Saltwater Aquariums 101: Lighting

J

jacob_poly

Guest
Is there any information out there on the web/library that lists PARs of atleast a few light brands? If not, then W/G (though not relevant) might be the next thing to fall upon....dont you agree? Unless there are PAR numbers measured by some institute/organization it would be difficult to choose one over the other. IF such information is absent/unavailable/undocumented/not publicly available, the only thing one could do is to stay on the higher side of W/G (all the criterion you mentioned about tank height, K, light type apply and I agree 100% with you on that). So if you think you need 4 W/G, then perhaps invest for 5-6 W/G and hope that the resulting PAR is above what you are targetting for as a minimum. All this is assuming that you have close to regular tank dimensions and not something like a tower.....Maybe someday there will be an instrument/light sensor that is reasonably priced, which you can place at the bottom of your tank and read the PAR...:)
 
T

thomas712

Guest
NOT MY WORK, Just a cut and paste for eveyone -- This is only on the 250 watt bulbs and ballasts.
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Testing 250 watt MH lamps and Ballasts
This page reflects data collected from my testing of 250 watt MH lamps and ballasts. The colors of the lamps over my tank can be seen below. Every effort has been made to represent the colors as they truly look over my tank. The information under the ballast section represents the PAR output of the lamp being driven as well as the ballast power consumption. Note the data under the ballast is not the power going to the lamp, rather what the ballast is drawing from the wall outlet.
250 watt SE MH lamps compared
These tests were conducted to measure Photsynthetically Available Radiation (PAR) output from 250 watt Metal Halide SE lamps. PAR is the available light between 400-700nm (nanometers). This spectrum is the light spectrum that we, as humans, can see. It is also the area in which photosynthesis occurs in plants. There are considerable discussions to whether the whole PAR spectrum applies to corals or whether just a few narrow bands. So far there is no definitive proof one way or the other. So PAR is still the best measure we presently have of judging how intense the lamps output is in relation to coral usage.
How these tests were conducted.
The lamps tested were burned in at least 120-150 hours. All lamps with the exception of the Ushio, AB and Blueline Super White, were new. The Ushio, AB and Blueline Superwhite had roughly 6 months use on them (aprox 1600hrs). A 2’ x 2’ square box was constructed, the inside painted flat black. The mogul socket was mounted horizontally aprox 5” from the ceiling of the box. The quantum sensor was place 8” below the center of the arc tube. A voltage regulator was used on power from the wall electrical socket. A watt meter was plugged into the voltage regulator and the ballast plugged into the watt meter. All electrical readings under the ballast section are measurements of the power being drawn by the ballast not the power going to the lamp.
All lamps, before testing, were fired and left to burn for at least 20 minutes before any measurement were performed. After 20 minutes, the sensor was turned on and time was given for a stable reading to be displayed from the meter. Sometime between 2-5 minutes the reading on the meter would stabilize for at least 30 seconds with no movement, at that time readings were recorded.
Equipment used
Apogee Instruments QMSS-ELEC Quantum meter with sensor. Calibrated for electric lamps.
