how many watts of acintinic light do I need?

[thereefer9]

Im setting up a 70 gallon reef and Im looking into buying acintinic lights. What brand is best how many watts of acintinic do I need? The tank already has 250 watts of metal halide on it.
Thanks for your comments
THEREEFER9

 

[nereef]

actinics are used to supplement the more yellow lights that we use to grow corals. they are used aesthetically so the tank doesn't look yellow. so you don't need any, but it will make the tank look better. what are the dimensions of a 70 gal?

 

[thereefer9]

its 36x18x24

 

[nereef]

i'd look into about 130 watts of pc. see what others have to say here.

 

[thereefer9]

can They just be regular T5s. Im trying to get that dawn and dusk effect and I like the way corals pop under that color light.

 

[nereef]

yep, many people use t-5 to supplement halides.

 

[bonebrake]

T-5s or PCs will work great and as stated they are for aesthetics only so the wattage does not particularly matter, but the more the better is usually the way to go.

 

[reefkprz]

actinics are the right spectrum for coral photosynthesis, I wouldnt say they are purely decorational. but vveiwng a tank run soley on actinics isnt really the effect people want, same with pure 10k. so a balance of color by using different spectrum bulbs is used to get to the desired lighting effect you want.

 

[thereefer9]

okay so Im thinking that if wattage dosent matter Im going to buy T5 78 watt 1-10k light and 1-acintinic light to go with the 14k mh. This will work right

 

[nereef]

i would go with two actinic bulbs, as i don't think you will need more of the yellowish white light from the 10k.

 

[rldavisou]

Yeah, two actinic bulbs would be better. Your halide should be bright enough to supply all the white light needed. Actinics "pop" the colors by acting as a mild blacklight. If you think you need more yellow/white light, get another halide instead of a t-5.

 

[frankthetank]

Two actinic bulbs will be your best bet.