Catch

[Nubytuesday]

I just wanted to throw this out there,give me your suggestions.
90 gal tank 24 in tall
what will i need for a complete best of the best lighting systems
I do have a canopy
I do have a 48'' fluorescent reflector twin tube says 120volt 80 watt
I heard someone talking about a kit to upgrade it anyhow
give me your ideas
I would like the tank to have a blue glow at night or do they all do that I honestly dont know .
all I do know is I think I know is I need timers how many?
How many different types of lights do I need .please clue me in

[wasabi]

i would stick two 400 watt radiums in the 90 you really wont need any supplemental lighting and youll be able to keep most anything. a well vented hood and you shouldnt have any heat problems either. it's been my experience with lighting when i dont max it out, i always want more light. might as well max it out from the get go. hths

Curt

[Nubytuesday]

Tanks for the reply
I can find MH,VHOandPC,s
but where do I find radiums ?
Sounds kind of DANGEROUS !!!
With all that energy it might blow my canopy cleeeeeen off !!

[Doug1]

Hard to say Even with a 90 tall I think its hard to beat the 6500K 400 watt Iwasakis with actinic flourescents. Even the NO florescent are considered kinda weak but if you can stand the color, I would go for it using the 400w Radiums and NI flo,. if you need stronger actinics you can add them later

[Jimbo]

The 14k bulbs on Aquatic Co sounds interesting. Anyone seen one in operation, wonder what the lumen output is? I have a iwasaki 6500k plus 200 watts of actinic and I still would like more actinic. I think I will try a 10k or 14k bulb next. I might not like it, but bulb prices are dropping so what the heck.

~Jimbo

[Mrs Smith]

Honestly, I'd go with 250W bulbs. 400 will be too much for many things. That, and they produce a lot more heat.

I think I missed what you're planning to keep - yes, best-of-the-best would be 400W radiums (it's a type of MH bulb, but with a very high Kelvin rating), but unless you're planning a super SPS/Clam tank, it's overkill. Also, you have to worry more about cooling.

Just my 2c from lighting the exact same tank. 2 x 250W Iwasaki 6500K plus 2 120W VHO actinics worked very well for our 24" deep 90.

Danielle

[Rick O]

I'm currently using (2) 250 watt 6500K Iwasaki with (2) 110 watt actinics. The actinics aren't enough to knock off all of the yellow/green from the Iwasakis but it's close. It's not objectionable to me. Two more actinics would be perfect. And without a doubt the growth from Iwasakis is excellent. Just take a look at all of the tanks around here that are lit by them.

[Minnreefer]

I would recomend going with 2 400 watt radium bulbs, Radium is just a name and it is the 20K bulb. I would also recomend talking to our new sponsor www.aquaticco.com, Doug may be able to set you up with a nice setup.

HTH

Jon

[Nubytuesday]

any one else want to play

[Alice]

Rick, I do have 4-110W actinics with my Iwasakis and it looks great

[Sand Reef]

Go for the Aqualine-Buschke Spacelight. 250watts is plenty.
V

[tdwyatt]

I have just started an exerimental run with 2 of the 12k sunburst bulbs on Icecap HQI 250 watt electronic ballasts. I like the color, but we shall see about growth. I concur with Ricks evaluation of the Iwasaki bulbs. a little yellow, but you can color them up with actinics if needed. 20K bulbs just dont seem to have the radiance that the iwasaki has (see Sanjay Yoshi's work on bulb comparisons, both published and personal communication), but are sufficient for coral growth, and the color is much more pleasing (might want to think about that if you are planning a reeftop tank or clams, otherwise, they are really great!)

[Nubytuesday]

Thanks for all the great replies I couldnt find TRT yesterday and started withdraws but Im OK now.