Questions for a First timer, dealing with Metal Halides.

M

myownkeeper

I just got a my first MH fixture, Odyssea HQI 175w (thanks catphish),
and ive got some questions. Catphish says that the bulb is 150W, but the Ballast is 175W...

1. Does that mean i need to buy a 150W or 175W bulb. And what is a good inexpensive bulb to start buying?

2. Moving into sps, whats the deal with 10,000k bulb? ive been told that the higher up it is the better the color for sps corals. Should i get a 14,000 to 20,000k bulb?

3. How high off the water should i hang the fixture?

remember my tank is a 24 gallon aquapod. 17" deep and 20" long
 
u want it about atleat 8 inch's off the water u might have to put it lil higher if u dont run any fans across the water with a tank your size the temp can change quicker. it the ballast does just run those mh and there is diff ballast for the pc witch there prob is then if it says 175w i need to get a 175w bulb your not suppost to run diff bulb in them it can wear out the bulb and ballast faster. 10k bulb will get better growth but the higher u go the more blue the light is and most like the look better but u have pc's also so those could be your antinics for the bluer color
 
i agree with the height, too close and it could be too much light as well as heat up your water too much. on the bulb, if catphish says use the 150, thats what i would use, the odyseas are normally a little less than they say so i would expect the 175 to run the 150. as for 10k vs 12k vs 20k etc, the lower you go, the whiter/yellower the light is to the eye and normally you gfet more growth than great vibrant colors. the higher the number the bluer the light is visually and normally you get better color than growth. ive used 12k and 10k and i definately liked the 12k better. ive heard the 14k gives better growth than the 12k though and its still blue which to me looks alot nicer than the white/yellow of a 10k.
 
contact the maker or look for one for sale new online but i would think if it says its 175w on the ballast then u should use that bulb the guy u got it from might have got it that way
 
I had a 175w like that one a couple years ago. It is not easy to find de 175 bulbs. That may be part of the reason he was running the 150.
Thanks,
Mary
 
IMO they call it 175w in hopes you will buy their bulbs since pretty much everyone else only makes a 150w bulb. I've known many who have used 150w bulbs in them with no issues.
 
From my understanding, the ballast will Run a 150W DE and a 175 SE bulb. Since the fixture looks like a DE setup, you can only fire 150W bulbs
 
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