4 vho bulbs, 17" deep tank. too much for softies?

[bigfruits]

hello. i just bought a 30 gallon tank (36"x12"x17")
im trying to decide on lighting. originally i was going to do t5 but i learned that the mushrooms would not do well with the shallow depth of my tank.
my question is if 4 vho bulbs would be too much for shrooms on a 17 inch tall tank. i dont mind keeping them at the bottom i just dont want them to shrivel.
is this a good lighting system for lps and softies?
thanks in advance

-z

 

[DesertBandits]

Don't fall victim to exaggerations. When some chump who had PCs suddenly puts intense lights on the same tank how do you think the corals will react? Coral pigments need to get built up to a level that allows them to deal with the light they are getting.
Ive seen shrooms doing just fine 17" under a 250w metal halide. Its really a thing of acclimation. So in short, no you aren't putting corals in a situation that can't deal with if you do it rght.

Have you ever heard of the screen method? you layer window screens overtop of eachother between the light and the tank. every few days you remove another screen untill the corals have colored up and become acclimated to the new light. You can also fire some of your bulbs at a time until your corals are ready for all of them.

I think its too bad you didnt get T5s because of things you've heard. I just got them for my 29 and they are so awesome (I have shrooms 7in from the light and they are fine. I like VHO blue, but VHO white looks so bad, its just so pink it looks stupid. Anyway, good luck acclimating your corals, they'll be just fine.

 

[David Grigor]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7213121#post7213121 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DesertBandits
I just got them for my 29 and they are so awesome

I ran T5s for about a year( actually 14 months ). Initially I was quite fond of them too so your probably too quick to judge IMO.

I was running on Icecap ballast, I will say that yes, I did like the color of the aquablue bulb much more than the VHO URI Actinic Whites. However overtime, what I began to see over the course of a year that echino, acans, alvepora turned lighter in color ( not bleached ) many zoanthids existed but didn't grown and encrust and normal rates.

After having switched back to VHOs back in Jan., IME colors have shifted to a little darker and richer colors. Zoanthids have taken off more in the last 4 months than the whole year under T5s.

Granted all tanks are different and my results may not match yours as I'm sure our tank maintenance, water quality, tank temps, etc. all differ some.

However, the main point I'm trying to make is that I was very impressed initially too but over time you may change your tune as I did......