150 hqi for a 12 gal?

t_hac · #1 02-15-2009, 10:14 AM

hey guys im looking at a great deal on a 150watt hqi lamp and am wondering if it is ok to use on a 12gal aquapod?

i plan on having it a mixed reef(sps dominant), (corals will be placed accordingly..)

water temp/ evap i am not worried about mainly just the light intensity...
i dont want to be burning anything...

Myka · #2 02-15-2009, 10:20 AM

You will be fine, just be very careful acclimating corals to the bright light, even ones that you buy from the LFS that are used to MH lighting, as they won't be used to be so close to the surface of the water where the light is more more intense. You may not be worried about water temperature, but I sure would be, how to you plan to counteract that?

e46er · #3 02-15-2009, 02:40 PM

i would be worried about evaporation if i were you on such a small volume of water such intense light

also my system which holds about 120G of water total maybe 130 has a glass top and the 2 -150W MH evaporate 1G a day and raise the water temp 2 degrees over the 6 hours

outtafocus · #4 02-15-2009, 03:17 PM

I have a 150w HQI MH over my 12gal nano cube. I think this is a great light setup for this small tank. My light is not in a hood but is suspended above the tank, I also have a 4" fan on a timer which keeps things cool. My temperature has not gone above 81F even in the hot summer.
I have a Tunze osmolator for top off and I dont have any issues with extreme evaporation.