Lighting in my Reef...what do you think?

confusedfishy

confusedfishy

Member
I met someone today that is into saltwater aquariums and we were discussing things, some things that I found interesting but question abit, I really wanted to know what some of you think?
Can a UV Sterilizer keep corals from growing and multipling?
A 13w florescent light bulb that fits into a regular household light fixture provides the same light as a 60w incadescent light bulb. With that in mind, what does a 24w T5 equate to? Would it actually produce 120w of light?
For example: Possibly using 4 13w florescent light bulbs that fit into a household fixture instead of typical saltwater aquarium lights like T5 or MH...would this work at all or for long and keep fish/coral thriving?
Thanks for any thoughts!
 
aquaguy24

aquaguy24

Active Member
most household bulbs are around 6500k which spells out algea problem..great for growth but i don't know anyone in the salt hobby who like a yellow looking tank..t5's meant for saltwater comes with a combonation of actinics and daylight bulbs with is good for growth and looks...but i don't know, thats y i just went ahead and spent the money on a good light fixture so i don't have any headaches. there are enough things in this hobby for me to worry about already...im not really a DIY guy so i bought all the right equiment to make this hobby as easy as possible for myself..others might dissagree...and uv sterlizers helps with algea controll not sure about the corals part..
 
reefkprz

reefkprz

Active Member
about the only way a UV could stop corals from multiplying is if you had a spawning even a sterilizer would kill sperm and eggs free that are floating. but this is an unlikley scenario at best. A UV will not slow or stop the growth or multiplication of your corals in any other way.
 
niskyvaulter

niskyvaulter

Member
when it says it equates 100w of light, that means incandescent light, not t5 or metal halide, which are much more efficient. have you ever heard of compact florescent lighting, the ones used in aquarium lighting a lot, is just a florescent tube bent in half. then you might say "but cfls are less efficient than t5s and metal halides." this is true. mh and t5 are also more efficient than compact florescent bulbs. why dont we use mh and t5 for lighting then if theyre more efficient? cost. the ballasts and bulbs cost far outweighs their efficiency. thats why you never hear about the efficiency of them on the news.
 
confusedfishy

confusedfishy

Member
Thanks for the input everyone, when I hear and see new things I always want to know what everyone here thinks because there is such a wonderful knowledge base and years of experience.
 
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