Lighting for 120
- Thread starter bpro32
- Start date
oceana
Active Member
lighting combo should be good enough. i would say use redaium bulbs for good color and growth but make sure those ballast are pulse start NOT probe.
i would also consider adding some sort of actinics just for the dusk to dawn cycle.
IE" 7am moon lights off and actinics on, 9am halide one on, 11 am halide two on. 5pm halide one off, 7 pm halide two off, 9 pm actinics off, 9pm moon lights on. rinse and repeat.
PS: of course you can adjust times to fit your schedule. The key is to have a consistant light cycle
i would also consider adding some sort of actinics just for the dusk to dawn cycle.
IE" 7am moon lights off and actinics on, 9am halide one on, 11 am halide two on. 5pm halide one off, 7 pm halide two off, 9 pm actinics off, 9pm moon lights on. rinse and repeat.
PS: of course you can adjust times to fit your schedule. The key is to have a consistant light cycle
oceana
Active Member
Originally Posted by bpro32
http:///forum/post/2991132
goof enough?? as in good enough for anything i want? will the bulbs lose any power on that magnetic ballast?
.
sorry. i did not mean it like that. yes you should be able to keep what ever you want. (assuming proper placment)
as for the bulbs no. they are made to run on a magnetic pulse start ballast. they will run on electronic but they were not intended to do so and they brun a tottaly different color. magnetic is the way to go with radium bulbs.
the key is to make sure it is a PULSE START magnetic ballast.
they will not fire well if at all on a probe start magnetic.
http:///forum/post/2991132
goof enough?? as in good enough for anything i want? will the bulbs lose any power on that magnetic ballast?
.
sorry. i did not mean it like that. yes you should be able to keep what ever you want. (assuming proper placment)
as for the bulbs no. they are made to run on a magnetic pulse start ballast. they will run on electronic but they were not intended to do so and they brun a tottaly different color. magnetic is the way to go with radium bulbs.
the key is to make sure it is a PULSE START magnetic ballast.
they will not fire well if at all on a probe start magnetic.
bpro32
Member
Originally Posted by oceana
http:///forum/post/2991172
.
sorry. i did not mean it like that. yes you should be able to keep what ever you want. (assuming proper placment)
as for the bulbs no. they are made to run on a magnetic pulse start ballast. they will run on electronic but they were not intended to do so and they brun a tottaly different color. magnetic is the way to go with radium bulbs.
the key is to make sure it is a PULSE START magnetic ballast.
they will not fire well if at all on a probe start magnetic.
Ok i got you... I can get all that for 150 but I'll need new bulbs as the current lights are 10 months old. Is there any other type of bulb I can get? Radiums are pretty expensive...
http:///forum/post/2991172
.
sorry. i did not mean it like that. yes you should be able to keep what ever you want. (assuming proper placment)
as for the bulbs no. they are made to run on a magnetic pulse start ballast. they will run on electronic but they were not intended to do so and they brun a tottaly different color. magnetic is the way to go with radium bulbs.
the key is to make sure it is a PULSE START magnetic ballast.
they will not fire well if at all on a probe start magnetic.
Ok i got you... I can get all that for 150 but I'll need new bulbs as the current lights are 10 months old. Is there any other type of bulb I can get? Radiums are pretty expensive...
oceana
Active Member
Originally Posted by bpro32
http:///forum/post/2991218
Do radiums come in anything besides 20,000k? That's all I've seen and they are $75 each.
Yes radium’s are a high color temp bulb. They are not 20 K however. You have to be carful when view color temp ratings. There is no standard. For example. A XM 20K and a ushio 20K look entirely different. Same goes for most bulbs.
When looking for a bulb you have to find one that give you both good growth AND a color that is pleasing to your eyes. When deciding on a bulb use the temp ratings as nothing more then a mere guide to give a very general idea as to what the color will be. The lower the number the more yellow it will be and the higher the number the more white/blue it will be.
Unfortunately for most people it is not a one purchase deal to find one that best suits there situation. Many times you will buy several different blubs before finding one that give the results you are looking for. I for one have been using MH for more then ten years and I have tried every bulb and ballast combo you can think of.
To me nothing makes a coral look nicer then a radium bulb they also give great growth. The color to the eye is very crisp white/blue. Most other higher temp bulbs are much to blue for my taste. The only down side for me is they are one of the more expensive bulbs and par/color shifts rapidly after around 7month. Slightly shorter life then some bulbs but the positives far outweigh the negatives IMO.
gl to ya.
PS: stay far away from those no name 40 dollar disscount bulbs you find on the internet. the term "you get what you pay for" applies when buying bulbs for your reef. your buying expensive corals so why risk them by purchasing a sub par lighting source? after all they are what will be keeping those expensive corals ALIVE.
http:///forum/post/2991218
Do radiums come in anything besides 20,000k? That's all I've seen and they are $75 each.
Yes radium’s are a high color temp bulb. They are not 20 K however. You have to be carful when view color temp ratings. There is no standard. For example. A XM 20K and a ushio 20K look entirely different. Same goes for most bulbs.
When looking for a bulb you have to find one that give you both good growth AND a color that is pleasing to your eyes. When deciding on a bulb use the temp ratings as nothing more then a mere guide to give a very general idea as to what the color will be. The lower the number the more yellow it will be and the higher the number the more white/blue it will be.
Unfortunately for most people it is not a one purchase deal to find one that best suits there situation. Many times you will buy several different blubs before finding one that give the results you are looking for. I for one have been using MH for more then ten years and I have tried every bulb and ballast combo you can think of.
To me nothing makes a coral look nicer then a radium bulb they also give great growth. The color to the eye is very crisp white/blue. Most other higher temp bulbs are much to blue for my taste. The only down side for me is they are one of the more expensive bulbs and par/color shifts rapidly after around 7month. Slightly shorter life then some bulbs but the positives far outweigh the negatives IMO.
gl to ya.
PS: stay far away from those no name 40 dollar disscount bulbs you find on the internet. the term "you get what you pay for" applies when buying bulbs for your reef. your buying expensive corals so why risk them by purchasing a sub par lighting source? after all they are what will be keeping those expensive corals ALIVE.
bpro32
Member
I've already messed with the cheap auction site's bulbs at 150w... I'll never do it again. I have 2 deepwater lobo frags, 1 on each side of my tank, bothh on the sandbed. I have a ushio bulb on the right and a generic bulb on the left. Same fixtures and ballasts. The one under ushio puffs out amazing and has great colors. The other one almost looks sick and doesn't puff out nearly as much.
I'm sold on good quality bulbs.
Thanks for the advice oceana
Thanks for the advice oceana