180 gallon lighting

[JustReefIt14]

i explored the hellolights.com website and came across the retrofit section. with retrofit systems you can mix different types of bulbs to your tastes. i started customizing the setup with 2x400watt 10,000k bulbs,ushio. the 10k bulbs ive heard to be a crisp white color but i want some blue in the setup also. so would adding a third mh bulb 20k 400w be too much or should i lower the wattage to about 250? next i was adding some vho lights and this is where i got stomped. since i can choose two bulbs should they both be the same or can i mix them? i want some actinic which are blue but ill already have the 20k mh bulb. would adding daylight and the actinic be too much? i hope this shows a little something of research and not too much of asking for opinions, but i did try my best. also if possible could anyone give a pic of their setup with a lighting system consiting of halides and vho. again the tank d's are 72x24x25.

 

[Juck]

If you're going the SPS Route then maybe stick with the 400w,,, and a couple of actinic VHO's.

If you want crisp white light with a hint of blue then look at the 14k Hamiltons. I think 10k Ushios look a little yellow and the 20k's are just too blue for my taste,,, buit that's the thing,, it's all personal taste.

 

[JustReefIt14]

so i guess basically when it comes down to choice of light its about how much and your preference of light color. well i dont know my choice of light color because i havent really seen the blue of a 20k bulb etc. do you have any suggestions on how i can find this out? thanks :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

GO to your local pet shop and look at the bulbs they have their and ask them to describe the others

 

[Jolieve]

Go to the lfs in your area and ask about the lighting they use over their coral tanks. I know the two lfs here use very different colored bulbs, and you can see it when you walk into the stores. One has very yellow/green tanks, the others lean toward pure white and blue colorations... ask them what bulbs they are using in their halides so you can get an idea for how they look and how you want your tank to look.

J.

 

[Juck]

Most LFS' (near me anyway) use 6400k, 10k or 14k halides on their SPS tanks,, so maybe a trip to some LFS' might help,, ask what they're running and how old the bulbs are. I've only ever seen a 20k on a friend's tank,, his corals do look awesome though.

 

[Jolieve]

supaboy LOL! Great minds think alike :p

J.

 

[Fastmarc]

Do any of you guys find that there is better coral growth with lower K, eg: 6,500K vs 14,000K?

 

[Unarce]

Most of our corals originated or were propagated from reefs at around 30+ feet of depth. After only a couple of meters, the water becomes considerably bluer with the majority of the higher wavelengths being quickly absorbed, which is what a 6500K bulb mostly consists of.

Since lighting is primarily for photosynthesis, than you would need less of the orange, green, and yellow wavelengths:

http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/s_ ... /acpPC.jpg
http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/s_ ... 02/pas.jpg

Studies also show that those same dominant wavelengths of the midday sun nearly put a stop to photosynthesis.

http://www.science.uts.edu.au/des/Staff ... hesis.html

I would go with 400W 20K's. I believe the reason that corals look so much better under 20K's is that the more attractive and colorful strains of zooxanthallae favor the bluer spectrum.

 

[Fastmarc]

Most opinions I have seen agree with what you say, but the reason why I asked is because I knew of 2 instances of people that had tanks with 2x250 MH 10,000 plus actinics and had to change the MH bulb, but could only get 6500K and saw an increase in growth. Even their anemone reacted possitively to it.
What would cause this?

 

[Unarce]

Yeah, there's a ton of claims that 6500K grow corals faster. I've exhausted all resources trying to find evidence or proof of that, to no avail. Plus, there are a number of other proponents of growth other than lighting. In this case, I'm just sticking with what makes sense. To me, the ocean isn't too blue.

 

[JustReefIt14]

getting off of the subject, should i not add a seahorse(s) to a reef tank? should they be kept in a tank specifically for them, i really think that they would look grat in a reef tank.

 

[mark78]

5500K is sunlight at noon over the reef (so they say). Corals will grow 'faster' with a 6500K bulb, but they won't look as good and be as colorful.

 

[Anonymous]

getting off of the subject, should i not add a seahorse(s) to a reef tank? should they be kept in a tank specifically for them, i really think that they would look grat in a reef tank.

Seahorses tend to starve in a reef tank. They do much better in a species only tank where they dont have to compete for food.

Be careful about getting off the subject the last thread got closed that way remember.

 

[JustReefIt14]

yeah i know,lol :wink:

 

[JustReefIt14]

is radium a type or brand of mh bulb? my lfs said that this is what they have over their main display tank2x175w 10k mh and 2x110w vho actinic. would this work for an sps tank with a carpet?

 

[Unarce]

Radium is the brand, but is sometimes used to describe 20K bulbs. A Radium and actinics would be excellent for SPS and anemones.

It will also increase success in keeping wild caught specimens.

 

[JustReefIt14]

since you said radium would be good for sps and anemones. i went to hellolights.com again and looked at the retrofit/diy section, hows this setup sound and yes ill be using fans. forgot to put those on the list

Fans: Optional

MH_Ballast1: 400W Universal (M135) #61-40450 (+$79)

MH_Ballast2: 400W Universal (M135) #61-40450 (+$79)

VHO_Ballast: 2 Lamp ARO Model 4L #41-41001 (+$135)

MH_Bulb1: 400W 20,000K Radium 23-HRI-T400W-BLU(+$80)

MH_Bulb2: 400W 20,000K Radium 23-HRI-T400W-BLU(+$80)

MH_Socket1(w/bracket): Standard Mogul #61-61025 (+$8)

MH_Socket2(w/bracket): Standard Mogul #61-61025 (+$8)

Power_Cord1: Grounded Power Cord #66-66001(+$3)

Power_Cord2: Grounded Power Cord #66-66001(+$3)

Reflector: 72 Inch #64-64070 (+$70)

Shipping: Additional Oversize Charge(+$39.95)

VHO_Bulb1: 72 Inch AQUA-D Super Actinic URI #10-AD72/BLUE/VHO (+$32.95)

VHO_Bulb2: 72 Inch AQUA-D Super Actinic URI #10-AD72/BLUE/VHO (+$32.95)

 

[Unarce]

That looks good. Be sure to check that those particular ballasts can fire Radium bulbs.

You could also skip the VHO's completely, and go with 3 400W bulbs.

 

[JustReefIt14]

so are you saying that i could run just a mh system. 3x400w bulbs would be alot of light. i think id still rather have some actinics just for night viewing. does it sound like a plan?