110galreef
New member
My .02....
quick as noted above VHO is best for acctinic. I to planned that originally....
1st) You have MH full spectrum (blue skewed) that covers all your bases, provides more than enuf light to grow your reef. Also it is primarily the color spectrum you want. In essence the REEF has all it needs.
2nd) YOU want some more pop. VHO, T-5, and LED all good choices wth Pros & con's. Go with what fits your system and will make it more enjoyable and easier to maintain, not make harder.
3rd) You are over thinking the RB spectrum in relation to the peak of a full spectrum MH bulb. Also the 30 LED's at 700mA relative to 750w MH will do little. ALSO the UV LED's out put is so small that if you swap say 10 of the RB's for UV you won't notice anything. You would need all 30 UV and even at that would probably be not noticeable.
SO in closing:
PICK what fits your system best. Whether it's:
2 rails left to right of 30 RB LED' ,
4 -6 rails of 30 LED running front to back next to MH's
2 140-w VHO's running left to right
2- 80w T-5's running left to right
4 18-24w T-5's runninf front to back next to MH's
All will work and all will do about exactly the same, just requiring different instalation methods, taking up different amounts of space, different wiring methods, some dimmable & some not, some requiring more bulb replacement cost, and some more custimizable with spectrum colors(different bulb choices.)
I say only worry about:
1.) ease of instal
2.) will be in my way or not,
3.) custimizable placement (target certain areas vs empty sand) PRO for LED!
3.) ongoing replacement cost,
4.) dimmable
these really should only a last thought:
-start up cost, all about the same now adays
-spectrum enhancemnt (MH's cover allthat and you can easily swap a lower K bulb if needed)
Oh and RB CREE LED's are your best for acctinic.
If you really want to bang your head like I did,:headwally: you can even order different bins of the same LED that are batch tested to a specific spectrum and very tight to it as well as the highest lm/watt(definitly want that bin for effeciency). You can even mix up the batches and bang your head more! :headwalls:
I believe bin Q04 is the highest lm/watt and tightest spectrum (for reefers). It is pretty much 450-455 nm only. While many may be targeted at 450, but wander 20-30 nm either way of 450nm.
quick as noted above VHO is best for acctinic. I to planned that originally....
1st) You have MH full spectrum (blue skewed) that covers all your bases, provides more than enuf light to grow your reef. Also it is primarily the color spectrum you want. In essence the REEF has all it needs.
2nd) YOU want some more pop. VHO, T-5, and LED all good choices wth Pros & con's. Go with what fits your system and will make it more enjoyable and easier to maintain, not make harder.
3rd) You are over thinking the RB spectrum in relation to the peak of a full spectrum MH bulb. Also the 30 LED's at 700mA relative to 750w MH will do little. ALSO the UV LED's out put is so small that if you swap say 10 of the RB's for UV you won't notice anything. You would need all 30 UV and even at that would probably be not noticeable.
SO in closing:
PICK what fits your system best. Whether it's:
2 rails left to right of 30 RB LED' ,
4 -6 rails of 30 LED running front to back next to MH's
2 140-w VHO's running left to right
2- 80w T-5's running left to right
4 18-24w T-5's runninf front to back next to MH's
All will work and all will do about exactly the same, just requiring different instalation methods, taking up different amounts of space, different wiring methods, some dimmable & some not, some requiring more bulb replacement cost, and some more custimizable with spectrum colors(different bulb choices.)
I say only worry about:
1.) ease of instal
2.) will be in my way or not,
3.) custimizable placement (target certain areas vs empty sand) PRO for LED!
3.) ongoing replacement cost,
4.) dimmable
these really should only a last thought:
-start up cost, all about the same now adays
-spectrum enhancemnt (MH's cover allthat and you can easily swap a lower K bulb if needed)
Oh and RB CREE LED's are your best for acctinic.
If you really want to bang your head like I did,:headwally: you can even order different bins of the same LED that are batch tested to a specific spectrum and very tight to it as well as the highest lm/watt(definitly want that bin for effeciency). You can even mix up the batches and bang your head more! :headwalls:
I believe bin Q04 is the highest lm/watt and tightest spectrum (for reefers). It is pretty much 450-455 nm only. While many may be targeted at 450, but wander 20-30 nm either way of 450nm.
All good points here and the more I researched the more I found the same - it's really VHO against LED when supplementing actinic with Halides. I think in the long run I'll be happier with an LED supplementation and I will be able to upgrade/adjust as necessary especially if I use the JBJ modular holders. I will also request the Q04 BIN from reefledlights when I go to order. Thanks again for the great info 110g. 
