Lighting a 56" X 24" X 30" - 3 Options plz H

[asonitez]

I need some optinions on lighting a 56" Long by 24" wide by 30" high tank.

Current Lighting

Fixture is 6" above water surface
Dual 250 MH Fixture with 14,000K Bulbs
4X 65 Watt PC Actinics (03 420nm)


Canopy Details

56" Long
24" Wide
16" High


I have a buyer interested in my fixture for 500 Cash No shipping.

Option # 1 (Sell Light)

2 400 Watt CoralVue E-Ballasts ($279) (Is this the right ballast?)

http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1661

2 Lumen Bright 3 SE Metal Halide Reflector ($279)

http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1534

2 XM 20000K 400w MH Bulbs ($150)

I would be adding about 209 bucks after my light is sold for the above setup.






Option # 2 (Keep Light)


Purchase 3 250K Ice-Cap Reflectors (140 each)

Purchase 1 Phoenix Bulb (60) Shipped.
Purchase 1 IceCap Ballast (140)
(I have 2 Phoenix Bulbs)


Option # 3


Purchase 3 Lumen Bright 3 DE Metal Halide Reflector
Purchase 1 Phoenix Bulb (60) Shipped.
Purchase 1 IceCap Ballast (140)
(I have 2 Phoenix Bulbs)


As you can see. I need help. Please assist me.

 

[Ben1]

How about option D, sell the current light and get T5's. Your tank is only 16" deep, T5's IMO have an advantage on shallow tanks. The upfront cost might be a bit more for a nice T5 fixture but would save money long run, anyhow JMO.

If you are set on halides I like those lumenbrights.

 

[Anonymous]

Ben, re-read it.. the canopy is 16"

Ultimately its what do you want out of your tank, what philosophy of lighting to do you follow?

Me personally I'm of the mindset that you don't need to blast corals with 8+ hours of metal halides throughout the day. So my option would be something along option B. I also like different lighting schemes, so I'd follow it with T5s with good reflectors on either side of various colors (I prefer ATi Blue Plus and UVL Super Actinic). Also check out hellolights.com for DE reflectors you can get similar ones for only $40 a piece, they're going to be in a canopy, do you really need them to be all "pretty" looking with the black casing?

The idea is you can make some lighting zones, you don't need to have super bright light all the way to the tank bottom do you? Every square inch of the tank? Put your rocks in such a fashion that takes advantage of the light distribution.

That being said if you prefer the single ended bulbs then some lumenarc (OR brights) might not be such a bad idea, I'm a little hesitant to use them over a 24" wide tank because it really doesn't leave much in the way for supplemental lighting. Maybe if you use lumenarc minis though..

 

[Ben1]

Oh my bad, lol thats what I get for skimming a thread.

 

[asonitez]

I like metal halides. If your telling me all I have to do is upgrade m reflectors from the crappy ones in the fixture to something better then that ROCKS !!!! It dosen't have to be pretty At ALL!!

 

[asonitez]

So what your saying...


instead of getting 400 watt MH's an all that..


Buy 3 of the reflectors on the site Use my existing Ballasts and bulbs. Add 1 more bulb say in the 20K spectrum in the middle. and maybe retro in some T-5's if it strikes my fancy. I probably won't need actinic summplementation with 250 Watt halides 14 X2 and 20K x1 right?

 

[Anonymous]

you pretty much got what I"m saying...

one thing you never mentioned what you'll be wanting to keep... deep sandbed? that sort of thing.

Get your rockwork idea down, then you can fit whatever lighting you need in your cabinet.

The Actincs aren't so much supplementation for me, but more a stage of lighting the "early morning"/"just before night" light, then the blue plus is the mid morning/early evening.. where my halides are noon/afternoon

 

[asonitez]

I will post a pic in a few minutes of the Rock work.