Lighting Upgrade Advice

[minyee]

Gee..I guess this is the week for lighting questions.

With XMas coming up I'm thinking of upgrading my lighting especially since my bulbs need to be changed out anyway. I have a 90g tank with gsp, rics, zoos, frogspawn, blastos and a few fish. Don't plan on going sps..just more lps/softies. Currently am running Coralife 2x65w atinics 2X65w 10000k PCs. Not happy with the look and colors of the tank. All the corals basically look brown.

Any suggestions? I love the sparkling look of mh at the lfs. But is that overkill for my tank? Plus I have an expensive canopy, will i have to ditch it? Even with the PCs and air conditioning I have to leave it open in the summer most of the time. Would T5s be a noticeable improvement over the PCs?

 

[alfani]

i don't think you have enough lights for your 90 gal, could go for 8x54 T5 for 90 gal tank.

Gee..I guess this is the week for lighting questions.

With XMas coming up I'm thinking of upgrading my lighting especially since my bulbs need to be changed out anyway. I have a 90g tank with gsp, rics, zoos, frogspawn, blastos and a few fish. Don't plan on going sps..just more lps/softies. Currently am running Coralife 2x65w atinics 2X65w 10000k PCs. Not happy with the look and colors of the tank. All the corals basically look brown.

Any suggestions? I love the sparkling look of mh at the lfs. But is that overkill for my tank? Plus I have an expensive canopy, will i have to ditch it? Even with the PCs and air conditioning I have to leave it open in the summer most of the time. Would T5s be a noticeable improvement over the PCs?

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Or you could do a 150 or 250w MH retro for your tank and add 2 fans to the canopy as well to keep the heat down.

 

[SuRFeR BoY]

will u still need a chiller?

 

[DonCisco]

if you are having problems already with ventilation, put more fans to begin with, but I think that eventually a chiller will be needed.

 

[clamcrazy]

i have 2x 250 watt MH with 110 watt PC and my temp is fine without a chiller on my 90 gal.

 

[reefman]

if u want the shimmering look, i would choose MH. u can DYI a mh retrofit on your canopy, but u will need lots of ventilation like don says. if u keep the room cool, with fans, u can do w/o a chiller. browning is mostly cause by low lighting. in a 2 feet deep or more tank, i don't think pcs provide enough lighting to penetrate thru.

 

[ezee]

Minyee,

I would go with the halides, you already have some corals that would probably appreciate the extra intensity. Are you sure the heat is being caused by the lights? What other equipment do you have in the tank?

E

 

[neptune]

im selling my 48" t-5 8x54 w retro............$250 single reflectors inside hood 2 4" fans good for any coral 917-957-6784