Lighting Website Updates

[TropTrea]

1. I think 400 Watts is to much for a 40 gallon tank.

2. Since you already have the ballast what I would then use as frist choice the XM 10000K which gives a high PAR and a slightly bluer spectrum than the other high par bulbs. As a second choice I'd go with XM20000K with a lot lesser PAR than the other bulb but a much bluer look.

3. With the 400W bulbs you could raise the bulb considerably higher than if you used a 250W which will give you more even light distribution .

4. Now if you were suplementing with Actinics then I'd look at the EV or Hamilton bulbs.

Dennis

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8510127#post8510127 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LRS
Hello Sanjay / Hahnmeitster,

I am currently setting up a 40g SPS frag tank, 36"l x 18"w x 16"h. I have a PFO 400W HQI ballast and a PFO horizontal SE pendant. What bulb would you suggest for "optimal" growth without compromising too much on esthetics. I was thinking of an Aqua Connect 400w 14K or XM 400w 10K/15K ( I don't know if 15K is available). What suggestions would you have? Also, How high above the top of the tank would the pendant give me an optimal spread? Your advice/comments will be very much appreciated!

Many thanks...

 

[LRS]

TropTrea thanks for your reply, however, my question is in comparison between the Aqua Connect 14K bulb vs the XM 10K/15K, not the 20K. Also, I don't care about the height of a 250W bulb only the height above an aquarium with my dimensions with a 400W bulb.

Les

 

[hahnmeister]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8510127#post8510127 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LRS
Hello Sanjay / Hahnmeitster,

I am currently setting up a 40g SPS frag tank, 36"l x 18"w x 16"h. I have a PFO 400W HQI ballast and a PFO horizontal SE pendant. What bulb would you suggest for "optimal" growth without compromising too much on esthetics. I was thinking of an Aqua Connect 400w 14K or XM 400w 10K/15K ( I don't know if 15K is available). What suggestions would you have? Also, How high above the top of the tank would the pendant give me an optimal spread? Your advice/comments will be very much appreciated!

Many thanks...

OMG, 400watts over a 40B is overkill. At that, I hope you like 20,000K bulbs, because thats about all Im gonna suggest to help bring that output down a bit... but with a PFO HQI ballast, that leads me to only one bulb: UShio/BLV Neptiurion 20,000K, because I think its the only HQI rated 400watt 20,000K bulb around. Using a non-HQI rated bulb will kill any other bulb you use rather fast. An electronic ballast in this case would give you more options... I hate to say. But that AC 14,000K or a 10,000K bulb... those are overkill for a 40b. You could run two 40Bs side by side with that much light.

The light spread would depend on your reflector, but being that its only a 40g, I would not use a lumenarc or something large like that. I would instead mount the bulb higher and use smaller reflector like a SLS Reef Optix or a PFO pendant... which you already have. At that, I would start with 12" above the tank and go from there. You are going to be able to grow SPS on the bottom of the tank still.

Honestly, a 250wattDE would cut it... but I suppose there are times with my 40Bs (I have two that run on 250wattDE haldies, one is a pheonix 14,000K, and the other is a EVC 20,000K) when I wish I could go 20,000K 100% and still have decent output, but that would require a 400watt bulb most likely. But I would use an e-ballast so I could use probe-start bulbs (the dominant type of 400wattSE bulb in the US... XM, Coralvue, EVC, Helios, etc... all probe start bulbs).

 

[LRS]

Thanks for your quick response Hahnmeitster. I'm not very pleased with the 20K bulb, however, I will look into the UShio and hopefully it will provide me with some good growth. Maybe in the future I will get a deeper, larger frag tank and then I will have more bulb options.

All the Best...
Les

 

[hahnmeister]

Yeah, like a 4'x4'x14" frag vat... then I would go with a 14,000K Aquaconnect. Dont worry too much. Many people wish they had the wattage to spare to run all 20,000Ks. The coloration and growth will be good, and keep in mind that 400watt 20,000Ks are often more 'daylight' than their 250watt and smaller versions. All light levels are brought up across the spectral graph, so while there might be loads of actinic and blue, you will get a good amount of red, green, and yellow as well... as much as a 250watt 14,000K at least.

