my brain is overloaded with info and still dont know what to do
- Thread starter nicole05
- Start date
nicole05
Member
Originally Posted by coachKLM
i like softies.,.. i dont need heat or more electrical problems or expence of bulbs.
thomas ? whats driving your vho's ? are you working with 4x110s?
what spectrum are your bulbs.
:notsure: with the soft corals you dont need special lighting?????
im just asking i thought that corals in genaral were had to keep and anomones were the easier version
i like softies.,.. i dont need heat or more electrical problems or expence of bulbs.
thomas ? whats driving your vho's ? are you working with 4x110s?
what spectrum are your bulbs.
:notsure: with the soft corals you dont need special lighting?????
im just asking i thought that corals in genaral were had to keep and anomones were the easier version
susieq
Member
Originally Posted by nicole05
:help: my levels are good today i did my first water change on my 55 gall
but have a problem i like most newbies bought stuff to early i have two anomones and not the right lighting started a thread to figure out what i needed to do and i didnt realize that it was going to so expensive to to get what they needed i guess my question is isnt there just a light bulb to put in the orginal fixture with out spending a ton one person said he made his own but i wouldnt even no were to start with that why is all of this stuff so confusing?
any help would be greatly apperciated
The very same thing happened to me. I took the anemone back to the LFS. They never said one word about lighting. They told me that I didn't have to feed it, it would eat floating matter in the tank. Needless to say, it lasted 2 weeks in my tank and turned to mush. That was over a year ago. It still makes me mad that they didn't ask one question about my set-up. Take it back if you can. If you wait too long, they won't let you return. Good Luck.
:help: my levels are good today i did my first water change on my 55 gall
but have a problem i like most newbies bought stuff to early i have two anomones and not the right lighting started a thread to figure out what i needed to do and i didnt realize that it was going to so expensive to to get what they needed i guess my question is isnt there just a light bulb to put in the orginal fixture with out spending a ton one person said he made his own but i wouldnt even no were to start with that why is all of this stuff so confusing?
The very same thing happened to me. I took the anemone back to the LFS. They never said one word about lighting. They told me that I didn't have to feed it, it would eat floating matter in the tank. Needless to say, it lasted 2 weeks in my tank and turned to mush. That was over a year ago. It still makes me mad that they didn't ask one question about my set-up. Take it back if you can. If you wait too long, they won't let you return. Good Luck.
coachklm
Active Member
Originally Posted by nicole05
what is pc and vho :notsure:
pc =power compact(compact flourescent lighting)
vho= (very high output flourescent lighting)
t-5
t-10
t-12-these are the size of the bulbs around
t-5ho = thin tube high output flourescent light
110vho = 110watts very high output flourescent light
plus if the anemone dies it can poison your tank.
what is pc and vho :notsure:
pc =power compact(compact flourescent lighting)
vho= (very high output flourescent lighting)
t-5
t-10
t-12-these are the size of the bulbs around
t-5ho = thin tube high output flourescent light
110vho = 110watts very high output flourescent light
plus if the anemone dies it can poison your tank.
kent'sreef
New Member
MH is the way to go. I have a tar ballast 250 watt over my 30 gallon. It does a great job.
mikersof
Member
Originally Posted by coachKLM
sry j-bird but i'm going to say that the MH are not very cost effective in the long term. to short a bulb life escpeccially with 40-50$ bulbs. it adds up.t
Hey Coach and everybody =)
In doing my research, I talked to marketing people at Current and Corallife. I was looking to buy lighting for a 48" 80gal bowfront and a 30" 29gal. Both told me the very same thing and several in here confirmed it.
What they said was that replacing the 48" bulbs in a power compact would have to happen every six months. The MH would only have to be replaced every 18 months to 2 years. Thus the cost on the PC long term was VERY MUCH highter than the purchase of the MH (I went with twin 150w double ended bulbs).
On the 30" was different. The PC bulbs are much less expensive though still need to be replaced every six months. in doing the math, i chose to go with the PC for my 29.
