tropheusmaster Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 My brother and I were discussing the wattage on my 180 gl setup. He thinks I need more wattage. and I have often felt that way too so I decided to ask all you experts. I currently have three 175 watt MH'S and two 130 watt power compact actinics for a grand total of 785 watts of lighting. He feels that I need a total of 1080 to meet the min requirments for a saltwater tank. So I felt there will be a lot of different veiws on this subject and wanted to hear everyones take on this subject. We were also discussing the amount of time to run the lights. I decided to have the MH's come on from 9am till 4 pm and the actinics come on at 7 or 8 am till 7 pm. I want to be able to enjoy my tank after I get home in the evening and I like it with actinics only running Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Not an answer but this is how I run my tank. 75g with 2x 250w halide and 2x 96w PC= 700w or about 10wpg. The schedule is different than most I've seen. My PC come on around noon. The halides come on around 4:30pm. The halides go off at 9:00pm. The PC actinics go off at 9:45pm. I don't even run a 12 hour period. I feel that the tank is lt enough during the morning just with the light in the house. Prefer not to "shock" anything by just turning on lights in a dark house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKarshens Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Here is mine on a 125g. 2 x 250w MHs and 2 x 72" VHO actinics at 160w each. So that is 820w total. I run mine Actinics from 10:30 am to 10:30 pm. My MHs come on at 2:30 pm and go off at 9:00 pm. I like the lights on when I am home too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
princer7 Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 I would change out the 175w metal halides for 250w. Also make sure any glass covers / center braces are clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Capt. Obvious Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 My brother and I were discussing the wattage on my 180 gl setup. He thinks I need more wattage. and I have often felt that way too so I decided to ask all you experts. I currently have three 175 watt MH'S and two 130 watt power compact actinics for a grand total of 785 watts of lighting. He feels that I need a total of 1080 to meet the min requirments for a saltwater tank. So I felt there will be a lot of different veiws on this subject and wanted to hear everyones take on this subject.We were also discussing the amount of time to run the lights. I decided to have the MH's come on from 9am till 4 pm and the actinics come on at 7 or 8 am till 7 pm. I want to be able to enjoy my tank after I get home in the evening and I like it with actinics only running Depends....what corals are you running (or planning on running)? softies? sps? lps? any clams? but in general....I'd up the lighting. You are running 15 watts less than I am and my tank is 45 gallons smaller than yours is ...that is only counting my halides....not my t5's...i say go up....and completely agre with switching the 175's to 250's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tropheusmaster Posted February 9, 2009 Author Share Posted February 9, 2009 lots of good info thx and keep it coming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tropheusmaster Posted February 10, 2009 Author Share Posted February 10, 2009 i may go ahead and add some H/O but not sure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbnj Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Something that was pointed out to me recently....make sure your ballasts can accomodate the upgrade in bulb wattage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Daniel Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 Wattage per gallon is not a very useful statistic. What are the dimensions of your aquarium? What corals do you plan on keeping? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tropheusmaster Posted February 13, 2009 Author Share Posted February 13, 2009 my tank is a 180 gallon, 6 foot long i only keep softies, i have a good ballast it is a icecap 660 and only two power compacts on it right now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 With respect to MH ballast and bulbs, do not mix wattages. With an Ice Cap 660, you can mix wattages. If you think you need more light, use a PAR meter to determine the level that you actually have. Corals need more than light to grow. They need food. I had a thriving soft coral tank with 3 W/Gal. Before changing out MH ballast/bulbs for more wattage, add some VHO bulbs to your Ice Cap 66 ballast, it is rated for 440W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Daniel Posted February 13, 2009 Share Posted February 13, 2009 my tank is a 180 gallon, 6 foot long i only keep softies, i have a good ballast it is a icecap 660 and only two power compacts on it right now So is the tank height is about 25"? If so, 250W halides would offer better penetration. However, considering you're only doing softies, I think you do have a fair amount of lighting. What are your metal halide bulbs (brand, kelvin rating)? How old are they? How high off the water do you keep the bulbs? Unless you have a chiller already, swapping up to 250W halides might require you get one. Corals need more than light to grow. They need food. I had a thriving soft coral tank with 3 W/Gal. Agreed. Before changing out MH ballast/bulbs for more wattage, add some VHO bulbs to your Ice Cap 66 ballast, it is rated for 440W. The Icecap 660 ballast can operate up to 16 lamp feet with a total of 464 rated lamp watts-- You have two lamps that are 6' each, which is 12' of lamp length; you're already at the max, I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tropheusmaster Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 this is an odssey fixture with three 175 watt bulbs and two 130 wath power compact actinics about a foot off water Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tropheusmaster Posted February 14, 2009 Author Share Posted February 14, 2009 all bulbs were replaced about a month ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Daniel Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Is heat an issue for your tank? Lowering the fixture should make a significant difference in the lighting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosslonghorns Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 I also have a 180 gallon tank with a footprint of 6' x 2' x 2'. During the setup, I was going back and forth between two or three halides. I ended up going with two LumenBright Pendants that each hold a 250 watt Reeflux 12k. Since I have two islands, it works out perfectly and overall I'm happy with it. I thought I would end up with two spotlights and dark spots over the six foot tank but the LumenBrights at a height of 14" provide enough light for the six foot tank. I'm happy with it and have seen good growth on my SPS over the past few months. Also the benefit of 14" height is minimal heat is being introduced into the tank and it gives me plenty of space to work without getting burned. I also supplement with two 4ft VHOs for actinics. I run the halides for six hours a day and the actinics one hour before halides turn on and one hour after halides turn off. I don't run them consistently while the halides are on as as the 12k bulbs are already blue enough for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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