lighting up grade to come in the near future

[ihavtats29]

what do you think? 6) t-5's 4) over driven on ice cap 660 ballast and 2 standard with ice cap 430 on SLR reflectors? or 2) 250 w 14 k se mh with luminbright mini max reflectors and pfo electronic ballasts and 4) 65 watt pc's for suplimental..... im feeling out what would get the best growth for sps, lps and clams

 

[Grendel0501]

What size/wattage t-5's?

I'm leaning towads the MH setup.
I like the shimmer effect and you'll get deep penetration with the MH's.

 

[ihavtats29]

they will be 48'' 54 watt

 

[ihavtats29]

about 420 watts total out of the t-5's about 300 from the over driven 4 and 120 from the 2 standard

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

I would do the t5s, they don't produce as much heat and will reach the bottom.I am currently running a 6x54 on my 120,and all softies and lps are doing great.I have one sps near the top and it is good as well.

 

[Rendos]

I would go with the T5's.

 

[just dave]

PFO has stopped making everything but LED lighting. So unless you already have one ( PFO Ballast) you may not be able to get one.

Ask yourself which combination gives you the look you're after and go with that. This is not some commercial farming endeavor so it's all about the look as each set-up will produce results.

 

[Mako Shark II]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14176536#post14176536 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by just dave
This is not some commercial farming endeavor so it's all about the look as each set-up will produce results.

Once again, Dave's right.

This might not be the "look", you're going for:

 

[Grendel0501]

What is that?

 

[Mako Shark II]

Why... Commercial Farm Lighting, of course.

 

[ihavtats29]

im not to worried about the shimmer effect , im looking for the best lighting for my aplication, if i cannot get the PFO i would have to make a diferant choice , i was not dead set on the ballast everything i listed were a strong possibility for each combo, any diferant options are welcome , i just want it right the first time .

 

[just dave]

Without any criteria from you "best" will be subjective.

 

[ihavtats29]

what i mean is i dont want to get something that im not going to be happy with, im wanting to see good growth from my corals currently they are growing very very slowly in the tank in exception of the frags on my frag rack 3 inchs from the surface 12 inchs from the 175's i currently have on the tank

 

[MarineFlake]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14178837#post14178837 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ihavtats29
what i mean is i dont want to get something that im not going to be happy with, im wanting to see good growth from my corals currently they are growing very very slowly in the tank in exception of the frags on my frag rack 3 inchs from the surface 12 inchs from the 175's i currently have on the tank

What color temp?

 

[ihavtats29]

they are 14 k's

 

[Grendel0501]

What brand?

From my noob understanding of it , if you just want growth and don't care about color of corals or the look of the tank. 6500's would be best. 14k's give a good mix of coloration and growth , specifcally phoenix's 14k.

It's way past my comprehension level but you might want to read some of the detailed test articles from Sanjay. I've tried to read some of them , the graphs are pretty , the words give me a headache.

 

[ihavtats29]

they are xm's one is on a pfo electronic ballast and the other is on a blueline magnetic ballast with spider reflectors

 

[ihavtats29]

i realy think 175's do not have enough penitration for a 24'' tankjus from what i am seeing it trealy needs to be 250's with 14 or 15 k bulbs , i also thought of replacing the magnetic with a electronic and some 10k iwasiki bulbs and retro fitting my 4) 65 watt pc's into the canopy for suplimental but by time i drop $300 on bulbs and another $100 on a ballast for another $150 i can replace everything

 

[Blindside]

I just started my new 90 but I have good growth already, just using 2 250 watt mh 20k xm, closed loop and 2 sea swirls, 20 gallon change per week. Everybody hates it but water changes imho seems to get the most growth going.

 

[MarineFlake]

I would suggest moving to 10k or 6.5k if all your interested in is growth. Just my opinion but that seems like the cheapest option.