400watt halide on 60 cube Q

[32mm32]

I have been looking at the 400 halide as an option for lighting on the 60 cube. I have only ever used 250s so i am not familiar to the heat the 400 produces. My question is on a 60 cube with 10g sump and 10g fuge what type of water temp issues might i come to expect? Is this a reasonable option or am i just toying with the need for fans and maybe chiller? Please post your experience with 400halides on smaller systems. Oh also the cube is open top, no canopy.
thank you

[EMUreef]

Originally Posted by 32mm32

I have been looking at the 400 halide as an option for lighting on the 60 cube. I have only ever used 250s so i am not familiar to the heat the 400 produces. My question is on a 60 cube with 10g sump and 10g fuge what type of water temp issues might i come to expect? Is this a reasonable option or am i just toying with the need for fans and maybe chiller? Please post your experience with 400halides on smaller systems. Oh also the cube is open top, no canopy.
thank you

to be honest i think a 400w halide is just not necessary, you could get away with a 250w with a decent reflector and be set.

but the 400w would put off a lot of heat.

[binford4000]

a 400 w MH on a 60gal cube would be over kill and you would need to deal with heat issues for sure not mention the cost of running it.250 W would be more then enough with a good reflector like the lumenbrite or similar.

[jay13]

24" x 24" x 24" ???? so we are looking at spread of light not penetration. penetration wise you are lighting the same depth i am on my 180, + 2 inches. so i can tell you a 400 mogul is NOT too much, especially if you are leaning toward 20k bulbs. spread of light will also be about perfect, i use two 400 ushio 10k moguls with lumenarc large reflectors on mine and it is well lit. with 400 watt 20k xm's on it it was ok but definetly needed more in the middle to cover that 36" of the tank for each halide. you can do it and do it very well with 250 watt bulbs, but at the lower end of the popular spectrum (10k-14k). if you like that blue, but like a bright tank too, skip the 250's and grab the 400, unless you are going de/hqi.... then it is a different story altogether. my tank is in the basement and heat is not an issue, but if it were a simple fan would take care of it well. good luck.

[32mm32]

Thanks for the input all. I currently run a 250hqi plus actinics on my bio cube. A 250 just does not pack the punch i am looking to get for the 60cube, so was looking at the 400s. if the heat seems to be an issue i may go led, however thats a whole can of worms im not sure i wantt o open yet lol

[John]

Go LED or stick with the 250 Watt HQI.

The "punch" you are looking for will cook most of the critters in your tank.... and by cook I mean temps and an massive amounts of radiation.

Bigger isn't always better.

[CashFan83]

I have a 65g tall and I run a 400w 12k reeflux bulb. I have'nt had any problems with cooking any critters and as far as heat issues. I have fans for circulation that when I have A/C running in the summer time I have never seen the tank go over 83, of course with the fans I lose a bit more water to evaporation but nothing too outrageous.

[jay13]

yup, 800 watts of metal halide here with two 400 watters and i get zero temperature climb with them on. tank is at 78 degrees all day, in the dark or lit up. with good reflectors you can hang the halides much higher and still get the par you need. i run no fans right now but the tank is "open" on top. it will be totally sealed into the wall soon with a fan to the outside installed to run when the halides are on or when the temp increases with the use of a thermostat. its all about plannning.

[cbau45]

I used to run a 250w HQI plus 4x HOT5's over my 60cube and it threw a decent amount of heat, however, you can fix that easily. With the addition of fans and the use of a controller you can temp. regulate your tank no problem. If my tank ever got above 82 i'd have the heaters and the MH turn off but the fans stay on until the temp came back down. Also, are you planning on suspending the MH over the tank or incorporating it into a canopy? That'll make a difference in heat transfer as well. 400W sounds like a bit much, however, i'd imagine if you acclimate your corals to the light you shouldn't have too many issues. That's just my two cents but at any rate good luck with your build, keep us posted with some pics!