Can you use MH lighting without a chiller?

[gea0119]

I want to keep LR, soft coral and mushroom and fish.the tank is 16 inches deep.

[jthao]

yes you can have mh without chiller, you'll get away with a fan over the top on hot summer days. but if the tank is only 16"deep, you will only need 150w mhs.

[luvmylo]

I have MH over mo 50 gal sps tank. It does just fine with a decent ambient room temp. (around 75)

[kau_cinta_ku]

i have 2-400 watt MH's over my 75 gal. and still my heaters come on more than my fan over the sump.

[joeychitwood]

Other variables which will influence tank temperature include the climate where you live, whether you have air conditioning or not and ventilation in the tank room.

I had an FO marine tank in an un-air conditioned house in Minnesota, and though the lighting was only power compacts in a hood, the water temp rose suddenly during a heat wave to 92 degrees while I was at work, killing all of my fish.

I currently use a 250 watt pendant over a 54 gallon corner tank in an air conditioned house with no problems. I raise the pendant an inch or two during the hottest summer months, and my temps remain constant. I do not use a cover over the water.

[AngeloM3]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12599892#post12599892 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kau_cinta_ku
i have 2-400 watt MH's over my 75 gal. and still my heaters come on more than my fan over the sump.

:eek2: wow... regular 75? or like a 75 tall?
canopy or no canopy?

[WinnipegDragon]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12599892#post12599892 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kau_cinta_ku
i have 2-400 watt MH's over my 75 gal. and still my heaters come on more than my fan over the sump.

Is the tank outside in Iceland or something? :)

[kau_cinta_ku]

Iceland :lol: heck no I hate the cold.

and yes the tank is a standard 75 gal. with a canopy (open back). house temp usually stay around 75 degrees. there are also 4-4" computer fans in the canopy but they haven't been working lately.

lights are about 10" above the water though.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/kau_cinta_ku/CIMG5130.jpg

[DOTZ]

I run a 175 watt about 8 inches from the water and it doesn't bother anything. I was also runing a 175 watt over my 29 gal with 10 gal fuge but it raised the temp about 4 degrees. This is all in the same house. The one that got hot was in my dinning room right next to french doors, and the one that stays cool is in my bedroom which always seems to be a cool room for some reason. I think it just has alot to do with placement.

[AngeloM3]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12601243#post12601243 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kau_cinta_ku
Iceland :lol: heck no I hate the cold.

and yes the tank is a standard 75 gal. with a canopy (open back). house temp usually stay around 75 degrees. there are also 4-4" computer fans in the canopy but they haven't been working lately.

lights are about 10" above the water though.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/kau_cinta_ku/CIMG5130.jpg

Wow... and I thought I was going to have problems with 2x 250w MH's for my 90g. Very nice looking tank!

[kau_cinta_ku]

I think you should be fine with the 2x 250's. the reason I got the 400's was because I am planning an upgrade in the near future. I just figured might as well get the lights now then lol.

"Very nice looking tank!"

thanks, most of the corals were frags so it looks bare.

[phish guy]

no chiller needed. i have a 250w on a 54 corner a few inches off the water. water temp goes up by a degree, 2 at the most. though i did get a small fan to blow between the lights and water on those hotter summer days.

[abulgin]

Honestly, with what you want to keep, you can definitely get by with HO T5s or even power compacts. They run much cooler than MH.