Lighting do's and don'ts

[jenglish]

Originally Posted by collin

look into t5 the put off less heat and are cheaper

Originally Posted by Loverotties

T5HO are the next best thing to Mh.And is cooler to run and cheaper too!

I love T5HO but at that depth MH is the only way to go

[cutietwo]

I have PC, but if i would have my way to choose again I would of done T5HO.

[Austintatious]

Originally Posted by three90s&125sump

Mirrors are not as efficient at reflecting as you think.

? really ?

I ordered a 20,000l 400w MH from hellolights. Is there any way once I have it in to test to see if I am getting enough light? I figured since my tanks footprint is so small Ill try one first and then get a second if needed.

[three90s&125sump]

The light has to travel through the glass twice and at a 1/4 inch the light has to pass through a 1/2 inch of glass (at 0% deflection, higher angles require longer travel) reducing the light by around 30% IIRC. Polished aluminum is the way to go... >95% reflective.

[Austintatious]

OK I bought a reflector and have it and the 400W installed in my tank.. wow it is bright!

I dont know if I have room for a second light above my tank.. the footprint is ony 49x30 and it is 40" deep

I have a separate hood with Atinic lights in it but this 20,000k bulb is pretty darn blue.. do I even need that Atinic lights?

Is there any way for me to determine if my one 400W 20k is enough to penatrate 40" ?

[motorslave]

No, you dont need the actinics. Yes you can chck pr at different depths with a meter.

[dcmartinpc]

I would run 2 over a 49x30 tank. I would run about 24 inches off center on the 49 inch side and in down the centerline on the 30 inch side. I would use something like a full size lumenarc reflectors. They can easily cover 30"wide.

You will definitely need 400 watt to penetrate that deep. 20k would look great, You might consider 400 watt radiums run on a standard magnetic ballast. The color is not rivaled in my opinion.

What is your limitation in regards to room above the tank? It sounds to me like there is PLENTY of room for another reflector up there.... And you are going to need to run the Metal Halide fairly close to the water to get the penetration you want... Say 6"-8"?

It also depends on how deep you are wanting to grow SPS. If you are only wanting to the majority of the SPS in the top half of the tank, then 20K should be just fine. If you are wanting to grow deeper than that, then I would suggest something like a Giesseman Coral bulb (This is a double ended bulb). You could also run a 10K bulb and supplement with T5's. Don't expect the T5's to penetrate PAR wise beyond 24", but the color will still be there...

Don

[Austintatious]

Originally Posted by dcmartinpc

I would run 2 over a 49x30 tank. I would run about 24 inches off center on the 49 inch side and in down the centerline on the 30 inch side. I would use something like a full size lumenarc reflectors. They can easily cover 30"wide.

You will definitely need 400 watt to penetrate that deep. 20k would look great, You might consider 400 watt radiums run on a standard magnetic ballast. The color is not rivaled in my opinion.

What is your limitation in regards to room above the tank? It sounds to me like there is PLENTY of room for another reflector up there.... And you are going to need to run the Metal Halide fairly close to the water to get the penetration you want... Say 6"-8"?

It also depends on how deep you are wanting to grow SPS. If you are only wanting to the majority of the SPS in the top half of the tank, then 20K should be just fine. If you are wanting to grow deeper than that, then I would suggest something like a Giesseman Coral bulb (This is a double ended bulb). You could also run a 10K bulb and supplement with T5's. Don't expect the T5's to penetrate PAR wise beyond 24", but the color will still be there...

Don

SO is it OK to mix bulbs? I have a 400W 20k now... could I put a 400W 10k right next to it?


The reason I dont have much room is because this tank has a top on it that narrows down on that 49x30... the top opening is about 39x20

I dont really care to have any light going through the top acrylic.

Yes I have the light VERY close to the water.. about 4 inches off it.

[jenglish]

Originally Posted by Austintatious

SO is it OK to mix bulbs? I have a 400W 20k now... could I put a 400W 10k right next to it?


The reason I dont have much room is because this tank has a top on it that narrows down on that 49x30... the top opening is about 39x20

I dont really care to have any light going through the top acrylic.

Yes I have the light VERY close to the water.. about 4 inches off it.

you certainly can run a 10k and 20k 400w right next to each other it will be quite noticable. You could run a 400w bulb w/ some T5HO to change the color some, but they would not add much par at the bottom.

[dcmartinpc]

Even with a canopy that is 39x20, you could still fit 2 Lumenbright 3 Pendants. Here are the Dimensions:

Single Ended Pendant: 18.5”x18.5”x11”

Double Ended Pendant: 15”x15”x10"

These would cover the tank and allow you to grow lower light corals around the edges and maintain SPS or anything else more towards the center of the tank.

That does not necessarily leave you any room for T5's with the SE Pendant. With the DE pendants you could run 10K's and then run 1 36" T5 on either side of the pendant (They take 2.5" for each Standoff, Endcap, and Reflector) to achieve the color you are looking for.

You can pick up both pendants at www.diyreef.com. Deb is GREAT to deal with. She also has everything you will need to get a T5 Retro setup too. She usually has prices that are low enough, that it justifies buying it new, rather than saving $10...

SE Pendant: https://diyreef.authsecure.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=55_63_93&products_id=593

DE Pendant: https://diyreef.authsecure.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=55_63_93&products_id=750


You could also give her a call and she could pretty much get you anything you want... She is great to deal with, did I say that already???

Just my thoughts.

Don