My lighting

R

Rhinecanthus

In Memoriam
OK...so the 90g it is! Fish only tank, live rock as well. No corals in this tank. The only inhabitant will be a picasso trigger (my favourite fish). So here are the lighting options that I think I am going to go with:


48" 2 Lamp VHO Retrofit Kit (w/ ARO Model 4L ballast)

http://www.hellolights.com/2lamvhoretki2.html

Bulbs: 2 50/50 bulbs


I also wanted to put something like this in the middle:

150w MH

http://www.hellolights.com/17methalbalk.html

I have read that the spread on a MH is about 2 feet, but I was hoping that if I mount it high enough off the water surface (maybe 10 inches) that I would get the shimmer effect throughout the tank.


Does that sound like it would look OK?

I plan on having this as a long term tank so I dont mind spending the money now for better quality equipment.

Any suggestions on bulbs?
 
OK....geez I change my mind more than the wife (dont tell her I said that!)


3 VHOs, no MH

SO I need suggestions for make, colour, etc of the 3 bulbs!

thanks!
 
Honestly,

Lighting is like asking what's your favorite color.

Some like this and other's like that. I use 20 K MH bulbs and I've hear many people say they are too blue. I like them.

I can tell you a combo of bulbs is great and you could hate it.

10 K bulbs are brite white.

50/50 bulbs are more bluish.

Actinic bulbs are really blue.

6500 K bulbs are yellowish.

With a 3 blub set I would go with two 10 Ks and one actinic.

Or you could go all 50/50.

The above mentioned plan would work too.

I think this is just something you are going to have to play with. You won't be the first person to go through several configutations before you find one you like....
 
Even though you are willing to spend the extra money, I think you'd be ok with NO bulbs instead of VHO. Cheaper bulbs, cheaper ballast, lower electric bill. And still plenty of light from 2x40w 48" bulbs.

George
 
Personally im a big fan of the actinics as morning cycle lights and then use 10k for my day cycle. Aqua man pretty much summed it up.... its a lot like saying whos your favorite football team? Everyone has slightly different taste. My lighting is PC and i have to say that my electric bill is not bad.
 
You could try putting 1 dual actinic 1 10k and a 50/50 or instead of the 50/50 put a 20k?

I have on my tank PC lighting. 2 dual daylight 6700k and 10k 2 dual actinic 420nm and 460nm and 2 10k. But i am going to switch out the 2 10k for 2 20k.
 
Whatever you decide keep the wattage down. Live rock doesn't need alot of light and since your going to keep some heavy bioload fish you don't want algae issues creeping up on you. Once you got hair algae it's tought to get rid of. I would go 2 watts per gallon with what ever light configuration you choose. Maybe 3 t5's with 2 lue and 1 10k. Remeber the coralline likes blue color. Happy reefing!
 
I have to agree the prices are pretty good. If i was going to go with one of those i vote for the first one. I think you'll be happier with the white/actinic mix.

If you would go with the second choic you would have to go with the 50/50s they sell it with. If you replaced 1 light with a 10k white it would look real goofy in your tank...... one side white light and the other markedly bluer.

If that place has lighting that cheap and you want to go the PC route..... look for a light fixture with 4 x 65 watt bulbs and get 2 x 10k and 2 x actinic or 50/50. I just would hate to see you buy one of those and get it set up to find out that its not enough for what you want. Lighting is the second most important thing behind a skimmer IMHO. What it all boils down to is that you have to look at it..... more light means enhanced look of the fish and rock structures in the tank. Sure algae might be an issue when your tank is young.... but if you establish good params and "fight the good fight" by not overfeeding you will see algae diminish and eventually disappear.

If i were you i would get out to some LFS and look at their display tanks.... see what you like and look at the differences between wattages and colored bulbs. BUT that is just my opinion.... its up to you. Wish i would have known about aquatraders before i bought my lighting!
 
If you read in the "Vendor Experiences" forum you'll see a lot of bad experiences with Aquatraders.

I have the the 48" outer orbit on my 90g which is currently empty.

http://www.marineandreef.com/shoppro/metal_OuterOrbit.htm

If you want the shimmerlines from the halides this setup offers a 24 hr lighting system which is pretty slick.

Coralife offers a similar setup with lower & higher wattage then the Outer Orbit which is right in between the two

http://www.marineandreef.com/shoppro/power_HQIProaqualight.html

I'm still in the deciding process of making my 90 a FOWL or Reef but I at least have the lighting for either or. MH or even T5's will just make your fish stand out much more.
 
i have current orbit with moonlights -- I'm happy with
i'd like to try those geismann t5's or the orbit t5 next to see how they are -

most people say they are better coloring and lower watts than pc --they work best with brands that have individual reflectors
 
I would get 2 normal output flourescents. That will be plenty of light for viewing the fish and maintaining any live rock. That is what I had on my old 90. What those bulbs won't do is grow lots of hair algae, even if nitrates or phosphates run a little high. My old 90 had nitrates of 100ppm and phosphates off the charts, but grew no hair algae. My current tank has 2 VHO and I am fighting the hair algae war despite nitrates of 5ppm and phosphates of .03ppm. Also the new lights generate more heat - requiring the use of fans to keep the tank cool. Also, 80 total watts is cheaper to run (and buy) than 220watts plus fans.
 
What about just 2 T5? Like a TekLIght 2 bulb retro kit? I hear they show better colors than the NO flourescents.

jmicky: do you think your fish arent shows as vibrant as they could be?
 
I think you would be fine with a 2 bulb t5 setup with one blue and one 10k. Seems like it would be perfect to me. It will show your fish colors really nice and not over do it until you have hair algae. Trust me and jmicky about this. It will be a never ending battle once it appears.
 
I think the 2 t5 would be ok. Color-wise the fish may look a little better under my current VHO, but the tank overall with the algae looks worse.
 
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