20 gallon long reef aquarium and halides?

jdmorgan20fan · Post by **jdmorgan20fan** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 8:36 pm

I have a question that may be stupid but there is one way to find out. I have a 20 gallon long reef with a 10k light and a 50/50 10k and actinic. I have noticed that all my corals do better at the top and now have realized that i have moved all my corals to the top. I wanted to know if i could put a 70 watt halide over it and it would work. I just don't want to over light them. Should i just get another actinic or what. the bulbs i have in there are only 5 months old. Any help would be great, thanks, JOnathan

DrHank · Post by **DrHank** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 9:18 pm

You don't specify the type of bulbs (T5, PC,etc) that you are using or the type(s) of corals in your tank. If they are doing better on top, I can make a general assumption that they want more light. MH lighting usually covers a 2'x2' area. I would say that you would need a pair of 70w MH to cover the complete tank. Another way to do it would be with T5s.

Amphiprion · Post by **Amphiprion** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 9:42 am

I wouldn't bother with a 70w, personally. If you mounted it far enough from the tank, a 150w would be better and would give you the coverage you need. Not to mention if your animals didn't like the change, you can keep the lower light ones to the sides, if necessary. T5s are another option, as DrHank mentioned. One thing I noticed is that you didn't exactly mention what kind of lighting you have now. Are they normal output fluorescents? If they are, you will need to carefully monitor and acclimate your animals with either lighting setup.

jdmorgan20fan · Post by **jdmorgan20fan** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:02 pm

I actually cannot think of the kind they are. They are 24" long with the 4 straight prongs. It just won't come to my mind now.

Amphiprion · Post by **Amphiprion** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:07 pm

Ah, you have compact fluorescent lighting. Halides and higher end T5 setups will definitely be a big jump from what you have. You'll want to still acclimate everything carefully.

redpheonix · Post by **redpheonix** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 8:52 pm

I had a friend who had a 7 gal cube with a 70w halide on it... it was so bright it was hard to look at... but you could use it on a 20 if you already have it and add some t5 or pc to it and it would probably work rreally well...

flricordia · Post by **flricordia** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:34 am

I am using T5s over 20 longs for ricordea, zoanthids and there are some sps that are doing very well with growth so I also would recommend the T5s instead of the MH. Heat would be less as with power consumption.

Anjel · Post by **Anjel** » Tue Feb 26, 2008 7:42 pm

I have a dual 150 HQI w/ T5 supplement hanging over my 30L and the corals love it. I agree with the careful acclimation statements though, don't wanna burn them. Heat may be an issue with some, guess I am lucky there. I run two mag 7's, skimmer and halides with no heat issues. *knocks on wood*