Seriously Confused, Lighting for a reef.

[Shawnts106]

Hey you guys, Ive got a 210g AGA Megaflow underway here and Ive gotten so much info on lighting, what color, what wattage and what..ever else that I just cant decide

OK, heres the deal... the tank is 29inches deep, which a bit of sandbed its probably going to be something like 25 to 28 inches of water....

anyway..
I am debating over what wattage... I will have some SPS, but so you know here is a list of different corals that will be in it

Various Acro color/species
Various Montipora species/color
Xenia
shrooms
clams
Euphillias
bubbles
zoas like crazy
brains

pretty much any and every coral

so I dont know what wattage I need... I can get 400Watters for the same $$$ as the 250's

I am thinking of Xm10K's and VHO actinics

with 3 400Watters, and 440watss of VHO actinic that gives me
7.81WPG or so.... which is good
but if I go with the 250s
that only gives me 5.6WPG... but since the Xm10Ks have such great PAR I was thinking that would be enough???

Remember this is a SERIOUSLY Mixed reef, and I dont plan on keeping ACROS at the bottom at ALL!.... the acros will be HIGH UP to at the lowest mid way..

and the montis will be up high, middle, but probably not low..

Montipora speices will be the Caps, danae, maybe confusia, various others..
and Acro species will be I duno... lol, you know, yellow ones, blue ones, Acro tricolor Valida?.... those kinda colors... haha, I havent got to memorize all those species yet!

So Im a bit puzzeled as to which one...
For the same price I can get the 400Ws


Help me decide....

 

[jjackson]

go for the 400's maybe not 10k maybe 14k or similar... they will really drown out the 440W of VHO if they are all 10k

 

[Wiskey]

If you are going for LPS/softies at the bottom don't waist the power and heat of the 400's, 250W XM 10K's pack some serious punch and I think they would be plenty.

Let me go look for a link of some kind.

Whiskey

 

[Shawnts106]

What about the 400W 20K coralvue, they have an alright PAR and I like the color on Cnidarian Reef.


I would like PAR to be at LEAST 400 though...

Does anyone have a picture of 400W XM10K with VHO actinics

I am going for GREAT color and GREAT PAR!!!

I will be running a blueline Eballast

 

[Wiskey]

OOH, this is perfect
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=7104965#post7104965

Whiskey

 

[Shawnts106]

Hey yeah, I saw that ... thats crazy nice

I just would kinda like the extra wattage....
But maybe Im worrying for nothing

the Acros would be ok under 5.6 WPG

what if i was to get the 400W's and put 2 or 4 VHO 160W each actinics???

Im now leaning more tward just the 3 250's and 440 w's of VHO actinic...

more info please!

 

[jjackson]

I have 3 250W 10k xm and 440W VHO Actinic over my 180 and really like it.

 

[Shawnts106]

Hey Jackson.... Could you post a picture of it?

what are you keeping?


ALSO YOU GUYS, what about adapting your corals to their new lighting

how should I go about doing this...???

 

[Shawnts106]

Bump

 

[jjackson]

I have mainly SPS... here you go

The tank is much crisper blue white, I just started running a carbon reactor.... I will get you an updated pic if you want it.

 

[jjackson]

What are they under now.... you can either move them up in the tank slowly or begin with a low MH photoperiod and move it up over a month or so.

 

[Shawnts106]

Thanks for the picture Jackson... that is a VERY NICE looking tank youve got there... wouldnt mind seeing another updated picture at ALL!!!