 

[kdblove_99]

keeping mainly LPS and soft coral, zoo's and shrooms and would also like to add a clam or two

 

[hahnmeister]

huh?

 

[kdblove_99]

In a few posts up i wrote and thought you asked me a question so i replied

Ok,

I have no idea how to read this stuff! Like what efficiency is good, etc. Need to buy 2 DE Metal halide bulbs. probably 10K but maybe 14K


hahnmeister
Original SCWD m0dder

Registered: Sep 2005
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Occupation: I engineer electricity.
Posts: 2977


What tank size, what do you plan to keep in the tank, etc...??


__________________

 

[LRS]

Hello Hahnmeister, I am also planning to upgrade my 40g DT (20"l x 18"w x 24"h) lighting from a 150W 20K Giesmann DE MH bulb on a hang-on Coralife pendant to a 250W DE MH pendant. I have a PFO 250W electronic ballast and would like to use a 14K Aqua Connect bulb. However, I have a choice of three pendants. A PFO DE pendant, a Lumenmax DE pendant or a Reef Optix 3 DE pendant. The Lumenmax is $40 more than the other two. Is it worth the extra money or which pendant of the three would you suggest?

Many thanks...
Les

 

[hahnmeister]

You know, this is Sanjay's thread... oh well, maybe Sanjay can use the time saved on setting up his new 500g... he can kick me out any time he wants.

kdblove_99, I got you now... I had to scroll up a bit because I didnt remember. I got you now. Okay, so you dont need a very bright light field, but what size tank is it? Dimensions?

LRS, usually, yes the lumenmax would be worth it, but in particular with larger tanks. One of those lumenmax bulbs can cover a 2x2 footprint, if not 3x3. Thats just overkill for your tank. Im trying a lumenarcDE over my 40B... thats just overkill as well (waiting to put it over the new 150g soon).

The lumenmax is better, but I just dont see the point in your case.... the tank isnt large enough to benefit from it. At that, the Reef Optix DE would be my choice.

 

[kdblove_99]

Its a 180 6x2x2

 

[hahnmeister]

Thats hard to do with only two halides... 3 is more of the 'standard' because you have to cover 6', and each halide has trouble covering more than a 2'x2' area usually. Sure, you can raise the reflectors up more to cover more side to side, but then you are looking at wasting alot of light that will spill out of the front and back. There are many possible combos, but I know a buddy of mine here, prugs, runs his 210g (6'x2'x30"h) with three 250wattDE pheonix 14,oooKs. Thats one option, but three would be the best, not two.

If you want to stick with 2, you could use some T5s to 'fill in'. You could use 5' 80 watt bulbs... one aquablue, one actinic, and one blue+... kind of a blue/day look overall... but then you could get away with 10,000Ks on the halides. I say only 3 80watt T5s because you can run them at 100watts each (300watts total) on an icecap660 ballast. IF you prefer regular T5 ballasts, two 2x80watt ballasts would allow you to run 4 bulbs... two blue+, one aquablue, one actinic to fill in the center 2' between the halide reflectors. That would actually be a pretty sweet setup... one I would consider over the 3 halides. Very flexible and good for whatever you want to grow. You can get more or less output depending on the mix of bulb colors you use. I just dont see dual halides giving you the spread you need though with the dimensions of that tank. You could place them closer together in the center (but I think you might have cross brcaces blocking that), but that will leave the ends pretty dark... too dark for shrooms possibly.

 

[hahnmeister]

Sanjay,

Did the Giesemann bulb mixup ever get sorted out?
http://www.giesemannlicht.com/catalogue.php?page=prodspare&id=8
On your page, you have the coral bulb listed as the 13,000K.
The 14,500K is the Coral, and the 13,000K is the Marine (20,000K is blue). I dont think any of their older bulbs are still made either. From the spectral plot, it looks like you tested the new 13,000K, but its called the 'Marine', not the 'Coral'. The older 10,000K, 20,000Ks, and 13,000Ks are gone last I heard... you might want to note that in the bulb description ('old') so people dont get confused. The new bulbs are similar in appearance (except for the new 14,500K), only much brighter.

