Metal Halide for a 29G...

[Kittysnax]

How much it TOO much?

I have found a 250w sunpod at an unbeatable price (used) and REALLY want it for a 29G biocube (tank only). Would 8.62wpg burn everything, or could I simply hang the fixture higher? Go with a lower K rating? Lighting confuses me, and MH makes the thought process in my head worse LOL! It would be open-top (mesh secured) So I obviously dont expect it to sit on the top, legs or not.

I was going to start off with softies such as mushies, rics, zoas, and polyps (put them in the shady areas)and then after a few months maybe bump up to anemones, clams, and some other light-demanding species.

At the price I was offered for a 9month old like-new condition sunpod (which have been discontinued) I really hate to pass the offer up. (It is a 20" strip which also packs in 12 LEDS, 6 white moon and 6 blue moon which from what i understand are controllable)

[myjohnson]

I don't think you will burn anything, but you have to be careful about light acclimation. Some people use egg crates to defuse the light at first and slowly allow the coral to adjust to the higher amount of light.

You should also hang the fixture higher like you said. I would be more worried about heating up the water if the light is close. You can put a fan near the tank and have it blow air between the light and the water.

Shrooms, rics, zoas, and polyps sure would love the light! They will grow fast for you. Just make sure you acclimate them to the new lighting and they should take off.

Additional issues could be calcium supplementation depending on which type of corals you keep. B/c the light will increase their growth rate the corals will suck calcium from the water and you might have to add it in b/c water change alone will not provided the needed amount of calcium. Not to big of an issue. A lot of people do this with no problems.

[Kittysnax]

well that is good to know! I was thinking of the eggcrate idea until I could find somthing with a better aesthetic appeal to cover the top of my tank and still remain topless. I dont really worry too much about heating, just for the fact that my room is usually 66-72 all year round and has adequate circulation. (Ceiling fan and AC unit) Very rarely does my room get above 72degrees. My meds dont help me when it comes to being hot lol Plus we have all of our computers in here (on the opposite wall) so I keep it cool for them as well.

I wont even start putting the tank together until I get our tax rebate estimated to be available on the 28th! yay! but then Ill have to order the tank (a replacement part) and the strip. THEN i can finally make the trip to either city pets or AAF to get my liverock and other things Ima need. Prolly City Pets as Ive heard nothing but good stuff about them

So depending on how long it takes me to get the tank setup, It will probably be I would guess a month or so from there before I should even try a hardy coral. If I'm remembering right ;3

So do you think 6-12 inches should be high enough?

[tang-chaser]

just make sure you aclimate your corals at the bottom of the tank, and slowly move them up later. Also keep an eye on the temp of the tank, dont want it to hot. That light will also alow you to have nice colored sps too.

[Kittysnax]

\o/ yay! While I got y'all here, do you know of any coral-sites that specify the diff types of corals...sorta like a library? Nano-reef.com has a mini library but I was kinda looking for more info on NPS and PS corals. I understand the difference scientifically, but not photographically lol!

I also saw this one shroom someone there had that was cotton candy pink with neon green dots on it. It wasnt named, but boy o boy do I want one!)

[nitty]

saltwaterfish.com has info on each coral that they sale.

I have a few green and red shrooms that should be multiplying soon.

[tang-chaser]

liveaquaria.com

[Kittysnax]

OOOOH im in total <3 with the green spotten shroom on saltwaterfish.com! LOL! This isnt helping my already lacking patience!!

[semper]

I would go with T5HO

don't have too worry about the heat , with the summer coming soon

at 9 months already, you will be needing a bulb pretty soon

at $50-$60 for good bulbs

most people with MH , end up not liking their bulb output, too blue, not enough blue, too white or yellow

which is why i prefer T5HO

so many bulb configurations

and they last longer and are less expensive

[nacra99]

I had a sunpod 250W with 14,000K halides on a 29 gal for the longest time.
It made my SPS grow very fast.
however it made any of my shrooms that are directly in the open shrink into a small disc even those sitting on the floor.
I have to place them under indirect light like under a ledge or an overhang to get them to open up.
Watch out in summer, it gets hot real quick in a small tank like that. I had to run a chiller in the fuge.

[Kittysnax]

I figured I'd have to make a ledge or somthing. I wanted variety so I have been lookin around and even researching how actual reefs are setup. I wanna try and get it similar to nature. I also am thinking of going with a Oceanic 30g cube. It is bigger space-wise for what I think I want to do. I do love shrooms (more than I should prolly LOL0 so It is good to know that they look funny under direct light.