Lighting 30"??

[jevan23]

I found a 25gal long i would love to turn into a nano, only problem is its 30" long. T5's are either 24" or 36", and i believe the same is true for PC's. If i went MH, what are my options? would 1 be sufficient, or would 2 be needed? how high should they be mounted off the water? Im just looking to keep LPS at the moment, but would this allow for sps in the future?

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

With a 30" length to cover, I would probably go with a single ended MH (175w or 250w). Although I like the DE MH, the spread of the SE is better. You'll need a good reflector on that pendant too.

For actinic, you could get a 65w PC or 2 (& stagger them in front & behind the MH).

That's a lot of light but it would allow you the option of keeping SPS later. Trust us when we state that buying the proper lighting system the first time, will save you tonnes of $ in the long run from not having to upgrade constantly.

Anthony

[Kryten]

What would you guys think of this?

http://www.jbjnanocubes.com/index.html?lang=en-us&target=d779.html

I have the same size tank and am also trying to decide how to light it...

[mr_alberta]

Coralife makes a very similar fixture to the "Viper" posted. I've seen a couple of them. They look like nice fixtures, but, to be honest, it looked almost like a retrofitted shoplight which you could probably do yourself for half the price.

[Twisted-1]

Like in the original question, how high off the water should a 175 or 250 MH be mounted?

[mr_alberta]

8-12" is the general consensus.

[jevan23]

thanks guys, hanvnt made up my mind on 175W or 250W, but im gunna have to decide fast as my 70 just sold and ive got nowhere for my corals to go for the time being. poor things are all sitting under a halogen desk lamp

[topdown]

I have a 30" long tank (Finnex M-TAnk). I wanted to upgrade the lighting from a 30" PC strip to MH+(PC or T5). I obsessed about finidng a 30" fixture. Nobody makes them (well, two or three models maybe).

I ended up getting a 24" Aqua medic 250w MH + T5 fixture and I couldn't be happier. Don't waste any time thinking you need anything longer than 24".

My new acrylic tank is 33" long and the 24" Aqua medic will be going over that too - plenty of coverage.

My $0.02.