75 gal lighting advice please!??

jjgomillion

jjgomillion

Member
So I used to have a 75 set up and we didn't do it the right way. So now I want to go and get everything right this time. I went and got a sump with built in skimmer, I have a couple powerheads, a heater, the tank and hood. I want to know what lighting I should get. am leaning towards metal Halides only because I do not want to have to upgrade again. When we set up last time we made the mistake of installing a Home Depot florescant light (1 actinic and one 10000K) 48" ballast. I know we messed up on that one, but hey. So what should I do? I have an oak hood that I can mount something to the inside possibly, and I dont want to go bankrupt. I have to get all the live rock and sand again.
Also should I go ahead and order the sand and liv rock from SWF now and order the lighting later. Or do I need to have it all up front?
I really need some help here, I am not in a rush to stock my tank, I just want to get going on cycling it.
Jessica
 
jjgomillion

jjgomillion

Member
So what should I get as far as MH go?
SWF has 150W 10k and 14K for sale. Should I get two of those or is that too low of wattage. Or should I do that and keep my current cheap actinic and 10000K florescants on there so my watts would be 380? (I think)
I have also seen fixtures that have MH and T5 (which I dont know anything about at all) But they are much more expensive.
I basically need some people to tell me you should get this fixture from here or this fixture from here. ...lol, that sounds dumb I know, but I am just soooo confused abourt lighting.... All I know is I need alot. But I dont want to boil my tank either...
Jess
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
Originally Posted by jjgomillion
So what should I get as far as MH go?
SWF has 150W 10k and 14K for sale. Should I get two of those or is that too low of wattage. Or should I do that and keep my current cheap actinic and 10000K florescants on there so my watts would be 380? (I think)
I have also seen fixtures that have MH and T5 (which I dont know anything about at all) But they are much more expensive.
I basically need some people to tell me you should get this fixture from here or this fixture from here. ...lol, that sounds dumb I know, but I am just soooo confused abourt lighting.... All I know is I need alot. But I dont want to boil my tank either...
Jess
Unfortunately, lighting is not one of my strong points, i bought the best I could afford, the outer orbit. The unit put out 560 watts, for my 90 gallon it covered everything. You can always get a chiller if you have heat problems....other than that...
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
Reef lighting
Among the most important aspects of reef keeping is the lighting system. With lighting, we want to provide the proper photoperiod, intensity, and spectrum for good coral and anemone growth. Most applications use a 12-hour photoperiod. With multi-light systems, you can use timers to vary the intensity by varying the number of lights on at any one time. Usually, one bulb comes on for an hour, then all bulbs for 10 hours, then one light is left on for an additional hour while the others are turned off. This is one method to duplicate the sun passing over the reef. On really elaborate systems, some hobbyists have even designed cloud cover patterns.
To provide proper light intensity, use 3-5 watts per gallon and use multiple fluorescent lights if the tank is 30" deep or less. Deeper tanks require more elaborate systems, usually involving hanging metal halide pendant lighting. Most books suggest one 175-watt metal halide per 4 square feet of surface area, hanging about 1 foot above the tank.
The development of electronic ballasts for Very High Output (VHO) fluorescent lighting, has allowed enthusiasts to design high wattage systems in small spaces. A 48" VHO bulb outputs 110W, versus 40W for a standard bulb. VHO systems require special end caps to withstand the higher heat emitted. Most of these tubes are available with internal reflectors to maximize intensity. Use bulbs with a CRI of 90-99 (CRI 100=sunlight), or color temperature of 5500-10,000K.
Most corals have light intensities at which they grow best. This is important to know when selecting bulbs and determining at what depth a certain coral should be placed. Most corals are a little forgiving as light intensity goes. It is important, though, not to "blind" new coral when placing them in the tank, as this can lead to light shock or bleaching of the zooxanthellae. Place new corals deeper in the tank than the optimum and provide some shading. Once acclimated, (generally about 2 weeks), raise them to the optimal level.
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
Choosing the right bulbs
Variety of bulbsTo provide zooxanthellae with the proper wavelengths of light for photosynthesis, different bulbs have been developed to mimic sunlight filtered through different depths of water. As light penetrates water, different wavelengths with different "energies" will penetrate to varying depths. Red light (630-780 nm) penetrates to about 15 m, while blue light (420-490 nm) goes as deep as 250 m. So, it is not surprising that most zooxanthellae have evolved to absorb light best at 420 nm in the blue range. This has led to development of fluorescent bulbs that emit light primarily at this peak: Actinic 03-type bulbs. While you could use all actinic lighting on a reef, you may find the result disappointing. (Our eyes do not perceive blue light as very bright, and find yellow light more aesthetically pleasing.) Also recommended are "full spectrum" bulbs, "tuned" to produce light across the full spectrum, mimicking natural sunlight. These tubes show the true colors of corals and fish, and are pleasing to our eyes. Most reefs work best with a 1:1 ratio of actinic to full spectrum bulbs. Also available to hobbyists, are combination bulbs often called 50/50 or actinic white; these emit light across the full spectrum, with extra "actinic" phosphors for additional light at 420 nm. Most metal halides have adequate spectrums for reefs, though most hobbyists supplement with actinic 03-type bulbs to bring out corals' red and green fluorescence. Another effect of metal halide use, since they are a single point light source, is that we will get light defraction waves in the tank. While these waves are found in nature and are pleasant to the eye, they have not been shown to be essential to reef keeping.
The size and lighting choices that you make will have a big impact on the success of your reef. While this may appear confusing at first, make sure to take the time to research your options and then choose the ones that will allow your tank to thrive.
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
After deciding what your tank occupants needs willb e, I'd go fishing on the equipment for sale forum.
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
Originally Posted by jjgomillion
Thank you. What do you have in your tank? Any corals?
The only coral in my ten gallon pony tank is a very unhappy Corky finger Gorgonian...it needs higher flow. It was originally in my 90 gallon horse tank. Gorgonians are filter feeders and have low light requirements which makes them perfect occupants for seahorse tanks.
 
jjgomillion

jjgomillion

Member
I think a seahorse tank would be awesome to have, maybe I will keep that in mind for my empty 29.
Well, I made a lighting purchase. i think I did the right thing...
Its a 48" unit with
2 x 250W Metal Halides
4 x 65W Power Compacts
4 Lunar LED's
built in fans
So that gives me 760 Watts for my 75.
What do you guys think?!?!
 
rykna

rykna

Active Member
PERFECT
That will cover every thing, just make sure you change the bulbs or the unwanted algae will return
 
jjgomillion

jjgomillion

Member
I figured that way I can have whatever I want in my tank and not have to worry about not enough light. I can always shade some placs for some things...
 
D

dragonzim

Active Member
You don't NEED to have Metal Halides for a reef tank. You can also use High Output T5's. They are cheaper than MH, produce less heat and give you just as much light. The main difference is that you dont get the shimmer in the water like you do with MH. I have a TEK 6x54 watt fixture on my 75 and I love it. I am currently keeping mushrooms, xenia, kenya tree, hammer coral, candy cane, and leathers. You can also keep SPS and clams with this lighting.
 
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