40 Breeder FTS Thread
- Thread starter Mordoff
- Start date
patrick1234
New member
Palythoa; my oldest colony. First acquired in 1998.
Constantne
In Memoriam
Thanks and def took my time on the aquascape this time.
schroder_reef
New member
Can everyone please post the lights they are using with the 40B. It makes it much easier to get an idea for everyone else.
ty guys!
greech
New member
Since my camera is so old this won't do much as a visual but I have a 36" Current Sundial with 2 x ATIblue+, ATI Aquablue Special and a UV Super Actinic. I like the fixture ok and the simplicity of it is great but I can't really say I would recommend it. If it had SLR's it would be a much better light.
goingsalt
New member
I use aquaticlife CF 36" light fixture with built in timer its a real nice light setup. check it out http://aquaticlife.com/cf/index.html
Im just getting out of the cycle and havent started to stock my tank
Im just getting out of the cycle and havent started to stock my tank
schroder_reef
New member
Very nice tank RKB, out of the lights you have played around with. What been your favorite for sps and the 40B? I had a 40B years ago and put too much light over it. I had 2 x 250 hqis and many problems. Did you try 1 x 250 or went to 2 x 150s? Just curious. Thanks everyone for posting lights too.
rkb
New member
Thanks for the nice words- it's starting to grow in the direction I am after. As for how I ended up with these lights- This tank os an upgrade
from a 29g reef that ran a fixture that housed a single 150 and two 96w PCs. The fixture on the 29 had more appropriate demensions to fit over a 40b than a 29 so when I upgraded to my 40b I was hoping that the single halide/PC would suffice. Honestly- I knew I was just kidding myself and within 12hrs of having the 40b running I was searching for new lighting!
I chose this fixture for a few reasons- with as shallow as the 40b is 150w halides work great. I don't care for 150s for tanks any deeper than a 40b as I don't think they have much punch, but they're perfect for shallow tanks. I am a dedicated halide user and while there is certainly more T5 fixtures sized for a forty breeder to choose from I wanted the shimmer of halides- to me they just make the reef come alive.
That said I also wanted supplimental T5s to both fine tune the color of the tank and extend my photoperiod- I only run the halides for six hours.
Regarding a 250w HQI, if I have to change out my fixture for whatever reason I would consider a 250. The power/punch of a 250 is high enough that if the fixture is raised to give proper coverage the punch is enough to properly light the reef. I can see where a couple of them would be too much!
However, my lights present their own issues- I have to run a chiller where if I went with a 6 bulb T5 I most likely would not.
As for bulbs- I like the Phoenix quite a bit. I tried the Ushio 14K HQIs and while they beat the Phoenix in terms of intensity I felt their color to be more of a 11 or 12K. Also, I have ran a mix of UVL bulbs for the T5s- Super Actinic, 454, 75/25, and a Aqua Sun. This combo gave out a rosy cast that while it brought out some of the colors it was a bit distracting. With as much PAR that the ATI bulbs produce they were a perfect fit and the Fiji adds a nice brightness and punch when the halides are off.
The fixture as of right now is suspended about 5 inches above the rim but I'm slowly lowering it to around 3in.
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schroder_reef
New member
Good insight, I wonder if a 250 placed up high enough would give the same par and help with the heat. Have you seen those Hamilton Cayman Sun Reflector DE HQI 14K System? They are supposed to have a better reflector. I haven't seen one in person, but might be enough to do the job for a 40. I'm still skeptical of T5s for full sps. I want to believe but, it's hard. This was my last tank with a 250 14k phoenix, I took it down due to a potential move, but we didn't.
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq218/schroder_reef/ReefNov2608.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq218/schroder_reef/ReefNov2608.jpg
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rkb
New member
Great looking tank! That clam rocks, what species of tridacnid is it? As for the lights, I have not seen in person the one you are speaking of but I do think with the right bulb/ballast/reflector that a 40B could be sucessful. Certainly the edges will be dimmer but could sustain some LPS or softies. As for all T5s- I have see first hand that they will provide plenty for SPS. Personally, I would prefer a 6 or 8 bulb fixture but I'm sure others who are more knowledgable in the T5 world that would argue a 4 or 6 bulb fixture would work.
rkb
New member
schroder_reef
New member
So what's the common consensus on the T5s for sps for the 40B. Im guessing the 4-39w ATI or the Aquatinics TX5? I may give them a shot this go around because my wife doesn't like MH. RKB, I don't remember what kind of clam that was, but I miss him. Anyone have the ATI or Aquatinics 4-39w with sps? Also, the other option would be the 6-39w ATI. Any photos?
rkb
New member
Just from my tank- when the halides go off I'm looking at the 3 39w ATI Blue+s and one 39w Fiji and it looks dark. Granted my eyes are used to the intensity of the 4 T5s plus the 2 halides I still think that 6 bulbs for SPS would be a minimum and if I could I would run eight. To be clear all
eight would be on for just a portion of the photoperiod just like my halides only run for 6 hrs.
schroder_reef
New member
Sorry, I meant to say the fixtures Sunpower or the Aquactinics TX5. I would run ATI bulbs in either. I can't find a fixture for a 36" that is over 6 bulbs. I just don't want to have to worry about something I can't keep (ie certain color acros). I see SunnyX has the Aquactinics on his tank, seems to work well. I am not too knowledgeable on the T5s.
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