# single metal halide for 36" X 18"



## crabcake (Dec 19, 2007)

i have never used metal halides before, but want to try one for my next project.

i am setting up a homebuilt tank with the same dimensions as an AGA 65--36" long X 18" wide X 24" tall. it will be open-topped. the fixture that came to mind first was the Sunlight Supply Tek T5. i wonder, however, if a single metal halide pendant would work. here is one that i was looking at:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+12112&pcatid=12112

i considered that one just for looks as much as anything. my question is: can i expect to get good coverage at both ends of a 36" long tank, or will a fixture like this shine much brighter right in the middle?

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


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## ummyeah (Jul 8, 2007)

Since metal halides are point-source bulbs, they shine brightest directly below the bulb. Each bulb covers 2 square feet.


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## Fish'InMN (Apr 23, 2006)

And that is a terribly small reflector hidden away in that fixture. Look into the Lumenarc series if you'd like to use a single halide on a 36" tank.


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## CmLaracy (Jan 7, 2007)

crabcake said:


> i have never used metal halides before, but want to try one for my next project.
> 
> i am setting up a homebuilt tank with the same dimensions as an AGA 65--36" long X 18" wide X 24" tall. it will be open-topped. the fixture that came to mind first was the Sunlight Supply Tek T5. i wonder, however, if a single metal halide pendant would work. here is one that i was looking at:
> 
> ...


First of all, IT'S A GREAT FIXTURE. I just bought one and have had it running for about 3 days over my 75P which is 30"x18"x18". The 2'x2' rule is not true for planted tanks by the way, it's a rule designed by reef keepers, people that require far more light for their tanks than us planted tank keepers. Now, in a matter of 3 days, the growth in my tank has gone from great, to EXPLOSIVE. It's a powerful light, and would work on a 36"x18"x18" tank, and Unirdna's ADA 90P is proof as he is using a 150w. So with that said, you will have more than sufficient light with that pendant. I love it, and it's an amaing light for the money. 

Now, there's one hitch, something I messed up on. the bulb that Drsfosterandsmtih sell it with is actually rated at 13000K, check the Aqua-Medic website. So, with that said, buy this one, it comes without a bulb, and then buy this ADA bulb for the perfect combination. None would argue that the ADA 8000K HQI is one of the nicest color bulbs out there, whereas a 13000K is far too blue.

Hang that sucker at 12" and you're golden! It's very intense, believe me! And Metal Halide's are the best for deep water penetration so it will work great with your 24" of height

Unirdna's journal http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/photo-album/46039-unirdnas-90cm-ada.html

Heres a photo of mine at 10" with the bulb from Drsfosterandsmith. The ADA bulb will not be nearly as blue.


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## crabcake (Dec 19, 2007)

thanks. your tank is looking great. i had seen it before and meant to look it up again. great work arranging that manzanita; it conveys tension and movement. 

as a very minor point, if it were my composition i might add just a few plants to poke up and break that nearly straight line from upper left to lower right--maybe right above the middle of the wood and in the lower right. i looked quick at the thread again and you indicate that it is still growing in.

that light looks real good. i see that you got good coverage left-to-right. likely as not i'll og with that one.


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## CmLaracy (Jan 7, 2007)

very interesting advice. you are correct though as I do have a plant in that spot that I am slowly nursing into a longer breed persay. I have about 6 groups of Eleocharis Vivipara in that spot that gets very tall, but once it reaches a certain height the single grass strands bud and brake of into thinner more multiple strands. so what I am doing now is letting it grow and cutting right under the buds so I can create many long single strands, it looks much neater, as when I had the grass reaching to the surface with buds, it looked very messy. 

Now that I think about it, why not try the 250w MH?


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## crabcake (Dec 19, 2007)

i think that the 150 will do the trick. i have an existing setup, similar to this idea, where i used this thing:

http://www.hydrofarm.com/pb_detail.php?itemid=125

i used the 125W CF bulb. i have to guess that it is much less efficient than metal halide, but it lights up the tank pretty well.


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## khoile (Jan 27, 2005)

Would 3x of this pedant work for a 72x30x25 tank? I want to grow some carpet plants (hc, glosso primarily).

Thanks.


