Lighting Question

[Donya]

I have what I thought was a MH light fixture, but I'm confused about what it says for replacing the bulb....

"Replace bulb only with same style T4 bulb rated for a maximum of 150 watts."

Here is a picture of the fixture and the bulb (which now only puts out yellow light because it's old):

Question 1: is this actually a MH fixture & light, and what is up with the T4 stipulation?

Question 2: I was only wanting to put it on my 12 gallon. That would be more than 10 watts per gallon if I go for the full 150 watts, and it is a shallow tank. If I go with the full 150 watts, will I be at risk of frying stuff? I can try to make the lighting a bit indirect so it lights multiple tanks, but the intensity would still be the most on the 12 gallon.

 

[JJ1234567]

looks like a double ended halide to me. The T- # refers to the width of the bulb in uhhh...8ths of an inch? so a T-8 is a full inch accross. As for the the ammount of light, you could always raise the fixture above the tank.

 

[Donya]

DOH! I forgot about the inches thing for the T#. I am just used to seeing it on the fluorescent tubes so it threw me for a loop seeing it on a little bulb like that. Raising above the tank is easy but it is still kinda like having my own miniature sun in the room, even with that burned cruddy old bulb I guess that's a good thing though.

I managed to get the bulb out (thought I had lost my screw driver) so I will just take it with me and get a duplicate. Planning on doing that tomorrow.

BTW should I leave the UV filter on?

 

[Donya]

Got lucky and found a replacement bulb today. The improvement in the tank's appearance is beyond words...I am truely amazed by what a change of lighting system can do.

 

[JJ1234567]

Honestly this is the same debate ive been having with myself trying to up grade the lighting for my 20 gallon (long, not tall) A halide is the next step up from a double PC fixture, but 150 watts of powerful light seems a little excessive for a tank that is only 12 inches tall bare empty. Its just what you want to do with it i guess, if you want to do SPS and LPS stuff, then go for the full montie, but Id say raise it a few inches up to let it dissapate a bit. Remember that in our tanks we can never reproduce the power of the sun.

 

[SkiFletch]

BTW should I leave the UV filter on?

If you like your eyeballs and skin to remain functioning and cancer-free you will leave the UV filter on...

 

[Donya]

If you like your eyeballs and skin to remain functioning and cancer-free you will leave the UV filter on...

Done, thanks I wasn't sure if it would adversely affect anything spectrum-wise for photosynthetic life in the tank.

EDIT
Forgot something:

if you want to do SPS and LPS stuff, then go for the full montie, but Id say raise it a few inches up to let it dissapate a bit.

It's up a ways from the tank right now, which also seems to be helping with heat. Because the tank is both small and shallow, I made sure it was a decent height above the water. I don't have a measuring stick on me at the moment but I'll see how many inches it is later tonight.