opinion on light temp for pc lighting

[fishfreek]

I will be ordering some retro pc lights for my 46g fowlr, soon to be reef tank. I am getting a 110w(2-55w bulb) set up. I plan to keep only, mushrooms, green star polyps, button polyps and possably a xenia if it is advisable. I'm ordering 1- actinic bulb for sure. I currently use 40w of NO lighting, (1-actinic and 1-10,000k) I feel its just a little too blue. Would going with 1- actinic and 1-6700k bulb make a HUGE differance or just the little bit i'm looking for?
Thanks....
[ April 29, 2001: Message edited by: fishfreek ]

 

[snowcrab]

This is not your answer but it will tell you how the pc's will do.
I have a 65 gal with 110 watts of pc's I currently have 2 groups of green star pullops, 1 group of yellow buttons and 1 group of green buttons and spotted and purple mushrooms. all these corals are doing excellent even though most said that I had way too little light. The mushrooms and the button pollops are propagating. when my lfs sold me the pc he said it did not go by the watt per gallen ruule and you did not need as much pc as for say standard lights. I dont know if this is true but my tank is doing excellent. I do however plan to bring on line metal halides soon with my pc genernating the blu spectrum. hope this helps some

 

[fishfreek]

Thanks or the reply. My lfs told me pretty much the same thing as you told me. I saw the great results he has in his reef using the same amount of pc lights in his show tank.
What brand of lights are you currently using? Any actinic lights?
Thanks...

 

[nm reef]

My set up is similiar to both....I use 2 custom sealife fixtures mounted on a custom built canopy(2x65 watt combos..2x65 watt 10000 k's) over a 55 gal reef.....I also have assorted polyps and mushrooms......as well as a closed brain....my lighting has been excellent to date....all coral is gr8 shape and expanding......button polyps are 3 times the size as origional.......star polyps are rapidly multiplying.....I also have future plans to add 2x175 watt MH....but for now these lights are satisfactory.......

 

[snowcrab]

My pc lights came with the hood. they are GE 9325 kelvin super day light lamps. I plan on either upgrading to MH and putting Actinics in the pc's 0r buying 2 96 watt pc retro fits and that are super daylight and then putting Actinics again in the 110 watt pc's that I currently have. I would like to know what the true watts per gallon rule is for pc's. I guess if a person really wants to know what amount of light they have then its the lumins a person needs to count, along with the depth of the tank. My 65 is real deep.

 

[snowcrab]

talked to my lfs dealer he said that my 110 pcs are equivelent to 300 watts of mh or VHO. I dont think they would be that high.
I think I might play with the math and calculate the lumins of both pc's vho's and mh just to see what they do equil in watts