If you would like to test a Coral 14,500K, let me know... I have one laying around. As well as the 14,000K Ushio.

I also have the 1yr old pheonix bulbs... one on HQI, one on IC e-ballast for that long term comparison if you like. Saved 2 just for you...

 

[hounddog01]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8385622#post8385622 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sanjay
I will be testing these soon. david just sent me some lamps.

sanjay.

I was wondering if you will post data on these bulbs here or just add them to your data base. If you just add them could you let us know when you have finished your testing. I appriciate your data it is very helpful.

 

[jerry11901]

Hallo every one .I have T5 lamp with 36 inch bulbs.My someone help me to find bulb that would ad some red light to my reef tank? Any links?

 

[hahnmeister]

GE 3000Ks have red in them, although they look more yellow (like a regular tungsten bulb) overall. They really bring out the warmer colors though... Geek has em. As of yet, I have not seen any decorative or pure red colored lamps though...

 

[salmon alley]

Sanjay,

Did the Giesemann bulb mixup ever get sorted out?
http://www.giesemannlicht.com/catal...=prodspare&id=8
On your page, you have the coral bulb listed as the 13,000K.
The 14,500K is the Coral, and the 13,000K is the Marine (20,000K is blue). I dont think any of their older bulbs are still made either. From the spectral plot, it looks like you tested the new 13,000K, but its called the 'Marine', not the 'Coral'. The older 10,000K, 20,000Ks, and 13,000Ks are gone last I heard... you might want to note that in the bulb description ('old') so people dont get confused. The new bulbs are similar in appearance (except for the new 14,500K), only much brighter.

If you would like to test a Coral 14,500K, let me know... I have one laying around. As well as the 14,000K Ushio.

I also have the 1yr old pheonix bulbs... one on HQI, one on IC e-ballast for that long term comparison if you like. Saved 2 just for you...

Any word on a clarification of the Giesemann bulb data?

 

[TropTrea]

What appears yellow is actually a ballance between red and green as detected by your eye. There are basicly only three colors your eyes can see Red, Green, Blue, with everything else being aq combination of these.

Now what I cannot understand is why someone would want to use a 3,000K bulb on an aquarium especialy a reef. It it was a fresh water tank I can see 5,500K, but for a reef I see 6,500K or even 10,000K as the warmest.

Dennis

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8541515#post8541515 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hahnmeister
GE 3000Ks have red in them, although they look more yellow (like a regular tungsten bulb) overall. They really bring out the warmer colors though... Geek has em. As of yet, I have not seen any decorative or pure red colored lamps though...

 

[hahnmeister]

I dont see how our perception comes into play here Dennis. Its not like I can rationalize with a coral that it should be okay with red and green rather than yellow (if thats what it wants) just because thats how I see it.

As for the use of 3000Ks... well... you know how some people are having color problems with their T5s? Turns out that unlike halides, a blue T5 is just that... mostly blue. A blue halide OTOH, contains alot of the full spectrum range of colors. So with T5s, a good mix is a little harder to get. If you like to run actinics, aquablues, and blue+ bulbs (like I do), you may see some of your red/yellow/orange, and even green corals start to fade.

Same is true of LED's. Their advantage with narrow bands of output in the blue range means they cant make a very complete spectrum. While blue light might make for good growth, leaving out the other spectrums all together will leave you will a bunch of blue corals. The solution for PFO's LED systems has been to add a coupld green LED's. Speculation is that they will add a yellow or red/orange LED as well.

The solution for T5 users that are having spectrum problems is to throw in a sun bulb, a 6500K, or even a 3000K, and the results have been very nice...

Read in mothra's blog... he even has photos...
http://blogs.frags.org/member.php?uid=2561

This page says it all...
http://blogs.frags.org/showblog.php?bid=87

 

[wemeetnet]

thank you

thank you

:rollface: