LFS sold me wrong lights?

[janicebembry]

I have had established saltH2O tank-55 gallon for about a year. Always had tropicals before that. I told my LFS that I wanted a pink bta and a coupla clowns. they ordered the lights I would be able to use with my present set-up. They sold me 2 15W coralife fluorescent bulbs. 1 is actinic 03 blue T8. The other is a 10,000K high-intensity purified super daylight. Will these work?

 

[jmerk]

Not nearly enough light. Search metal halide or T5.

 

[dawman]

Originally Posted by Jmerk
Not nearly enough light. Search metal halide or T5.

Or power compact lights .

 

[1journeyman]

And look for a different fish store....

 

[rebelprettyboy]

pcs wont work

 

[zanoshanox]

Pc's actually most likely will work. BTA's have been kept succesfully under PC for many years now.

 

[dawman]

Originally Posted by rebelprettyboy
pcs wont work
Yes they will work . I`ve kept BTA and LTA with pc for four years so far .

 

[1journeyman]

PC's have had success. They also have failed.
Halides seem to be more of a sure thing. Of course they also come with the issue of heat. I like HQI's over normal Halides because they are a little cooler, but still heat is an issue.

 

[jeffy1833]

My BTA did fine under 190watt PC's when I bought it it was small and bleached and after 3 months its a little bigger and a light brown color and I never have fed it directly. I now have 175 watt MH w/15k bulb so it should do even better. Now if only my Maroons would just start hosting.

 

[georgev845]

wow i feel it for you man
remeber a good rule of thumb
3-5 watts per gallon
do your tank size X 3 or 5 watts

 

[choco]

Actually the 3-5 watt per gallon rule of thumb is horrible. There are many factors to it than just wattage.

 

[dawman]

Originally Posted by Choco
Actually the 3-5 watt per gallon rule of thumb is horrible. There are many factors to it than just wattage.
It`s a standard rule of thumb , except for deep tanks . I know many long time reefers that have used that for many years they have been into this hobby .

 

[rod buehle]

Originally Posted by Choco
Actually the 3-5 watt per gallon rule of thumb is horrible. There are many factors to it than just wattage.

I couldnt agree more.
I can put a single 175 watt halide over the corner step over a swimming pool, and easily keep an anemone at .oooo32 watts per gallon. I can put a 40 watt bulb over a dixie cup and its a helluva lotta WPG, but it aint gonna grow coral
Or a 175 over a 20 gallon (24x24x10" high) cube tank is a lot of light reaching the bottom, but a 20 gallon extra high (20x10x 24high) with the same lamp does not reach the bottom very well at all

 

[myreef05]

PAR's are more important than wattage per gallon.

 

[choco]

Originally Posted by Dawman
It`s a standard rule of thumb , except for deep tanks . I know many long time reefers that have used that for many years they have been into this hobby .
Nothing is standard about this. Whoever thought of this principal obviously didn't take into account depth of the tank, PAR, and spectrum of bulbs. IMO, using the watts per gallon rule just makes things even more confusing when you are trying to learn about lighting.

 

[choco]

For instance, 5 watts per gallon of normal output lighting in a 50 gallon tank isn't the same thing as 5 watts per gallon of T5 lighting. T5 lighting with the individual reflectors are extremely intense and very efficient in how they use their reflector. In fact, 2 watts per gallon of T5 lighting is still more intense than 5 watts per gallon of NO lighting. Point being is that there are many factors to think about when using the watts per gallon rule of thumb. Its best not to use it at all.

 

[kjohansen]

True but aren't you really looking for the color range? What color range do T5's run at?
With a MH you have several choices.