Metal Halide Question

[wallj]

so im having trouble deciding if i want to buy a used metal halide fixture. it is a 175 watt with a reefgeek ballast, socket, bulb and reflector. im thinking about putting this on my 36 gallon tank. the fixture seems like a really good deal for only 50 bucks. my only problem is i dont know if it will get to hot or not? what do you think? how hot will it get?:confused:

[Canadian Reefer]

175w is not that bad you can install a small computer fan in the reflector if it gets to hot to keep temps down. Imho I would buy a new bulb right away because you dont know how long that one has been running. Good find

[wallj]

Ok another question would 4 t5ho's with individual reflectors be just as good as 1 175watt metal halide? also less heat ? and more color choice

[GhostCon1]

T5's will give less heat as the light is not as intense. More color choice? I'm not sure about that, MH looks amazing but then again you have people with T5 and LED tanks that look awesome as well.

Individual reflectors will be a huge benefit on the T5 fixture. Also, with MH you get the awesome shimmer effect.

[rayn]

Running both t5 and MH on different tank, even though MH is new, the shimmer of MH is nice. Definately check the bulb. I really like the t5 though too, get good color and growth out of it.

[Palting]

MH is a must for tanks more than 24" deep. Otherwise, your options are wide open. For the 36 gal tank, I'd go with T5's. You can combine different colors to achieve whatever effect you want, and there is less heat. Kinda hard to ignore a 50 buck MH, though.

[wallj]

ya im just worried about the how hot it will get with a metal halide. and the tank dimensions are 30"L x 15" deep to center of bow x 21"tall. what i meant by being able to get a better color choice is i would have 4 different bulbs instead of one. the bulb in the used fixture is 6 months old so im not sure about it. and last would i be able to keep anything in my tank with 4 t5ho's or would i be limited?

[GhostCon1]

On a tank that tall, with only 4 bulbs you probably wouldn't be able to keep t. maxima and t. crocea at the bottom of your tank and SPS would have to be near the top.

If you can get a 6 bulb fixture, with individual reflectors, you would be much better off.

I run my MH about 12 inches above the water surface and it only raises my temp by 2 degrees. But I keep my house at 75° F.

[sslak]

My brother used to run a 175w halide over a 12g eclipse in a dorm with no A/C.

Keep it up high to start and monitor your temps, it will be fine on your system.

[wallj]

ok my main concern is it being a fire hazard around the room because i dont know how hot they can make things around it because it wouldnt be in a canopy.

[Palting]

So long as there is nothing easily flammable touching it, like cotton lace curtains, it should be OK

[cdeboard]

MH doesnt get that hot to worry about these things so much. I havent seen many instances that a fan wont fix for tank temps, and as far as room temps or to the touch. If its in a fixture it wont get severely hot. You could touch the fixture and tell its quite warm, I wouldnt recommend toucher the reflector obviously.