lighting pains

[Jared020]

so as my 90gal and new LR cycles. I have been going back and forth on lighting. at first i was just going to run 2x250 hqi 20k's , but it cost a fortune (well for me). would 2x150's handle 90gal and what range? Can hqi's really take the place of Actinics?

 

[Jared020]

Well to spur up a little more feed back, im changing the question. If you had a brand new 90gallon setup, with all ur experience. What lights would u want?

 

[phlipper84]

need to give dimensions to get a better idea.

 

[Jared020]

48x24x18. I knew i forgot something

 

[Jared020]

I'm thinking 2x250 14k and 1x150 20k. I think this covers all the lighting ranges. Correct me if i'm wrong.

 

[dgin]

You only really need just two MH fixtures for your 90g. I would do 14K 250DE (Double ended bulb/ HQI) in a couple of good pendants. You could go with 250SE (single ended) bulbs with some spider reflectors as 2nd alternative. 150DE could work too but you won't get as much light and will have less bulb selection (compared to 250s).

As far as replacing actinics, I like the Phoenix 14K bulbs - a good mix of color and growth. You don't get the actinic only light for those really blue/purple pictures but its one less set of bulbs for me to replace.

 

[rljlll]

what bulbs have some of the best groth rate do you guys think?

 

[clintrandall]

I agree with Durwin. The 14ks don't really need actinic supplementation. I have 14k Reefmax bulbs and they are similar to the Phoenix bulbs when they burn in. They are a nice white with a hint of blue and everything looks natural. I've never been a fan of looking at the tank when it's super actinic because it doesn't look natural. My 96W actinic is nice, but now that I have 14k MH, I might not replace it when the bulb burns out.

 

[phlipper84]

Definitely go with the 250's with the 24 deep. To hold your price down you might look at the Sunlight Supply ballasts with the Reef Optix pendants as the pricing is not extreme.