My corals right now consist of
:
Acro (Green background, Blue tips, green polyps and a purple stalk and "tenticle")
Yellow Acro with blue tips
Blue and Red Montipora Danae... I believe
Monti Cap Orange and Green
Purple/green birdsnest
Pom Pom Xenia
Xenia Elongata
Zoos, Orange, green, blue, red, gold, pink, and mixture of different colors
Green/Brn palythoas
Blue/Purple/Green Crocea clam
Derasa blueline clam
Bubble coral
Blue Shrooms
Red Shrooms
green Shrooms
Purple Shrroms
Daisy polyps
Montipora Digitata, green and orange
White Pipe Organ
4 or 5 Yellow Tonga Leathers
a Gorg. that is red base, and yellow polyps... its a photosynthetic little guy so dont worry... haha
lets see...
Hammer Coral Green,purple mix not branching
Frogspawn Green base purple tips
Yellow tipped Torch,
Green and pink tipped torch
Hydnophora green, its a grandulosa I believe
Green Goniopora (about a year now)
Yellow, green and purple turbinaria
Giant Purple green hairy shrooms
Green Welso brain
Yellow Sun coral
Super Neon trumpets
Turq Trumps
Pink goni
some Anthia
and possibly a few more...

GEEZE can you believe all that in a 75 gallon with about 80 LBS of rock!!!

I REALLY NEED THAT 210! haha

anyway..

How would I increase the MH photoperiod over a month... add on how much time per what amount of time...

15 mins a day or something????

Help me out please... thanks!

 

[jjackson]

or like 15 every couple of days... you have alot of corals to move... I will get one in the next couple of days... Still trying to get my dad to drive the 1.5 hours up here and take some nice pictures for me, he is a professional print photographer... he keeps telling me he wants to.... we will see.... what are the corals under now lighting wise.

 

[jjackson]

thanks on the tank, I am still waiting for it to grow in... it has only been running since october....

you have a very good mix of corals you could easily fill the lower areas of the rock with your zoas and mushrooms... that is what I tried to do... Kinda unsuccessfully... I ended up putting some zoas here and some there.... but all and all I kept my mushrooms and lps towards the bottom....

 

[kirstenk]

Check out this site.

http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com/selectballast.php

Click on the performance data and select ballast and then check the PPFD by bulb. You will find much more choices in the 400W's with electronic ballasts. Watts per gallon isn't as important as par.

I have 2 400W's over my tank and even with 370W of VHO Actinic the XM 10K are pretty yucky to "my eye", the 400's put out a lot of light! So I am limited to XM 20K cuz they have the best par. If I had electronic ballasts I would have many more options.

The ballast choice is important!

And if I were you I would go with the 3 250W, but check out that site for ballast/bulb PPFD.

 

[Shawnts106]

Thanks for the info on light acclimation!
15mins extra every 3 days sound good???

anyway...

All those corals/clams are under 440Watts of VHO. Half 50/50's and Half Actinics...

And also 2 65watt PC duel daylights.... that are half 65K and half 10,000K... they are on for 3 hours a day for a NOON effect..
Ive noticed since I set up the noon day effect system that Ive have better growth out of the corals...

anyway...

thanks for the help so far
anymore Pictures and personal experience would really help!

 

[jjackson]

Yes I would put all of the supplemental lighting on the schedule it is now and then start with an hour of MH a day and start increasing.... watch temp while you do it also.

 

[Shawnts106]

So and hour the first day... the 3 or so days later up it 15 mins?
etc...

Yeah, Temp worrys me,but I plan on putting a good bit of strong fans in it, and one down the the stand pointed at the water surface for evaporation cooling...

hopefully this will eliminate the NEED for a chiller...

thanks for the help so far!

I see the Coralvue 20K bulbs have good PAR and color...

anyone use them? results? what do you guys think?

 

[jjackson]

honestly if you are going to have VHO actinic I wouldnt worry too much about spectrum being to white..... If you are go witha 14k.... you are going to want some good penetration I think 20k isnt going to be enough to make you happy... I had one in the center I had 10k 20k 10k and loved the color but even if I had had 3 20k's it wouldnt have been enough....

 

[Shawnts106]

Ahhh, I get cha'
Well... I think Ive made up my mind...
Going to go with 3 250Watt Xm10K's with 4 110Watt VHO actinics


BUT...

A new question!

Ive got a tank that has one 400Watt on it and we are trying to decide a color...

its a frag tank..

It will probably have 2 VHO 36inch actinics...
And We are wanting good growth and color has to be VERY GOOD too...

So what bulb would you recommend???