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

khoile said:


> Would 3x of this pedant work for a 72x30x25 tank? I want to grow some carpet plants (hc, glosso primarily).
> 
> Thanks.



Yes it will work.


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## CmLaracy (Jan 7, 2007)

khoile said:


> Would 3x of this pedant work for a 72x30x25 tank? I want to grow some carpet plants (hc, glosso primarily).
> 
> Thanks.


Yeah it'd work great


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## khoile (Jan 27, 2005)

Another question, is the ballast electronic or magnetic?


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## Fish'InMN (Apr 23, 2006)

That picture says more than enough, heck you might even get a little more spread by turning the fixture 90 degrees if you need to. I guess I'm too used to the reefer side of metal halides!


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## crabcake (Dec 19, 2007)

does anybody have any experience with either of these(?):

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~lighting_metal_halide_icecap_spotlight_pendant.html
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~lighting_metal_halide_hamilton_reefsun_bell_pendants.html

i like the looks of that Aqua Medic fixture, but i want to consider a spotlight too. i have never liked the appearance of bright light spilling sideways and illuminating the wall behind. a spotlight could be hung even higher and this set-up that i am considering is meant to present a nice view from above.

metal halides seem like they have gotten a lot cheaper and MarinDepot has some good deals right now. that IceCap seems kind of weird because it requires a spot bulb. the price is right though. i wonder about selection and availability for that kind of bulb(?).


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## crabcake (Dec 19, 2007)

this is a bump. does anybody have any experience with the Hamilton or IceCap spotlight metal halide?


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## gsd78 (Jan 13, 2004)

I have two of the 175w Hamilton bell fixtures over my 48"x48"x24" tank and get good light coverage out of them. They are hanging about 13" above the tank. I'm not really sure if one would be enough over a 36" long tank, yet I think two would be overkill. Also keep in mind that they are pretty large fixtures and probably wouldn't look as slick over a 65g. The Aqua-Medic would look alot better on that size tank IMO.


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## crabcake (Dec 19, 2007)

thanks. yeah. i had imagined the same thing. i see that the Hamilton fixtures are 13" tall. i would get the IceCap except that they apparently need that weird bulb to work as spot lights. i wonder if there are any other metal halide spotlights out there.


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## riverrat (Jul 14, 2005)

Try here. 

http://www.fishneedit.com/


I have emailed this guy and he responded very quickly and was eager to help.
Tom Barr has a few of these 150 MH and says they are equal to the aquamedic in quality. 

I am going to do a new 3ft tank soon. Either a AGA 50 gal or a ADA 90 depending on how hard I want to hit my wallet. I have been on the fence with MH and T5. I have a feeling I might go with a Tek though. 

Tom Barr suggested if I went with MH 150 to go with two pendants and light for 9 or so hours with a 5 or 6 hour overlap of both MH pendants on. May be possible for him but that much light scares me. I considered buying just one to try it over my 30gal to see if I could hang it high enough to spread the light over 3 feet without to much spill into the room.

If you do a search for "150 MH or MH 150 " here and at apc you will see a few people with one on a 3ft tank and one or two people with two on a 3ft tank. At least two people that had one 150watt pendant on a 3 ft tank considered moving up to a single 250watt pendant because they had the light hung so high a few of there carpet plants were growing up and getting leggy. 

If you end up going MH on a 3 foot tank be sure to post you results because I am very interested.


Good Luck
Dave


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## crabcake (Dec 19, 2007)

wow. just 124 bucks for fixture, ballast and bulb. at that price it seems it would have to be stamped "Made in China". plus the Website looks rather sketchy. will it burn my house down?

it seems odd to me that fixture manufacturers don't include light spread with product specifications. it is an important consideration. 

i would get that IceCap except that it's unclear what type of bulb it will accept. i might be very limited if those spotlight bulbs are the only kind that work. i might go with the Aqua Medic just so i can get that bulb that CmLaracy reccomends, which appears to throw a great light.


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## riverrat (Jul 14, 2005)

The thread at the Barr report about this MH.
http://www.barrreport.com/general-plant-topics/3977-making-ada-style-light-fixture-cheap.html


If memory serves me correct cmlaracy bought the bulb he runs from an ada store. The one he received with the aquamedic he did not care for. That bulb will work in this fixture. 

