VERY NEW to sps lighting question.

[NarnyTheGreat]

I am REALLY new to sps though I have been in the hobby for 9-10 years. In fact I am getting my very first acro Tuesday. Its a deep water acro lokani.

I have a 4 bulb T5 lighting system and really like the powerchrome lagoon blue bulbs. I was thinking of 3 lagoon blues and one something else. I just dont know what and also I dont know if this is a stupid/bad plan.

I couldnt find the par for the lagoon blues anywhere and I know that most of the powerchrome actinic bulbs are a waste so I dont want to go there.

Help?

 

[Dapg8gt]

You should ask in the t5 Q&A thread in the lighting forum..

I'm not familiar with your bulb choice. But if it's similar to a ATI blue+ than an ATI Coral + is a good match at a 3 b+ to 1 c+. If you like a blue tank though =) .. Or any other midday "full spectrum white" bulb.. Ge6500k,some use purple+, aqua blue special etc..But the latest bulb I've been using is the coral+ together with blue+.. .



Depending on the fixture though a 4 bulb on an sps tank might be a stretch.. What fixture do you have?

 

[NarnyTheGreat]

I have a aquaticlife. I have posted in the lighting section so we will see whats what. I was thinking of adding another 24 inch 4 bulb but dont know if thats to much.

Hopefully they will have an answer over there, if you dont know.

 

[Dapg8gt]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=22683251#post22683251

This is the thread that will tell you all you need to know about t5 bulbs. I'm not familiar with the bulbs you like but I recommend ATI bulbs.. Price and performance they are considered to be the best.. Geismann is the other top contender but I don't use them on price point alone..

Depending on your tank size and dimensions is the deciding factor in how many bulbs you need.. The thread is loooong so start at the last few pages for updated info and. Ask your question there.

If it was my fixture I would use(ATI) 3x blue + and one coral plus.. Also grabbing extra bulbs(purple +, aqua blue special etc) will help but with finding the color you like but just 4 bulb fixture it's going to be a little difficult to get the exact color you want while covering the spectrum and intensity you need for sps. Another option is 2 of each so an even number of each bulb, it Will be more white though. Def don't use any actinics if you stick with your fixture though.

If you plan to do sps in more areas of your tank other than right under the bulbsI'd plan to get some more light either t5 or add some led strips along the sides like a reefbright xho or a build my led fixtures..

 

[maestro]

I am REALLY new to sps though I have been in the hobby for 9-10 years. In fact I am getting my very first acro Tuesday. Its a deep water acro lokani.

I have a 4 bulb T5 lighting system and really like the powerchrome lagoon blue bulbs. I was thinking of 3 lagoon blues and one something else. I just dont know what and also I dont know if this is a stupid/bad plan.

I couldnt find the par for the lagoon blues anywhere and I know that most of the powerchrome actinic bulbs are a waste so I dont want to go there.

Help?

The lagoon blues are a stand alone 14K tube so you dont need to run anything alongside them, they are already a mix or blue and white, you could run 4 lagoon blue tubes no problem.

Personally I like a mix of lagoon blue and ATI coral plus, they are very simular but the coral plus just has a tiny bit of red in to bring out pinks etc.

 

[NarnyTheGreat]

Thank you both. I really appreciate the help.

@ Dapg8gt- I will check out that thread though most people in my other post really think I should just get a new fixture lol. Right now if I can just use what I have and buy more bulbs that would make me happy.

@maestro- thank you for the bulb recommendation. I agree with it. As of now I have no red pow if that makes sense.

 

[Dapg8gt]

If you want to stick with a geisman bulb use a aqua blue + or add an ATI blue + in the extra slot(I believe they are about =).

Fwiw I posted in the other thread also =).. literally the lights are 2 different beasts. The ATI is a par monster as the Aquatic life is a affordable OK light. But if you don't plan on going all sps or clams on the sand it's not necessarily needed to get the ATI but there is no chance you will be able to support the clam on the sand in a 25" tank with the 4 bulb fixture unless you supplement leds with it.. Imo you can probably get away with some sps up top under the light..

Your best bet is to borrow a par meter and see what your light is putting off in your tank but clams need high light on the substrate that your fixture won't be able to do.

There is a guy in my club using some light strips from 21ledusa dot Com that are really cheap and put out a lot of light.. He's run them for about 6 months or so and they work great for the price.. I just ordered a multichip fixture from them to use over a nem tank but it hasn't gotten here yet. They are Chinese lights but are nice and sleek. If $ is an issue and your set on keeping your fixture check them out. I have no personal experience with them though other than seeing them running but it's a way to get you by for under $150 for 2 x 24"..