I'm kinda wishing i had gone with 250 MH's. but the choice is made. and cost ($672 vs $999) was another big factor. The MH system i bought is the Corallife Aqualight Pro Fixture and has 2x150W 10000K HQI MH 2x96W Actinic & 3 blue moons. It fits on my hood very well.
I'm told by all that i'll be able to keep hard corals as long as they are up highter on my reef. i have a water depth of 28".
Who was it that said "NOTHING IN THIS HOBBY IS CHEAP?" Well, they sure were right!
Here's a photo so far...
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sry j-bird but i'm going to say that the MH are not very cost effective in the long term. to short a bulb life escpeccially with 40-50$ bulbs. it adds up.t
Hey Coach and everybody =)
In doing my research, I talked to marketing people at Current and Corallife. I was looking to buy lighting for a 48" 80gal bowfront and a 30" 29gal. Both told me the very same thing and several in here confirmed it.
What they said was that replacing the 48" bulbs in a power compact would have to happen every six months. The MH would only have to be replaced every 18 months to 2 years. Thus the cost on the PC long term was VERY MUCH highter than the purchase of the MH (I went with twin 150w double ended bulbs).
On the 30" was different. The PC bulbs are much less expensive though still need to be replaced every six months. in doing the math, i chose to go with the PC for my 29.
I'm kinda wishing i had gone with 250 MH's. but the choice is made. and cost ($672 vs $999) was another big factor. The MH system i bought is the Corallife Aqualight Pro Fixture and has 2x150W 10000K HQI MH 2x96W Actinic & 3 blue moons. It fits on my hood very well.
I'm told by all that i'll be able to keep hard corals as long as they are up highter on my reef. i have a water depth of 28".
Who was it that said "NOTHING IN THIS HOBBY IS CHEAP?" Well, they sure were right!
Here's a photo so far...
kent'sreef
New Member
Looking good from that angle!
mikersof
Member
Originally Posted by coachKLM
soooo..your telling me that they told you the life span of pc is half of what metal halide is??
:thinking: ***)
1/2 or less. I had in mind to purchase PC or VHO-- both were in the $400 range. However, when I was told that you need to replace Fluorescent bulbs every 6 months for them to be effective and comparing the prices of the bulbs themselves, it seemed more reasonable to go with the MH. MH's, I was told, you replace when they burn out and on the set that I have should be 18 months to 2 years.
In 2 years (if they last that long) i would replace 2 MH bulbs vs 8 of the PC's.
My MH set has 2 Actinic bulbs but i was told only replace when they burn out.
I know when it comes to SW, you can ask 10 people the same question and get at least 5 totally different answers. On this one, i went to the company to get the info.
Coach, have you heard differently???
james =)
soooo..your telling me that they told you the life span of pc is half of what metal halide is??
:thinking: ***)
1/2 or less. I had in mind to purchase PC or VHO-- both were in the $400 range. However, when I was told that you need to replace Fluorescent bulbs every 6 months for them to be effective and comparing the prices of the bulbs themselves, it seemed more reasonable to go with the MH. MH's, I was told, you replace when they burn out and on the set that I have should be 18 months to 2 years.
In 2 years (if they last that long) i would replace 2 MH bulbs vs 8 of the PC's.
My MH set has 2 Actinic bulbs but i was told only replace when they burn out.
I know when it comes to SW, you can ask 10 people the same question and get at least 5 totally different answers. On this one, i went to the company to get the info.
Coach, have you heard differently???
james =)
coachklm
Active Member
"The power compact and V.H.O. bulbs don’t fade as easily as the N.O. fluorescent lights, so if you’re using power compact or V.H.O. fluorescent lights you probably wont have to replace the bulbs more than once a year.
Metal halide bulbs are also better at maintaining their spectrum over time than the N.O. fluorescent bulbs, and replacements every 8-12 months is enough. Don’t forget to check the ballasts and replace them if there are signs of malfunctioning, overheating or wear."
-fishkeeping resources
couldnt forget this:
The advantage of the T5HO is lifespan, they keep 90% of their light output for 20,000hrs.
