offroadodge Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 ok so i was thinking of trying out some 250w MHs and see if there is any diff in color and poly ext...What do yall think? If i do this i may sell my 400w MH ballsts and bulbs. Was told by a fellow Reefer that at the 5 yr mark tanks with 400w MHs have a tendancy to crash...Dont know if its true but man id hate to have that happen. Just thought that id throw that out there and get some feed back on others reactions and thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooks Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 It doesn't seem likely that a tank of 5 years would crash because of stronger lighting. One of the tanks here in Austin (also a member here) that I find to be the best has been using 400w MHs for 5 years+ and have actually had to tear down because he got TOO MUCH growth and the tank was doing so well he couldn't keep up. Luckily he started back and his tank is still my favorite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offroadodge Posted May 4, 2010 Author Share Posted May 4, 2010 the MANNINGS? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefman Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 The 5 yr thing sounds like another one of those urban legends (or should I say reef legends) without a shred of scientific fact. Dale has been running 400's for a long time, as I have for for almost 3 yrs. I plan to continnue as long as I can afford my electric bill. If you decide to change over, let me know. I might be interested in the bulbs and ballasts. Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offroadodge Posted May 4, 2010 Author Share Posted May 4, 2010 ok...its weird when i went to the 2-400wMH electronic ballasts my E-bill didnt change. When i had a single 400wMH pulse start ballast and 8-bulb T-5 it was about $12 higher a month. WEIRD. I may just stick with my 2-400Wrs and 8-T5 with VHO for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooks Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 The 5 yr thing sounds like another one of those urban legends (or should I say reef legends) without a shred of scientific fact. Dale has been running 400's for a long time, as I have for for almost 3 yrs. I plan to continnue as long as I can afford my electric bill. If you decide to change over, let me know. I might be interested in the bulbs and ballasts. Stephen Thats who I made the reference to in my 1st post You gotta love Dale's tank (and new tank)!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 Lighitng is important but so is water chemistry. I have seen some awesome tanks w/both 250 and 400 watt lighting systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesleyB Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 Well in the case of keeping SPS, when you hit the 5+ year mark your tank is going to experience OTS...Old Tank Syndrome. Basically your system will have difficulty keeping up with the progression of your corals. Corals will start to consume Ca, Alk, Mg, trace elements on a massive scale. Way pass what the typical reefer is willing to invest in finacially. Over crowding ensues, acros start to actually breach the waters surface and chemical warfare takes out weaker growing corals. SPS are the most invasive corals a hobbyist can keep if you have a thriving system. They literally build reefs in nature! Also at the 5 year marker you have to deal with equipment failures and debating whetther to continue with size tank you have, replacing all the critical hardware, sell off alot of your livestock or just upgrade. IME 400 watters will not crash your tank, it's a combination of factors that cause senior systems to fail. Basically they can no longer sustain themselves with the current equipment, maintenance routines, size constarints etc. But back to what this post really originated for, if you do decide to switch over to 250's (which I don't think you should do if you if running 400's) go with a double ended 250 they put off way more PAR than mogul 250's. Check Sanjay's results for more info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 . . . when you hit the 5+ year mark your tank is going to experience OTS...Old Tank Syndrome. Basically your system will have difficulty keeping up with the progression of your corals . . . . . . if you do decide to switch over to 250's (which I don't think you should do if you if running 400's) go with a double ended 250 they put off way more PAR than mogul 250's. Check Sanjay's results for more info. I have to agree with WesleyB. I don't think the lights had anything to do with the tank having problems. Julian Sprung has an article about OST in Advanced Aquarist Online. What type of ballast and bulbs are are your 400s? I recently compared the output of some 400W mogul base magnetic ballast against 250W HQI with electronic ballast and lumamax reflector both with new 14,000K bulbs. The 400 was putting out about 30,000 and the 250W HQI was putting out almost twice as much 55,000 lux and the lumamax reflector had a wider "cone". (I use a lux meter becasuse that's what I can afford, if anybody has a par meter I'd be happy to borrow it). I figured out the payoff and it was about 3 1/2 years to switch to the 250s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offroadodge Posted May 5, 2010 Author Share Posted May 5, 2010 400w electronic ballasts with lumenarc reflectors and reeflux 20k bulbs. SE mogul base Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted May 5, 2010 Share Posted May 5, 2010 You've got a good ballast and reflector. They're almost certainly putting out more light than the 400's I mentioned above. Like WesleyB mentioned check out Sanjeys stuff. I wouldn't switch to 250's unless you have something concrete showing an improvement in lumens/watt OR if you're going with more 250s to get better coverage on your tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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