Is it worth putting the cash into 150w 6500k ?

[Piscevore]

A friend is willing to loan me a home-brewn MH setup. No reflectors, no pendant/hood. All it is: 1 ballast, 2x bases,2x cords, wired, that's it.

2x150w medium base. I'm looking on reefcentral for bulbs, and batting 0.
Hello-lights has a 6500k and a 50,000k, but no 10,000k...and the bulbs are 75 each.

All the 10k's are DE and HQI. I'm hoping to buy a pair of 250w HQI's for my reef tank in progress, so I don't want to sink a bunch of $$$ into bulbs or reflectors for a setup I don't own and don't intend to keep. I've only got a 20 gallon tank, and i've got a nice 10k/actinic 2x65w PC running on it right now.

I was thinking about jerry rigging one of the Mh bulbs onto my existing pc's just to give a little more penetration... I'm not worried about heat, I've got A/C.

It almost seems like I should just go out and buy a PFO 250w HQI ballast and pendant and put if over the nano for the next few mos, until my main tank is built and ready for it. Any thoughts?

 

[Moe_K]

How big a tank will you have, and what do you want to keep?

 

[Piscevore]

I've got a 72 bow, 30 gal sump, 1/2 built. I am definately putting two 250w HQI pendants on that tank. That's what I have planned form the get go.

I figured the 20 I have now could serve as a frag tank once the bigger one is up and running ( I can always get a bigger tank if I fill the 20 with frags!) I was thinking free MH is a win-win, and MH would serve better for growout than the PC's...but for the price of the bulbs I could probably find a single DE HQI 150 watt with newish bulbs on reef central.

i'm thinking SPS and Clams, but I might try to sneak a few other things (like a bta and some zoo's)

 

[marco67]

I'm sure that the majority of people here have been in your shoes when starting out.
I know I was. I'm not sure if it's a bit of sticker shock or just human nature or what but you start looking for places to save a buck, Sometime smart places and sometimes not so smart. In the long run I promise you it's cheaper to step up and buy the nice set up the first time. (this is especially true for skimmers and lighting)

 

[marco67]

If your HQI set up is just absolutly not in the budget right now. I would go with a nice 2X96 PC DIY kit. Buy 10Ks or 50/50s for now (more than enough for a 20) and when you set up the 72 w/the 2X250s use the PCs for your actinics.

 

[Groove]

You might find this helpfull

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=277300