MH/ PC or T5 and led's

[aaron112977]

Is it more important to just get as much light as possible with all metal halides or is it a better idea to go with a full 24 hour cycle with actintics then metal halides and led's at night?

im in the market for a lighting system and i dont want to have any regrets as much as they cost

-thanks-

 

[bill37]

It all depends on what type of livestock you are going to keep.

 

[aaron112977]

acanthastrea, zoanthids, acropora in a 75 gallon

 

[bill37]

The acropora is more light dependent than the others. Some people have luck with all the suggested lights but to get the best color from the corals I would have to say MH's.

I ahve 520 watts of pc lighting with everything you have listed, good growth too. But the colors would be better with the MH's. I am debating on upgrading. Look in my gallery for pictures

 

[pjf]

Re: MH/ PC or T5 and led's

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9016791#post9016791 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aaron112977
Is it more important to just get as much light as possible with all metal halides or is it a better idea to go with a full 24 hour cycle with actintics then metal halides and led's at night?

im in the market for a lighting system and i dont want to have any regrets as much as they cost

-thanks-

A dawn-to-dusk lighting cycle is important in delivering light to different depths of your tank. The actinic light is meant for the upper portion of your tank. The full mid-day lighting reaches the deepest portion of your tank. If the full lighting photo-inhibits the SPS corals at the top of your tank, they can resume photosynthesis during the lesser afternoon light (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/july2004/feature.htm).

I recommend 10-12 hours of actinics and 4-6 hours of MH during mid-day.

 

[aaron112977]

i have herd that LED stimulate some sort of nocturnal somthing or another in corals are they benefical or is it just the fact you can look at all the action at night time??

 

[pjf]

Coral Spawning Based on Lunar Cycle

Coral Spawning Based on Lunar Cycle

Some corals time their spawning based on the lunar cycle. Here's a link: http://www.sailhawaii.com/spawning.html. I'm told that the computerized controller in the PFO Solaris LED fixture can simulate the lunar cycle.