Most corals with JBJ's

ackermsb

ackermsb

Member
I am considering putting 540W JBJ plus 40W NO over my 180. Due to issue out of my control it would take a lot of effort and money to put VHO's or Hallides on top of the tank. The main reason is that the JBJ configuration is under 3" in height and I can lay it directly on the glass.
Anyway will this be sufficient for most hard corals and LPS
Thanks
 
leigh

leigh

Active Member
Which JBJ's are you talking about? I didn't know they made anything 6' long (is that how long your 180 is?) and I didn't realize they made something 540 watts. Perhaps it's something new? Or some combination of JBJ lights? Anyhow, assuming you're talking about JBJ PC lights, unfortunately no, you will not be able to keep most hard corals succesfully. 540+40=580 which is just not enough light over a 180 for most hard corals, you're barely over 3 wpg with that (a silly measure i know, but a measure nonetheless). Really you should be using MH lights for sps...and a few people have had success using huge wpg ratios of pc or vho lights, but halides are really the way to go. I have 260 watt jbj's over my 50 gal reef and haven't ventured into anything more light sensitive than 1 brain which is placed way up high within inches of the light. sorry to be the bearer of bad news :(
 
sterling

sterling

Member
I think depending on the dimensions of your tank is how you should look at if that is enough wattage.
I had JBJ's on my 125 gallon, it is, I believe, 22" deep.. I had two 36" fixtures, each had a 96w blue actinic and a 96 w 50/50. My softies did great, and i tried some SPS's and put them at the top of the rock. They did grow and lived, but frankly, since I put the MH's on my tank, their growth has sped up.
So I think the bottom line is, you could try some different corals, just be smart about where you put them. No clams, no anemones.
One other thing, laying them right on top of your tank will heat the water dramaticly, I had mine on "legs" and there were twin fans in each unit.
 
ackermsb

ackermsb

Member
fishman88 - Are you talking about a LFS or the one online?
I was thinking 2 48" JBJ's @260W each and they would overlap in the middle. This freaking over hang is killing me and it doesnt look like I can cut it out. I guess I can throw two 400W MH pendants over it with w 32W actinics.
Thoughts? Is this worth a grand?
Doubt it :)
 
ackermsb

ackermsb

Member
The pendant i was referring to was more of a hooded pendadnt with a fan and actinics.
What if I were to do this:
Buy 2 400W MH pendants (Should I get a more blueish color lamp for asthetics since I will not be able to run actninics with this). One site is running a sale: 400W MH Pendant w/ German 10K bulb and free shipping for 249
Buy 2 heavy duty fans to point at them
Well .... Will this work
 
ackermsb

ackermsb

Member
Fishman - I usually got to the House of Tropicals in Glen Burnie since I work in Annapolis and live in Baltimore, it is on the way home. The Aquarium Center out Liberty road is awesome though. HUUGGEE. Great selection but a little pricy.
Any answers to the pendant ?
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member

Originally posted by ackermsb
The pendant i was referring to was more of a hooded pendadnt with a fan and actinics.
What if I were to do this:
Buy 2 400W MH pendants (Should I get a more blueish color lamp for asthetics since I will not be able to run actninics with this). One site is running a sale: 400W MH Pendant w/ German 10K bulb and free shipping for 249
Buy 2 heavy duty fans to point at them
Well .... Will this work
A lot better than your JBJ lights if you want hard corals and SPS .... though I think most people who use fans have one blowing in and one blowing out
FAN IN >>>>> MH >>>>MH >>>>>>Fan Sucking OUT >>>>
HTH
 
ackermsb

ackermsb

Member
Overanalyzer -- It is a pendant how can I possibly have a fan blowing in and out. Not sure where I would put a fan? Thoughts?
Also, do I nede actinics or can I simply get a blueish MH 200W bulb. This would make my life a lot easier
 
leigh

leigh

Active Member
Definitely do the MH's if you want to have sps. The two jbj's you're talking about are 520 watts (260*2=520)...in that size tank it's just not enough. plus you'd have a bit of a bright spot from the overlap. Go with the MH's...that sounds like a great deal! as for blue--i think a lot of that with actinics is for dawn/dusk effect and for the deep/water blue look. you may be able to get that by running a 12000k bulb or toying in some way with that. My dream was always to just run pendant MH's...I think that sort of setup just looks sweet :D
 
overanalyzer

overanalyzer

Active Member
Originally posted by ackermsb
The pendant i was referring to was more of a hooded pendadnt with a fan and actinics.
Same idea still applies - creat air flow by running the fan to blow away from the tank .....
 
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