What is your lighting of choice for optimum acropora color and growth

Mr. Brooks

MASVC Member
I'm curious to know which type of lighting you prefer as your main light source to color up and grow acropora.

Take heat and cost out of the equation.
 
I used both MH and T5 lighting. My preferred choice is T5. I currently use 8 X 39W ATI Powermodule with ATI tubes.
 
Metal Halide for pure performance.

I have large tanks and even with heat and cost in the equation, MH are by-far cheaper to run and buy when I could be looking at 10-12 Radion G4 Pros to replace 4 250W MH.

My new frag tank will be VHO - they are twice the output of T5 at twice the electricity, so half of the bulbs are necessary. VHO also come in 6 foot lengths. The bulbs last twice as long T5. I will be changing half the bulbs half as often. They perform the same as T5s, IMO just with different life cycle and far fewer bulb choices (this can be huge for some folks).
 
Metal Halide for pure performance.

I have large tanks and even with heat and cost in the equation, MH are by-far cheaper to run and buy when I could be looking at 10-12 Radion G4 Pros to replace 4 250W MH.

My new frag tank will be VHO - they are twice the output of T5 at twice the electricity, so half of the bulbs are necessary. VHO also come in 6 foot lengths. The bulbs last twice as long T5. I will be changing half the bulbs half as often. They perform the same as T5s, IMO just with different life cycle and far fewer bulb choices (this can be huge for some folks).



VHO do not put out more par and are not as efficient as T5. (As long as you have good reflectors) Im not sure where you received this info.
 
Apogee 510 PAR meter in my house 8" under the water. 4 bulb VHO with 2 AW and 2 SA is within 1% of PAR as a 8 bulb ATI fixture with 4 C+ and 4 B+. BTW - I did not say more, I said the same.
 
I'm curious to know which type of lighting you prefer as your main light source to color up and grow acropora.

Take heat and cost out of the equation.

Even with heat and cost out of the equation it is still preference. I am not married to any one option so it is what makes the most reasonable selection for the tank I am running.
 
Even with heat and cost out of the equation it is still preference. I am not married to any one option so it is what makes the most reasonable selection for the tank I am running.

You don't notice better color out of one over the other?
 
You don't notice better color out of one over the other?

I notice different shades of colors. Better is a subjective term and the colors we get in our tanks are artificially stimulated. Any "standard" color used for comparison is totally arbitrary.
 
I am also a MH and VHo kind of guy, currently running 4 400wt 14k lamps (wish they were just a touch bluer closer to 12K) and 2 6ft VHO lamps. Living in Colorado helps, heat is only really a problem for 2 months, rest of the year just helps keep the place warmer.
 
I've been using T5s with reefbrite strips on my main display and on one of my frag tanks. I've been very happy with this combo over the years. I'm using a G4 Radion Pro on my other frag tank and I'm very impressed. Honestly, if cash was no object, I'd buy 7 or 8 radions and put them over everything. I've recently visited a couple tanks using G4 Radions and the colors were insane. That being said, you can't go wrong either way.
 
Radions for me all the way.
MH are great but 400 watts for each bulb is too much IMO.
With 3 G4 X30 fixtures I´m using 270 watts and it´s plenty of light. And the tank looks great
 
Mine t5s and leds, with lots of uv supplement , I run about 300 par in the middle of the tank half way up between sand and top of water. Two Giesman pure actinic and two ati purple plus, sb lightighting bb threw apex three on top one on each side , I added acrylic diffuser to leds to push the spread and blending , if had more room I would have like to ad a couple of mh, mine is a diy .

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk
 
Nobody except for people with huge tanks should be using 400W MH. 250W are probably overkill for most. 175W and 150W HWI can easily handle what a pair of Kessils or maybe 1.5 Radions can handle over most reefs except for the most light-demanding acropora tanks.
 
Nobody except for people with huge tanks should be using 400W MH. 250W are probably overkill for most. 175W and 150W HWI can easily handle what a pair of Kessils or maybe 1.5 Radions can handle over most reefs except for the most light-demanding acropora tanks.

Jda - do you think it's way overkill to use 400 watt radium over a 30 in x 30in x18 in only acropora tank over a 250 watt radium run on m80 ballast .
The reflector plays a huge role and in my case it's a Hamilton comuzel 20 in x20 in reflector .
Mind you - am planning for a 400 watt only for sone specific acros I want to keep like OG purple monster and spaths and not craze of the day like Walt Disney tenuis .

Regards,
Abhishek
 
Using GHL Mitras 6300.. I have been using Mitras 6100 when they first came out, and upgraded to 6200, and then to 6300. With good results... I even run them at energy saving mode, and have my acropora around 20-30cm from the water surface.
 
Jda - do you think it's way overkill to use 400 watt radium over a 30 in x 30in x18 in only acropora tank over a 250 watt radium run on m80 ballast .
The reflector plays a huge role and in my case it's a Hamilton comuzel 20 in x20 in reflector .
Mind you - am planning for a 400 watt only for sone specific acros I want to keep like OG purple monster and spaths and not craze of the day like Walt Disney tenuis .

Regards,
Abhishek

It you need to cover that much area, they might be a good idea. I would consider that a large tank for a single bulb.
 
It you need to cover that much area, they might be a good idea. I would consider that a large tank for a single bulb.

Biggest problem is I cannot move my reflector past 6 inches from the water surface . Although winter in Minnesota is so brutal , that it's a blessing in disguise with the heat .
How do you think about a luxcore electronic 250-400 watt ballast powering the 400 radium in hqi mode ?

Also , is the spectrum same between 250 a d400 radiums when run to spec ?


Regards,
Abhishek
 
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