The Reef Central Corner Club Thread

Hey guys, question on lightening...

I am running a Single 250w MH Double Ended on a Lumenarc mini, with 2x24 and 1x36 t5 supplements. I have tried a host of different things, and have still not found the right mix of lights.

The XM10's are too white/yellow
The Phoenix are a bit sterile looking
The iwasaki 14k were ok at first but still a little to white

I have also tried a host of different t5 combo's with these, from the daylight, to Blue actinics, Purple actinics, and 25/75 split (Sorry I dont have all the bulb names off the top of my head)

Right now the closest to what I like is the Phoenix 14k (old bulb needs replacing), with 2x24 blue actinics (Geisman I think) and 1x36 25/75 split. The problem with this is the reds/oranges/yellows just don't pop.

I really wish I would have gone with an SE setup, I love the radium's, as even without supplement they have a wonderful color.

Any suggestions?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15630140#post15630140 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Husky_1
Hey guys, question on lightening...

I am running a Single 250w MH Double Ended on a Lumenarc mini, with 2x24 and 1x36 t5 supplements. I have tried a host of different things, and have still not found the right mix of lights.

The XM10's are too white/yellow
The Phoenix are a bit sterile looking
The iwasaki 14k were ok at first but still a little to white

I have also tried a host of different t5 combo's with these, from the daylight, to Blue actinics, Purple actinics, and 25/75 split (Sorry I dont have all the bulb names off the top of my head)

Right now the closest to what I like is the Phoenix 14k (old bulb needs replacing), with 2x24 blue actinics (Geisman I think) and 1x36 25/75 split. The problem with this is the reds/oranges/yellows just don't pop.

I really wish I would have gone with an SE setup, I love the radium's, as even without supplement they have a wonderful color.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

I don't know if you have seen this link? But if you haven't here it is. I think that most of these photos are for mogul MH, but some do cross over. This might help out. I am kinda drawn to the 'blueline super white', which i haven't seen much about.

http://www.cnidarianreef.com/lamps.cfm

McL
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15630140#post15630140 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Husky_1
Hey guys, question on lightening...
...
Right now the closest to what I like is the Phoenix 14k (old bulb needs replacing), with 2x24 blue actinics (Geisman I think) and 1x36 25/75 split. The problem with this is the reds/oranges/yellows just don't pop.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

You have nailed the combo that I personally would have suggested and I'm kind of suprised that the red/yellows are not doing it for you.

I would 100% recommend keeping the Phoenxi 14k as the MH... get a new one for sure... I'm not sure on their spectral shift over time, but old=replace and they are the best on the market for growth and color.

If you are not getting the red/yellows, then you might try reversing your T5's... put 2x24 of the 25/75 (12k bulbs) and the 1x36 as a pure blue Geisman is good.

Also, read these...

A Different Look at Lighting: Effects of Prolonged Photoperiod, Spectral Quality, and Light Dosage

How to Make Corals Colorful, Part One: New Information, With Particular Attention to Blue-Green Fluorescent Pigments

How to Make Corals More Colorful, Part Two: New Information! Green Fluorescent Pigments, Pigment Clades, and Photoconversion from Green to Orange/Red

How to Make Corals More Colorful Part 3 - New Information: Red Fluorescent Pigments: DsRed-type
 
Thanks for the links guys,

To be honest, I a bit gunshy of buying 2 more 24" bulbs just to "try" it out. I am not 100% sure that I love the color these put off, and am concerned that by adding that touch more, the colors may become washed out. Man, I wish someone close had a couple I could borrow :)

Good luck with your thread, I will check it out now. Then will be checking out the links provided for lighting.
 
I have an XM 20k 250watt SE bulb, and Nova Extreme 24" T-5 fixture over my tank with UVL 12k, ATI Reef Blue 10k, UVL 460nm actinic, and ATI 420nm Super Actinic. I do like this color combo, but the 20k does tend to wash out the colors a bit. I think I'll most likely stick with XM, but try the 15k for MH next time around. The T-5 combo though is on point! Very crips, not too blue, and I get GREAT colors from reds, oranges and purples, and the greens and blues are very bright! When I had my 20gal up and running, I switched the bulbs out from the stock 2-10k Current and 2-460nm Current bulbs, and I couldn't believe the difference! Here's a couple pics just as visual reference. I wish I had a couple to compare to the stock bulb pics, but you can see from these, just how much of a variety of color they bring out.

103_0535.jpg


103_0534.jpg
 
Very nice, which of the bulbs do you think brings out the reds the best?I was trying to read the Red pigment link before, but i had a hard time understanding what wave length is good for making red fluores?
 
I'm not too sure what brought out the reds, but I'd guess the 12k if anything. I'm a huge fan of the oranges and reds, which are kind of harder to find than most other colors, but they are so worth the extra $! I have a small colony of Aussie Acan Echinatta "Orange Crush" that I got as one polyp for $25, but now it's got at least 8 new polyps, and the orange is like nothing I've ever seen before! I'll get some nice pics of that one when I get the better camera back. Lots of pics are on the way!
 
I am with you, I have an orange digitata that I could not give up even though most of the colony could not be taken off the rock...Then I have an Acan, who knows the name, that is red. I have seen it nice and bright when it was being stored in a friends tank during my rebuild. He has one of the fixtures, so I guess I should ask him what he has..Not really sure why I did not think of it..
 
Well, you get building what you think is the best, and it's never going to look quite like anybody elses tank. The reds and oranges really don't look all that bad at the bottom of the tank in this pic, but the upper part of the tank with the 250watt 20k does seem washed out a bit. I still have the same T-5 combo FYI
 
I'll get some better pics, but here's probably my best pic that shows off the best of all the colors in my tank:
100_1790.jpg


I never get pics that are as clear as this, and I just love this one! Pretty much, the War Coral, and the Acan are just as bright as anything else that I have in there, so this is pretty much what my bulb combo gives me.
 
Welcome popsicle! Always nice to see a new face on this thread! And thank you for the comment. The above pics are probably some of the best that I have so far, but a better camera is on the way back to me soon! Pics will be posted soon!
 
<b>reefscape15</b>, i saw that you are thinking about moving to 14k XM for better reds/oranges, have you seen this link which compares side by side pics of different MH strengths, then supplemented with the same actinic's?

http://www.cnidarianreef.com/lamps.cfm

I know that every tank is different but my eyes are being drawn to some of the 10k-12k MH and the Hamilton 13k for natural reds/oranges. The CV 15k looks great by itself, but when adding actinic's, it is too blue.

PS: your tank looks great!
 
I'm kind of liking the CoralVue 12k for bringing out nice colors in everything. I honestly don't think that bulb test is really all that great. It looks like it was made over the course of a month or so. I think all of those bulbs could have been tested over the course of a few days max, even with the different ballasts. Also, the camera position changes on almost every pic, so you're getting different amounts of glare in the camera. It's very nice that someone took the time to do these tests, but IMO it could have been done a lot better.
 
<b>reefscape15</b>, ya i did notice the subtle angle changes on the camera too. It is quite surprising and overwhelming, when purchasing first round of bulbs, to just how different they all are. It has certainly pushed me away from 20k MH, b/c it just too blue. My lighting set up is exactly like yours with regard to 4x39 and 250 MH.

Thanx for your input. McL
 
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