Attinic benifient

[barracuda]

I met one guy who keeps his reef tank in his office. I saw this tank. What can i say... Very beautiful 200gal tank with something like 100 different species of corals and clams. Most corals are SPS and LPS and some softies. Tank is 10 years old. Guy is not just a reefkeeper. He showed me pictures wher he is in company with Julian Sprung and other doctors and proffessors of reef keeping.
Well, one thing was special about his tank. This deep tank is lit by 2 250W full spectrum MH bulbs for only 3 - 3.5 hours a day. The rest of the day there are only 4 or 5 NO fluoriscent bulbs are ON. These bulbs are even not rated as actinics or Blue2 (like my T5's). These bulbs are completely normal flouriscent bulbs sold in the lighting stores.

 

[bang guy]

Hi Jim,
Way back when I was using a magnetic VHO ballast the bulbs would become obviously inferior after about 6 months. I tried PC bulbs and the maintenance costs were dramatically reduced but my coral didn't do as well even with more light. I then went to MH with VHO supplementation (Actinic). For the VHO I splurged and got an electronic ballast (IceCap). To my great surprise the bulbs were useful for about 12 months. I define useful as putting out more than 80% of it's original *Lumens (after a 3 week break in).
My latest reef had to have a low-profile top (spouse requirement) so it is 100% VHO run off of IceCap Ballasts. These ballasts are the best lighting investment I've ever made. Using my Lux meter I've found that the AquaSuns are useful for over 24 months. After 24 months I remove them from the reef and use them on the refugium where everything is also thriving.
ActinicWhite - At first I believed these were the way to go. According the my Lux meter they were useful for almost 24 months. After duscussing it with a fellow respected hobbiest she changed my mind about the ActinicWhite lifespan.
Basically the ActinicWhite uses a mixture of phosphors from the AquaSun and the SuperActinic. The SuperActinic Phosphors put out plenty of PAR but almost no Lumens because of the peak being in the blue range. The AquaSun phosphors put out both good PAR and high Lumens.
In my testing I previously determined that the Actinic phosphors degrade after 12 months. So... after 12 months the ActinicWhite is still putting out good Lumens (AquaSun phosphors) but inferior PAR (Dead Actinic phosphors). Basically after 12 months it's bright but only 1/2 a bulb.
As a result I now use exclusively AquaSun and SuperActinic.
Once T-5 come out with an internal reflector I will switch and try them out for a couple years.

[hr]
*Lumens were used because I cannot afford a PAR meter. A Lux meter is a terrible way to measure reef lighting, but it is very useful to determine the relative output of a specific bulb.

 

[jim672]

Guy,
Thanks. I think I follow you. To make sure, I'd like to get real specific about my lighting......
Last June (2002) I upgraded my NO lighting to a VHO/MH combo unit I purchased from Hamilton Lighting. The ballast is, I believe magnetic, but I'm really not sure. It's very heavy, and gets fairly hot to the touch. The bulbs I got were a 175w 10K MH and two 96w 03 actinics. Fast forward to recently when, thinking I needed to replace the VHO's, I purchased one URI Super Actinic and one URI 50/50 actininc........I wanted a little less blue hue and wanted truer colors from my fish and corals.
Okay, finally the questions: based on what you've already indicated, did I replace the VHO's too soon?
Should I be shopping around to replace the MH?
I don't have any kind of light meter so I tryin to take advantage of your experience!!
Thanks alot!!
Jim

 

[thomas712]

A few questions and wonderings on the VHO's:
It seems that the daylight bulbs or Aquasuns produce the most PAR...right? And according to my reading they are supposed to last longer due to the fact that they have a better or different phosphors running in them. They alsow cast a pink hue?
The Actinics (which I have learned that are the best, now debateble, for corals) have a harder time with their phosphors, that is they have to work harder to keep the phosphors burning at the same watts compared to the same watts of an aquasun....right? So these do not last near as long. I do not know the par of an Actinic bulb does anyone? I know the wavelength is 420nm.
The 50/50 is a mix of phosphers, that to me has done very well over my 55.
Can anyone give me the PAR numbers for the:
Aquasun
50/50
Actinic
Now PAR is one thing, but which bulb is producing more energy for the corals?
Of the three bulbs above which, in anyones opinion, would be best ,or combination, for easy to medium difficult corals? SPS OR LPS and allow for the best photosynthisis?
Does more PAR equal better photosynthisis? or is it more blue spectrum?
Just when you think you got it figured out
Thomas

 

[bang guy]

I don't remember the exact PAR outputs for those bulbs. I do remember that AquaSun puts out a little more than the ActinicWhite and the ActinicWhite is a little more than the SuperActinic.
The corals don't care which IMO.
Theoretically 420 is the photosynthetic peak for the blue side. There is a similar red zone at the other end of the spectrum.
It has been shown that the various Zooxanthellae can use energy from the entire visible spectrum almost equally well. The Photosynthetic peak have a slight advantage. Not enough to chhose a different bulb for IMO.
Just light it how it looks best to you and let your corals adapt.

 

[mdhyde]

I run pure 100% actinics in my 80 gallon reef with no noticable difference than when I ran 10K lights. I do it mostly because I like the look of it, but my soft corals and corraline algaes seem to like it more than the white light.