lighting

[fuscus]

I think that I would like to move on to a reef tank.
after doing som reading, It seems a toss up with vho vs. power compacts.
right now I have a acrylic tank with a acrylic top. this obviously (the heat) limits my ability to go with metal halide lamps. thus also limiting my ability to cary some species.
My thought was to try to use allot of fans to circulate
4-90watt powe compacts (that's 2 full spect and 2 actinic)
and (if space permits) adding up to 2-110 vho balasts ( that's one full spec and 1 actinic)
then also buying a chiller.
this would give me app 4.6 to 4.8 watts per gallon.
what do all of you think about this?
fuscus

 

[jacksonpt]

Sounds like you've got some good thoughts for the tank. Just out of curiosity, why wouldn't you go with all VHO or all PC? 4.5-5wpg should be enough for most critters, with clams and SPS being the only things that might need more light.
Just FYI... I have an acrylic top on my 44g tank, and I run MH on it. For a while, I was running 500w MH with the top, but I have since dropped to 250w (500 was overkill for my tank). I have two 6.5" cooling fans and I see no temp fluctuations due to the lights.

 

[fuscus]

jacksonpt,
so, you think it's safe to run MH with and acrylic hood?
do you have an PC or VHO?
My reason for having both pc and vho is this.
I have heard that some like the colors of the vho and others like the colors of the pc.
I have heard a ton of people say the blues from the VHO actinic are just amazing.
are you using one actinic halide and one full?
thank you for the response
fuscus

 

[jacksonpt]

ah, I think I misunderstood... do you have a full acrylic hood, or just the glass/acrylic piece that the stip lights sit on? Know what I mean?
You're right about the VHO actinics. I don't have room for anything except MH over my 44g tank, and I'm only running NOs over my 75 (currently a FOWLER). Originally, I was running two 250w 6500k MH, now I'm only running one of them. I like the natural sunlight look that the bulbs give... but as I add more corals I'll switch to a 10k to better highlight the colors. I wish I could find a way to get a decent amount of actinic over my 44g, but there just isn't enough room.
Would you be willing to build a custom canopy over your tank (or have one built)? They are pretty simple to do... anyone with basic wood working skill could do it (hell, if I can do it, most other people should be able to). If so, you would have a lot more options for MH/PC/VHO combos. FWIW... I've thought about doing a custom canopy over my 75 and run two 250 MH and two 110 VHO actinics. But as long as it stays a FOLWR, that's not necessary.

 

[fuscus]

it's a full acrylic hood that matches the stand.
I don't really want to build a new hood. If i was to do this I would take the empty 65 gal glass tank that's in my garage and make it into the reef tank. that would solve all the problems.
Sounds cheasy but I would like to keep the Asthetics of the tank the way they are..excluding more lighting of course.
I'm also not shure if I have to buy a retro kit for each component or if I can just make my own retro fit to allow me to maximize my space issue.
fuscus

 

[quazi]

I have 3 110 watt VHOs on my 55, and I can keep most anything, including various SPS. I have a friend that just setup a 75 gallon tank with 5 96watt PCs for a total of 480watts or 6.4watts per gallon. His tank is bright! But not quite as "pretty" as mine. His SPS, clams, etc. are growing very well. Perhaps if he ran more actinics, the color would be more pleasing.
I am not clear that a chiller is required. I run one fan, and my tank stays about 4-5 degrees above room air temp (and I have 2 submerged pumps.)
What are you planning to do with those triggers? I assume they are not part of the reef tank plans??

 

[fuscus]

I'm going to get rid of all but the clown fish.
I hate to see them go, but I think the benefit ouways the cost.
thanks for the input on the tank, If anyone has any other information, I could really use it. Does anyone have a simmilar tank?
thank you
fuscus

 

[mikegronholz]

I want the CLOWN TRIGGER !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[fuscus]

you're pretty far away from chicago

 

[fuscus]

I don't have a 90 gal tank. I have a 125 gal tank.
what would you suggest now?
I thought the origional idea would give me more watts/gal
totaling 580 watts that's still not enough to keep those corals..
or is it?
fuscus

 

[slowest is fastest]

First I would do a search on lighting. It is a much debated topic and there is a ton of info about it already posted. Afterward If you have particular questions post those. Get ready for a headache lighting can drive you nuts.
tsw2117
There are a few things wrong with your post IMO. All lighting types have pro's and con's. A blanket statement like 5 watts per gallon will allow a hobbyist to keep SPS, LPS and acroporas is misleading to say the least. My advice would be for you to do the same search on lighting. You may also want to review board policy on posting links
No offense meant no harm intended.
SiF

 

[fuscus]

thanks sammy,
I think that allot of people are soo tired about this subject that they just avoid a response.
After an entire day of revisiting old posts on lighting, it seems to come down to personal preference, and how far you'll go to reach that preference.
I'm just going to do some more measurements, and then see how much I can put under that hood of mine without overheating the acrylic.
then, I'll do some more research again...
fuscus