Metal Halide for 37 gallon

[OcellarisClowns]

I am lookng for a new light setup for my 37 gallon aquarium that will eventually support corals. Right now the tank is a FOWLR but im becoming more and more interested in corals and what they will need to thrive. My problem is im having a hard time finding a metal halide fixture that will fit my tank size, the dimensions are 30 1/4 × 12 1/2 × 22 3/4. I want a nice setup preferably with built in digital timers fof the HID, T5s and LEDs but I can only seem to find them in 24" and 36". Marineland makes a 24" with everything I want. Would this be enough light to penetrate to the bottom of the tank? I would obviously have to get a hanging kit since the leg supports wont span the 30 1/4 inches. Im stuck and would gratefully accept any advice. Thanks again

 

[TylerHaworth]

250W Halide oughtta be enough to grow anything you want

 

[GrendelPrime]

250watt seems way to much for a 37 gal..heat will be a major issue

 

[TylerHaworth]

That's the problem with a 37... they're deep... It will take a 250 to penetrate

 

[GrendelPrime]

heat will still be a major issue with that kind of light on a small tank

 

[TylerHaworth]

A 150 is a viable option, but won't have the penetration to support demanding corals more than halfway down

 

[ChrisOaty]

I would highly recommend looking into an LED system. For a decent price and with some know-how you can build yourself a great LED setup that won't leech any heat into your water, penetrate better than halides and cost much less to run. I agree with the above posts...with only 37 gallons of water, halides will heat up your water a lot.

 

[seabass]

They are right.I have a icecap 250 on my 38 while im setting up my other tank and if i dont have a big fan on with the window a/c unit right next to it then the tank will go from 78 up to 86.There is alot of heat.

 

[OcellarisClowns]

If I dont go with metal halide what would be the next best thing for my setup? I wish i would have done some research on good tank depths for marine aquariums before purchasing this tank. It was an impulse buy and I let the local fish shop talk me into it but so far I have enjoyed it. Thanks for the advice

 

[nos2074]

if you have a dsb a quality t5 fixture will work for you.

 

[GrendelPrime]

37 gal is 20in deep and i agree with nos2074..get ur self a good t5 fixture with individual reflectors and ur good to go

 

[Lonestar]

I have a 30" T5 HO 6x24W fixture that fits nicely on my 37 gallon reef tank which seems to support coral life quite well. Purchased online from Catalina Aquarium. They also sell an 8x24W fixture if you want to go all out with T5s.
note: the fixture legs hold the unit approx. 3 1/2 above the tank and water temp holds at 79-80 degree without additional fans or chiller.

 

[jkburton1s]

puttng a 250 on a 37 would cook most coral. i have a 75 and with 8 t5s it supports sps on the upper half. so id say your overboard on mh, id do a 175 at most on them.

 

[OcellarisClowns]

Thanks for all the advice especially lonestar. I went ahead and ordered a 30" Black Solar T5 HO 8x24w fixture from catalina aquarium. It comes with two 10k daylight T5 bulbs, two 460nm blue bulbs, two 6500k plant bulbs and two 420nm actinic bulbs. I also went ahead and got eight dimmable led moonlights. I hope this works out and once ups brings it to me ill post some pics.