T5/Metal Halide Combo Options

[reefhw]

Hey Everyone,
I have a 36" long 58 gallon tank without a canopy. Currently it is has 192watt PC Coralife hood for lighting, but I would like to upgrade in order try some SPS and a clam.

I am not thrilled with the idea of hanging a MH pendent from the ceiling, but if there is another way to mount one along side my current hood that would be great. (Much cheaper and I wouldn't be wasting the lighting I have already)

Otherwise if I decide to forfeit my current lighting, I am thinking a MH T-5 combo hood would be nice. Any opinions on the one made by Aqua Medic, the 36" Ocean Light T5/Metal Halide Combo?
Any others out there that would fit a 36" tank?

TIA

[iloveinn]

have you tried ahsupply.com and get their reflector. They could really give your PC a run for its money. You might not even have to upgrade anything else at all.

[reefhw]

Wow, they seem to sell some very nice looking lights. I like the wood enclosres.

But I would still like to hear about any ones experiance with T5/MH combos if possible. Or mounting ideas.

TAG

[horkn]

does that 58g have a center brace?

I will be running on my 90g that is in progress the following
2x54 t5ho retrofits
the center mounted 250w DE MH
2x54 retro behind the mh

i would think on a 58g, you could do much the saem, but with half the t5s, and maybe lower MH wattage.

[reefhw]

No, there is no center brace to my 58g.
Are you planning to use the center brace to mount your MH? Or how else do you plan to mount them?

[Horace]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7507117#post7507117 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by horkn
does that 58g have a center brace?

I will be running on my 90g that is in progress the following
2x54 t5ho retrofits
the center mounted 250w DE MH
2x54 retro behind the mh

i would think on a 58g, you could do much the saem, but with half the t5s, and maybe lower MH wattage.

Im thinking of using a similar setup to that on my 75g in the future. However, I want to add 2x250w 20k DE halides, and have 4 T5s....2xB+ and 2xSA like so

SA
B+
20k halide 20k Halide
B+
SA

The tank will have ALOT of blue spectrum, but it will be very bright as well.....the best of both worlds IMO!

[amheck]

tagging along and a bump for ya.

I'm thinking about a 58g also and was looking at lighting, and the Aqua Media (2x175 and T5) hood was the one I was looking at too. It's pretty much the only one I've really found.

I think legs would be fairly easy to make, if you didn't want to hang the fixture.

Aaron

[mikekman]

Aquatinics (A sponsor on the RC) sells a 36" MH/T5 combo. I bought one a while back and it was great. You can lay it right on your tank and it won't really increase the temperature of the tank.

Check them out. You could also go T5s in which case Aquatinics also sells ones you can lay right on your tank.

Mike