-unknown lighting sight
Metal halide bulbs are also better at maintaining their spectrum over time than the N.O. fluorescent bulbs, and replacements every 8-12 months is enough. Don’t forget to check the ballasts and replace them if there are signs of malfunctioning, overheating or wear."
-fishkeeping resources
couldnt forget this:
The advantage of the T5HO is lifespan, they keep 90% of their light output for 20,000hrs.
-unknown lighting sight
shrimpdady
Member
I use 2-24" T5 lights in my 55 Gallon and they are plenty good.
They only cost about $60 each.
Your anemone should be fine with these.
They only cost about $60 each.
Your anemone should be fine with these.
mikersof
Member
Originally Posted by coachKLM
couldnt forget this:
The advantage of the T5HO is lifespan, they keep 90% of their light output for 20,000hrs.
-unknown lighting sight
hummmmm..........
<<<raises eyebrow spock fashion at 20,000 hours
at 10 hours a day that's 5 1/2 years! WHEW!
There's always something else to learn!!!
One thing I have learned about saltwater aquariums is that while there might not only be one right way to do something, there are MANY ways to do something WRONG!
couldnt forget this:
The advantage of the T5HO is lifespan, they keep 90% of their light output for 20,000hrs.
-unknown lighting sight
hummmmm..........
<<<raises eyebrow spock fashion at 20,000 hours
at 10 hours a day that's 5 1/2 years! WHEW!
There's always something else to learn!!!
One thing I have learned about saltwater aquariums is that while there might not only be one right way to do something, there are MANY ways to do something WRONG!
georgene
Member
Originally Posted by MikerSof
Hey Coach and everybody =)
In doing my research, I talked to marketing people at Current and Corallife. I was looking to buy lighting for a 48" 80gal bowfront and a 30" 29gal. Both told me the very same thing and several in here confirmed it.
What they said was that replacing the 48" bulbs in a power compact would have to happen every six months. The MH would only have to be replaced every 18 months to 2 years. Thus the cost on the PC long term was VERY MUCH highter than the purchase of the MH (I went with twin 150w double ended bulbs).
On the 30" was different. The PC bulbs are much less expensive though still need to be replaced every six months. in doing the math, i chose to go with the PC for my 29.
I'm kinda wishing i had gone with 250 MH's. but the choice is made. and cost ($672 vs $999) was another big factor. The MH system i bought is the Corallife Aqualight Pro Fixture and has 2x150W 10000K HQI MH 2x96W Actinic & 3 blue moons. It fits on my hood very well.
I'm told by all that i'll be able to keep hard corals as long as they are up highter on my reef. i have a water depth of 28".
Who was it that said "NOTHING IN THIS HOBBY IS CHEAP?" Well, they sure were right!
Here's a photo so far...
:jumping: Is that the 48 in. light?
Hey Coach and everybody =)
In doing my research, I talked to marketing people at Current and Corallife. I was looking to buy lighting for a 48" 80gal bowfront and a 30" 29gal. Both told me the very same thing and several in here confirmed it.
What they said was that replacing the 48" bulbs in a power compact would have to happen every six months. The MH would only have to be replaced every 18 months to 2 years. Thus the cost on the PC long term was VERY MUCH highter than the purchase of the MH (I went with twin 150w double ended bulbs).
On the 30" was different. The PC bulbs are much less expensive though still need to be replaced every six months. in doing the math, i chose to go with the PC for my 29.
I'm kinda wishing i had gone with 250 MH's. but the choice is made. and cost ($672 vs $999) was another big factor. The MH system i bought is the Corallife Aqualight Pro Fixture and has 2x150W 10000K HQI MH 2x96W Actinic & 3 blue moons. It fits on my hood very well.
I'm told by all that i'll be able to keep hard corals as long as they are up highter on my reef. i have a water depth of 28".
Who was it that said "NOTHING IN THIS HOBBY IS CHEAP?" Well, they sure were right!
Here's a photo so far...
:jumping: Is that the 48 in. light?
