MH vs VHO

[trido]

Not 100% sure about that. But am sure that i have read that when folks are putting higher wattage bulbs or even new bulbs above the tank the raise them to reduce the strenght of lighting

 

[ChrisRD]

A single 150 watt DE pendent will be fine over a 3' tank and it actually works pretty well if you have no centerbrace. That should be plenty of light for LPS corals.

Sorry for the crappy pic, but it was the only thing I could find with a 150 DE over a 3' tank. In this case a 50 gallon (note the shadow from the centerbrace).

 

[spaulr]

Thanks Chris, that's exactly what I needed to see. I have a plexi tank with a small center brace like that one. I think that'll work fine though. Do you think 2 39w T5 actenics will be enough blue, the Tek retrokit? I'm going with a 10k Aqualine Halide bulb.

 

[ChrisRD]

If you have a centerbrace and you use a single halide you'll get a shadow (like the photo). If you don't mind the shadow and you're going to do this, just make sure the centerbrace doesn't get overly hot from the lamp. Myself I used a strip of hardwood trim as a "heat shield" over the brace.

The AB lamp is a nice white color so it should be fine with just a pair of tubes to supplement IMO but this is more of a personal preference thing. I have no experience with T-5 actinics but many people like the "blue+" lamps better than T-5 actinics. That said, UV Lighting (formerly URI) is supposedly coming out with T-5 actinics and if they're anything like the old URI VHO actinics they would be worth looking into.

HTH

 

[tazdevil]

spaulr
posted:

Does the distance that light travels outside of the water make that much of a difference to the PAR? I figured most of the PAR was lost in water depth

Yes. Regardless if its in or out of the water, light PAR will decrease as distance increases. Obviously, there is a difference between the decrease below water and above, and you must take into account water clarity, air clarity (ie: smoke/fog, but thats not usually a problem for reef tanks).

 

[fyrefysh]

I think MH is the best idea with either PC, VHO or T8HO for supplimental colouring and dawn/dusk lighting.

 

[spaulr]

I just got my: 150W PFO pendant, PFO Ice Cap Ballast Box, 150W Ice Cap Ballast, 150W 10k Aqualine AB, absolutely no instructions . That's ok though, I've done wiring before....

I'm very glad I didn't get 2 halides for my 40 gallon. If I was to step up to an SPS tank, then I'd get another, but that light is crazy bright 8O . Definitely was not expecting that much light from a 150W.

I'm still going to order a Sunlight Supply Tek Retro 2x39W from OceanEncounter.com. $149.99 includes the bulbs as well and free shipping. I'll use those to simulate sunrise and sunset. Very happy so far.

Thanks everyone for your input!!!