upgraded lights for the 130/130d

[oneinamillion]

does anyone know if a 250w mh light is too strong for the 34gallon (130/130d) models? Should I go for the 150w?


I found this used and was wondering if there have been any talks about it and whether its too much wattage for the tank . Odyssea Metal Halide System

The only problem is, i hate topping off and that would suck but the lighting would be cool.

 

[reeferman]

imo,250 is too much.the 150 would be a lot better.

 

[reeferman]

oh yeah,be weary of that fixture.i know in the past,they had problems with them catching fire!theres some people real happy with them but i would steer clear.lights are one of the things to not skimp on.you get what you pay for with Odyssea.

 

[Reefmack]

I'll agree on the 250 w being too much on the 130 - just my opinion. I know some run that on a 130, but after switching away from my 150 W HQI/T5 fixture to a 6xT5 fixture my corals seem to be doing just as well, if not better, even with 100 W less light. Some of them just didn't seem to appreciate the extra wattage.

 

[oneinamillion]

Ah thanks. Too much light is just as bad as too little. i found that fixture for like $70 used so i figured worth a shot at asking.

 

[jamesfirth1]

I'll agree on the 250 w being too much on the 130 - just my opinion. I know some run that on a 130, but after switching away from my 150 W HQI/T5 fixture to a 6xT5 fixture my corals seem to be doing just as well, if not better, even with 100 W less light. Some of them just didn't seem to appreciate the extra wattage.

Reefmack, could I just ask which 6xT5 fixture you are using, I guess this is open top then? Thanks

 

[Reefmack]

Hi James. I think the CoralVue hood is just recently released. It's not easy to find a 6xT5 hood in a 24 inch size to fit a 130 tank. I had a bit of a problem with the mounting brackets fitting over the stock hood mounts on the inside lip, but found a way around that without having to saw them off. This was my installation post:

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/red-sea-max-owners-club/42209-reefmacks-rsm-130-a-195.html

Some additional pictures and info. at this site:

coralvue-led CV-T5LED246 Premium Aquatics

After 2 weeks I'm very happy with it so far, and running it on my controller lets me get a pretty nice sunrise - sunset sequence by having 2, then 4, then all 6 bulbs come on and off in the morning and evening.