If you are more comfortable spending more money more power to you. I just thought I would put this out there for an inexpensive option. If you have money to burn I would suggest getting two 70watt pendants which will definitely give you good coverage. I am not willing to spend 500 for a pair of 70watt pendants myself.

Good luck with your choice.


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## crabcake (Dec 19, 2007)

that FishNeedIt fixture is also better looking than the AquaMedic. the only way to use either of those fixtures over a 3' tank would be to hang it pretty high, and then you end up with lots of spilling light and glare on the wall behind. i see that the FishNeedIt has slots that accept blinds, which could help with that problem.

the Website might look so amateur just because they are a new company.


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## crabcake (Dec 19, 2007)

there is also this one:

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~GL1113.html

it's $400, but it must be well-built. i think it might also throw a more rectangular beam. the procduct page includes this note in Specifications:

"Aquarium Size (length x breadth): 35.43in x 23.62in"


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## Burks (May 21, 2006)

You really can't go wrong with an Aqua Medic unit. The LFS here uses one and it has been running daily for something like 3-4 years. It's taken a beating and keeps on ticking.


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## crabcake (Dec 19, 2007)

i'm gonna get the AquaMedic and the green bulb. thanks everybody!

i have some ideas for retrofits to deal with that spillage.


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## Matsu49 (Jan 1, 2008)

What do you guys think about (2) 70w MH lights on a 40 breeder 36"x18"? I won't beable to use the ADA bulb so the closest that I can get is a 10,000K bulb. 

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+15489&pcatid=15489


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## gentledental4u (Feb 28, 2008)

Matsu49, I think that you will get good light coverage using 2, so that's a great idea. Plus you will have 3.5 wpg, which will be enough to grow any plant you wish.


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## rwong2k (Dec 24, 2004)

I have this fixture and a coralife mh fixture for 300 bucks, I should have went with 2 from fish need it, a lot of things are made in china these days

I highly recommend this product

raymond



riverrat said:


> Try here.
> 
> http://www.fishneedit.com/
> 
> ...


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## Matsu49 (Jan 1, 2008)

Oh man I dunno what to do now. 6x39 TEK T5 or 2 150MH Fish Need It. Actually 2 of those MH will be cheaper than the TEK. I only worry about the quality of the MH. I can't have my house burn down.


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Maybe this fixture will throw a nice monkey wrench in your dilemna:

http://cgi.ebay.com/36-SOLAR-T5-AQU...ZWD1VQQ_trksidZp1638.m118.l1247QQcmdZViewItem

Made by Catalina; check out more specs here:

http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/product_info.php?cPath=71_136&products_id=1418

I just got a 48" to go over my 90gal; there's a good thread on that going ATM...


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## rwong2k (Dec 24, 2004)

Matsu49 said:


> Oh man I dunno what to do now. 6x39 TEK T5 or 2 150MH Fish Need It. Actually 2 of those MH will be cheaper than the TEK. I only worry about the quality of the MH. I can't have my house burn down.


the MH is similar to the aquamedic one, but it's your call,

the tek lights you can have different mixtures of different K tubes and have a sunset or burst period in mid day,

MH you can't get the red's like the coralife something-max or ge 9325's, the light is pretty 'white' I've added 2x t5's to try to balance the colour for a burst during mid-day

a mixture would be nice, but like I said a lot of things are made in china and they're known to be questionable in the QC,

Fish need it's T5 fixture i would highly not recommend, there's been numurous posts regarding their quality and parts used


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## Matsu49 (Jan 1, 2008)

Thanks for your imput. Looks like i'll be going with the TEK 36" T-5 6/39W. At least this way I can run less bulbs if I need to. With the MH its pretty much all or nothing.


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## ummyeah (Jul 8, 2007)

The fishneedit fixture is nice except for the *magnetic* ballast.

Edit: Although magnetic ballasts do overdrive the bulbs.


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## rwong2k (Dec 24, 2004)

any updates on the lights that you've decided to go with? the TEK lights or the fishneed it lights?


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## rwong2k (Dec 24, 2004)

new update, i jsut purchased another 150 watt MH light from fish need it, it comes with an electronic ballast instead of a magnetic one, ballast runs a lot cooler =) not too sure what the differences are yet =)


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