Apogee Instruments leveling plate for the senor
APC LINE-R 600, Voltage regulator/Power Conditioner.
Electronic Educational Devices Watts Up?, Power Analyzer/Watt Meter.
Nikon 995 digital camera used with tripod for pictures.
***Sorry but the pics didn't come through my cut an paste***
Actual power to lamp.
Here are some measurements that were taken to see how the ballast actually drive the lamp. On the Radium lamp the Standard PFO ballast would not drive start the lamp, so no information is given.
Measurements were taken using a BK 5390 Multimeter. Measurements for current are TRMS. Both AC and AC+DC were taken as the electronic ballasts seem to use the DC signwave as well. All measurements were taken on the wire between the ballast and lamp. The lamps were first ignited by the ballast then let to burn for 20 minutes, at that time measurements were taken. The first line for the lamp in bold are the manufactures specifications of the lamp, what follows are the reading from running the lamp on different ballasts.
LAMP BALLAST AC AMP AC+DC AMP Volts kHz Line watts Line volts
Radium SPEC 2.80 2.80 95-100
Radium HQI 2.63 2.63 113.50 59.98 Hz 308 117
Radium ARO 3.20 4.79 112.37 76.80 249 117
Radium eballast 2.21 1.95 110.65 80.73 242 121
Radium IceCap 3.20 4.58 109.60 70.47 248 119
Radium CV 2.29 2.01 109.63 67.52 264 119
Radium ReefFanatic 2.28 2.80 131.90 42.03 246 119
Radium EVC 2.37 2.88 115.80 44.68 247 119
Ushio SPEC 3.00 3.00 100.00
Ushio ARO 2.94 4.64 125.43 77.95 249 119
Ushio Standard 2.11 2.11 129.34 59.98Hz 273 118
Ushio HQI 2.43 2.43 133.41 59.98Hz 339 118
Ushio eballast 1.80 1.59 123.04 86.68 243 119
Ushio IceCap 2.87 4.40 127.78 73.43 254 119
Ushio CV 1.84 1.62 125.39 72.84 254 121
Ushio ReefFantic 2.62 3.20 116 44.06 246 119
Ushio EVC 2.10 2.42 132.20 41.98 246 120
Lamp heat due to ballasts
Ballasts contribute to the amount of heat produced by the lamp. Temperature measurements were taken at the same distance from the lamp as the sensor, 8". The ballast was turned on with a fan above the lamp pulling heat out. After 35 minutes the temperature at 8" from the lamp was taken then the fan was turned off. After 10 minutes more (for a total of 45), temperature was taken again and recorded.
Ballast Lamp 0 Min 35 Min 45 Min/No Fan
PFO Standard Ushio 70.0F 83.2F 90.1F
PFO HQI Ushio 70.3F 87.5F 97.2F
eballast Ushio 70.5F 81.4F 89.5F
Icecap Ushio 70.1F 78.6F 85.2F
CoralVue Ushio 70.3F 82.1F 90.6F
ARO Ushio 70.2F 79.6F 88.3F
Apogee senor accuracy
There were numerous questions as to the accuracy of the apogee sensor used in the test. To answer questions as to the margin of error that this sensor produced, I contacted apogee and discussed this with them. They agreed to send to me two LiCor sensor that they use for in house for testing. The sensors were first calibrated by them and then sent to me. Measurements were then taken using the two LiCor sensor then averaged to produce a value. The reading from the Apogee was then compared to that obtained by the LiCor sensors. The table below shows the margin of error the apogee was off compared to the LiCor. Also shown is a differential factor. If this factor is applied to the apogee reading, it will correct for any deficiencies of the sensor. As all lamps have a slightly different spectral curve it if different for each lamp.
LAMP Adj factor Error %
AB10K 1.042700 4.27
XM10K 1.000102 0.01
XM20K 1.054623 5.46
Radium 1.020256 2.03
CV10K 1.014444 1.45
Ushio10K 1.022647 2.26
PFO13K 1.066219 6.62
Iwasaki 1.004403 4.40
BLSW 1.035931 3.59
SUN10K 1.041306 4.13
CV15k 1.062583 6.26
CV20K 1.031709 3.17
BL10K 1.020969 2.10
HM14K 1.041438 4.14
 
