get more knowledge of how to keep them. I've been researching
> this over the last 3 months and plan on doing more before I purchase
> anything.
>
> I will be getting a 250 watt Icecap ballast which can run SE or HQI DE.
> I was considering XM 10K bulb with a spider reflector OR Ushio HQI DE.
> I've read that a 250 watt DE has the output of a 400 watt and don't want to
> end up with "fish soup". Plus I've read that the UV radiation from the HQI
> needs to be filtered and don't know if it is worth the trouble to build the
> necessary fixture vs. buying a regular SE MH bulb and reflector.
>
> Any help and/or comments are appreciated.
>
> Regards,
> Darrin

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