actinic blue vs actinic white or 10000k

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dshin1

Guest
does anyone know the difference between actinic blue actinic white and daylight 10000k bulbs? and which ones would be best for corals? wich combination would work best? i have 50 gal tank with 220 watts of light (actinic blue and daylight 10000k) but i need to replace them.
 
michaeltx

michaeltx

Moderator
look for true atinic or 420nm these are the lights that give the good glow on the corals. combin that with the 10K bulbs alternating if possible
atinic
10k
atinic
10k
this combo gives a great coloration and most useable light. are these VHO bulbs??
Mike
 
saltfan

saltfan

Active Member
Actinic blues are usually dark purple in color, in the 420 430 and 460 ranges. Actinic Whites are a blend of actinic and 10k. 10k is a color in the range of what most use, if using Power Compacts. There are 12k PC to be found though. 220w on a 50g is ok using actinics and 10k PC lamps.
 
chilwil84

chilwil84

Active Member
acintic white are you talking about t5s or vho uvl acintic white look like what some companies list as 12k or just a little bluer than most 10k
 
bambam_250r

bambam_250r

Member
I just picked up a "true actinic" PC from HL and it's more purple than the coralife blue bulbs that they call actinic. The greens definately stand out more now.
 
earlybird

earlybird

Active Member
Originally Posted by BamBam_250r
I just picked up a "true actinic" PC from HL and it's more purple than the coralife blue bulbs that they call actinic. The greens definately stand out more now.
Are you referring to the coralife pc's? I have the Coralife PC Lunar Aqualight... and was trying to determine what to get for replacements.
 
janicebembry

janicebembry

Member
I have a problem. I have a 55 gallon tank with a brace in the middle. I'd like to upgrade my lighting system to an orbit system so I can have corals. But everything I see advertised is for the entire length of the tank. That won't work since the brace would not allow lights to be entire lenth. Right now I'm using aquarium with the 2 hoods that came with it and just regular fluorescent bulbs that are 18" long each. There are 2 of them of course. Can I possibly find something that will work?
 
chilwil84

chilwil84

Active Member
most fixtures sit on legs (most current fixtures come with them) and they go over the entire tank. you will be unable to use the plastic top because it will block light. most reef tanks are open top tanks but if you have fish that are prone to jump out like a flasher wrasse or firefish than go for a glass top that for a 55 fill be 2 sections when put together
 
saltfan

saltfan

Active Member
Originally Posted by earlybird
Are you referring to the coralife pc's? I have the Coralife PC Lunar Aqualight... and was trying to determine what to get for replacements.
Try the 460n lamps, they are a little brighter than the 420's.
 
bambam_250r

bambam_250r

Member
Originally Posted by earlybird
Are you referring to the coralife pc's? I have the Coralife PC Lunar Aqualight... and was trying to determine what to get for replacements.

Yes, I've used JBL and Coralife for a long time. There bulbs are more white looking and more blue than the new one I got. I love the new one. All my coraline is reddish purple in my tank. Looks AWESOME> I'll take some pics tonight.
 
indyws6

indyws6

Member
Greetings...

Not to side-track the thread, but what is the thinking on the "best" (granted - very subjective) combination of lights - not types (MH vs PC vs VHO, etc.), but wavelengths? The reason I ask is that I am finally to the point where I can start adding corals to my new tank. (Currently, I only have a "Mushroom Rock" with several mushrooms and a toadstool leather coral in tow - all of which seem to be thriving), but wonder if my lights represent the best combination, or if I should change now so that my tank additions acclimate and grow under a consistent source and avoid a change down the road.
"Standard" 90 gallon tank w/48" light system
Lighting is a Current USA Outer Orbit unit:
2x 150w PowerPaq 10,000K HQI MH
2x 130w SunPaq Dual Actinics 460nm/420nm (2-420nm bulbs, 2-460nm bulbs)
6x Moon White Lunar Lights (LED's)
Should I keep this as is, or change the HQI's to something a little "bluer", and why? Are there advantages in terms of sustaining and growing the corals, or would it be strictly a change in the look of the tank?
Thanks in advance
Newbie-in-Training
 
saltfan

saltfan

Active Member
Originally Posted by indyws6
Greetings...

Not to side-track the thread, but what is the thinking on the "best" (granted - very subjective) combination of lights - not types (MH vs PC vs VHO, etc.), but wavelengths? The reason I ask is that I am finally to the point where I can start adding corals to my new tank. (Currently, I only have a "Mushroom Rock" with several mushrooms and a toadstool leather coral in tow - all of which seem to be thriving), but wonder if my lights represent the best combination, or if I should change now so that my tank additions acclimate and grow under a consistent source and avoid a change down the road.
"Standard" 90 gallon tank w/48" light system
Lighting is a Current USA Outer Orbit unit:
2x 150w PowerPaq 10,000K HQI MH
2x 130w SunPaq Dual Actinics 460nm/420nm (2-420nm bulbs, 2-460nm bulbs)
6x Moon White Lunar Lights (LED's)
Should I keep this as is, or change the HQI's to something a little "bluer", and why? Are there advantages in terms of sustaining and growing the corals, or would it be strictly a change in the look of the tank?
Thanks in advance
Newbie-in-Training
If the MH were 250w I would go 20k, looks nicer. Its all in the appearance. You do not have to use ACTINICS, they are for color rendering only... Your set-up is good, no need to go messing with it. The cooler the temp range on the lamp, (higher in the K range) the less white light comes from them. 10k white light 20k blue light.
 
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