J
jetskiking
Guest
Ok, I have been posting on this board a lot lately and have noticed this question keeps popping up. First off let me preface this by giving you some of my background and expierience in the hobby. I have close to twenty years in the hobby. I started off keeping fish only tanks then FOWLR tanks then reef tanks, which are my passion. I have done the vast majority of tank styles that can be done. I have run pretty much every lighting style out there including regular flourescents, VHO, powercompacts, T-5's and metal halides. I have also done a lot of research on each one of those technologies.
Anyway, let's get down to brass tax. There are a lot of options out there when it comes to saltwater aquariums. Choosing the correct lighting system for your needs is essential for your aquarium, and lets not forget your power bill. The most important thing is DO YOUR RESEARCH. Don't just take what somebody tells you on a computer from across the country as truth (many times it's not). Find out for yourself. This is typically the most expensive investment in your aquarium so don't be hasty.
MOST IMPORTANT, figure out what you want to keep.
A typical FOWLR needs very minimal lighting while a Reef can require a great amount depending on what corals you are keeping. I am going to approach this from an aspect of keeping reefs because that's where you will need the most lighting knowledge.
First off most corals need light to grow. They use photosynthesis to create food. The general concensus is that softies require the least, SPS require the most and LPS fall somewhere in the middle. This is true for the most part but just like anything there are exceptions. There are also non photsynthetic corals but that's another topic. Here is where it gets tricky, since corals use photosynthesis they only use the light that is available to convert to food.
When measuring the amount of available light for the corals to convert to food, WATTAGE MEANS NOTHING. The most acceptable method for measuring is called PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation). Retailers sell meters you can use to measure PAR. When you see the cost of a meter you will see why not al ot of people have them. Wattage per gallon is an outdated way of doing this and can only be losely associated with lighting of the same type. The reason I say losely is because even the same type of bulbs with the same wattage run on different ballasts can vary greatly in the amount of PAR they produce. We used the watts per gallon because thats all we knew then and I'm sure it can be associated with all the hit and miss successes of yesteryear.
Here are some of the most common lighting systems available and some info and my expierience with them.
Metal halides- These are usually the most common choice when high lighting requirements are demanded. With a good ballast, bulb, reflector combo they can produce great amounts of PAR. They also penetrate deep into the water. A couple of the advantages are that they create a natural shimmer effect and they produce great results with little knowledge. A couple of the disadvantages are that they create a lot of heat and consume a lot of power. They also don't distribute the PAR as evenly as flourescents which is why a good reflector is key.
T-5 lighting- This is a newer style of lighting than the halides. What a lot of people don't realize is that there are two different types. You have standard T-5 then you have T-5 HO. When using T-5 HO I have found that you can achieve pretty much the same PAR as a halide. This requires a lot more reseach and knowhow. I have also observed that the T-5 HO might even penetrate better and more evenly. A couple of the advantages of T-5 lightings tare that hey run a little cooler and the color spectrum is far more adjustable using multiple bulbs. A couple of the disadvantages would be that you don't get the shimmer and it takes a lot more knowledge on lighting to achieve the same results as with halides. Also keep in mind that without individual reflectors, T-5's waste a lot of light and will not be any more efficient than a power compact.
Power compact- This is the least effective on generating PAR out of the three I mentioned. The advantage is that they are cheaper than the other options. These are generally used for softy/LPS tanks but are not very efficient for keeping SPS.
Disclaimer: This is my opinion and there are exceptions.
Anyway, let's get down to brass tax. There are a lot of options out there when it comes to saltwater aquariums. Choosing the correct lighting system for your needs is essential for your aquarium, and lets not forget your power bill. The most important thing is DO YOUR RESEARCH. Don't just take what somebody tells you on a computer from across the country as truth (many times it's not). Find out for yourself. This is typically the most expensive investment in your aquarium so don't be hasty.
MOST IMPORTANT, figure out what you want to keep.
A typical FOWLR needs very minimal lighting while a Reef can require a great amount depending on what corals you are keeping. I am going to approach this from an aspect of keeping reefs because that's where you will need the most lighting knowledge.
First off most corals need light to grow. They use photosynthesis to create food. The general concensus is that softies require the least, SPS require the most and LPS fall somewhere in the middle. This is true for the most part but just like anything there are exceptions. There are also non photsynthetic corals but that's another topic. Here is where it gets tricky, since corals use photosynthesis they only use the light that is available to convert to food.
When measuring the amount of available light for the corals to convert to food, WATTAGE MEANS NOTHING. The most acceptable method for measuring is called PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation). Retailers sell meters you can use to measure PAR. When you see the cost of a meter you will see why not al ot of people have them. Wattage per gallon is an outdated way of doing this and can only be losely associated with lighting of the same type. The reason I say losely is because even the same type of bulbs with the same wattage run on different ballasts can vary greatly in the amount of PAR they produce. We used the watts per gallon because thats all we knew then and I'm sure it can be associated with all the hit and miss successes of yesteryear.
Here are some of the most common lighting systems available and some info and my expierience with them.
Metal halides- These are usually the most common choice when high lighting requirements are demanded. With a good ballast, bulb, reflector combo they can produce great amounts of PAR. They also penetrate deep into the water. A couple of the advantages are that they create a natural shimmer effect and they produce great results with little knowledge. A couple of the disadvantages are that they create a lot of heat and consume a lot of power. They also don't distribute the PAR as evenly as flourescents which is why a good reflector is key.
T-5 lighting- This is a newer style of lighting than the halides. What a lot of people don't realize is that there are two different types. You have standard T-5 then you have T-5 HO. When using T-5 HO I have found that you can achieve pretty much the same PAR as a halide. This requires a lot more reseach and knowhow. I have also observed that the T-5 HO might even penetrate better and more evenly. A couple of the advantages of T-5 lightings tare that hey run a little cooler and the color spectrum is far more adjustable using multiple bulbs. A couple of the disadvantages would be that you don't get the shimmer and it takes a lot more knowledge on lighting to achieve the same results as with halides. Also keep in mind that without individual reflectors, T-5's waste a lot of light and will not be any more efficient than a power compact.
Power compact- This is the least effective on generating PAR out of the three I mentioned. The advantage is that they are cheaper than the other options. These are generally used for softy/LPS tanks but are not very efficient for keeping SPS.
Disclaimer: This is my opinion and there are exceptions.