T

thomas712

Guest
Ballasts
ARO (Hellolights) Electronic Ballast
Lamp PAR Watts MaxWatts Amps MaxAmp
Iwasaki 605 250 253 2.11 2.19
XM10K 526 250 251 2.16 2.37
BLSW 465 250 254 2.16 2.2
EVC10K 463 249 256 2.16 2.19
SUN10K 461 248 256 2.14 2.23
AB13K 434 252 254 2.15 2.51
Ushio 408 251 269 2.14 2.61
CV10K 360 249 251 2.11 2.15
HM14K 338 249 253 2.17 2.63
Radium 327 249 252 2.18 2.23
SBURST12K 302 250 270 2.18 2.5
CV20K 286 249 265 2.16 2.55
XM20K 270 250 253 2.16 2.41
SUN14K 259 249 255 2.15 2.37
CV12K 258 250 273 2.17 2.48
BL10K 253 246 250 2.14 2.19
CV15K 243 250 252 2.16 2.22
SUN20K 227 246 278 2.17 2.53
PFO 13K 206 251 252 2.16 2.19
CoralVue Electronic Ballast
Lamp PAR Watts MaxWatts Amps MaxAmp
Iwasaki 569 247 266 2.0 2.36
XM10K 541 257 270 2.12 2.5
BLSW 480 252 270 2.02 2.2
CV10K 430 262 265 2.1 2.13
AB13K 368 224 268 1.8 2.39
Ushio 363 255 265 2.08 2.38
HM14K 363 258 268 2.09 2.49
Radium 337 260 269 2.13 2.89
CV20K 316 260 265 2.09 2.22
CV15K 311 260 265 2.1 2.16
BL10K 265 256 261 2.09 2.12
XM20K 257 248 269 2.01 2.19
PFO 13K 203 244 268 1.97 2.17
Blueline E-Ballast Electronic Ballast
Lamp PAR Watts MaxWatts Amps MaxAmp
Iwasaki 558 244 247 1.99 2.14
XM10K 521 243 244 2.0 2.03
BLSW 474 246 250 1.99 2.11
EVC10K 468 245 249 1.99 2.05
SUN10K 468 244 245 1.99 2.0
Ushio 430 245 247 2.0 2.03
AB13K 428 246 249 1.99 2.09
Radium 343 243 244 1.98 2.0
CV10K 341 242 243 1.95 1.96
CV20K 340 242 244 1.93 2.0
HM14K 323 242 243 1.95 2.05
SUN14K 266 240 241 1.93 1.95
BL10K 261 240 242 1.93 2.71
CV12K 243 242 268 1.98 2.52
CV15K 238 242 243 1.95 2.21
SUN20K 234 240 240 1.92 2.64
XM20K 228 244 250 1.99 2.12
PFO 13K 178 244 245 1.97 1.99
EVC Ballast
Lamp PAR Watts MaxWatts Amps MaxAmp
XM10K 559 246 249 2.03 2.8
Iwasaki 517 247 250 2.03 2.87
SUN10K 425 247 248 2.01 3.29
BLSW 423 247 249 2.0 3.2
EVC10K 412 246 248 2.01 2.08
Ushio 394 247 248 2.02 3.65
HM14K 350 246 250 2.01 2.06
Radium 294 247 248 2.03 2.59
SBURST12K 291 246 251 2.01 3.66
BL10K 290 247 248 1.98 2.37
SUN14K 261 246 248 2.0 3.33
CV12K 257 246 294 1.97 2.02
XM20K 254 246 247 2.0 2.59
SUN20K 241 247 248 2.01 2.14
PFO 13K 184 246 248 2.0 2.4
IceCap Electronic Ballast
Lamp PAR Watts MaxWatts Amps MaxAmp
Iwasaki 651 252 275 2.17 2.45
XM10K 530 252 254 2.2 2.82
SUN10K 494 252 255 2.14 3.86
BLSW 494 252 254 2.15 2.83
EVC10K 492 252 254 2.15 2.96
AB13K 422 254 257 2.17 2.3
Ushio 414 252 258 2.19 3.41
CV10K 387 250 251 2.17 2.46
HM14K 352 251 252 2.17 2.29
Radium 330 252 275 2.19 3.56
CV20K 307 251 253 2.2 2.25
SBURST12K 304 253 284 2.17 2.61
XM20K 270 252 301 2.17 2.81
BL10K 263 248 250 2.18 3.68
CV12K 259 251 253 2.17 3.32
SUN14K 253 251 308 2.18 2.79
CV15K 242 251 252 2.2 3.85
PFO 13K 227 251 268 2.18 2.86
SUN20K 224 247 249 2.2 3.0
PFO HQI
Lamp PAR Watts MaxWatts Amps MaxAmp
Iwasaki 950 355 384 3.02 4.79
XM10K 835 340 341 2.93 4.07
BLSW 702 349 359 3.0 5.72
EVC10K 700 345 350 2.99 3.87
SUN10K 699 342 346 2.95 3.36
AB13K 659 341 349 2.96 4.55
Ushio 617 349 360 3.0 7.42
CV10K 457 333 335 2.87 3.25
HM14K 420 317 361 2.79 6.86
Radium 395 311 315 2.75 3.28
SBURST12K 378 311 698 2.79 14.27
CV20K 355 321 330 2.79 5.18
CV15K 336 317 322 2.76 4.55
CV12K 328 310 314 2.73 4.45
XM20K 314 327 337 2.85 3.94
SUN14K 314 327 490 2.92 8.69
PFO 13K 308 311 418 2.76 8.08
BL10K 292 310 385 2.83 10.03
SUN20K 232 292 393 2.81 10.65
PFO Standard
Lamp PAR Watts MaxWatts Amps MaxAmp
Iwasaki 691 286 331 2.53 6.86
XM10K 600 268 269 2.47 3.39
AB13K 566 301 303 2.64 3.81
BLSW 514 273 274 2.49 5.47
EVC10K 512 271 278 2.5 3.12
SUN10K 510 270 277 2.51 2.69
Ushio 485 284 285 2.53 4.57
CV10K 324 231 233 2.32 4.03
SBURST12K 309 269 269 2.51 6.01
Radium 283 231 232 2.38 6.81
CV20K 275 226 261 2.3 7.93
PFO 13K 248 257 258 2.5 6.8
CV15K 242 227 239 2.35 4.14
XM20K 242 285 285 2.57 3.75
SUN14K 228 224 228 2.32 4.08
HM14K 214 219 220 2.3 7.12
CV12K 190 230 230 2.38 3.54
SUN20K 148 198 199 2.25 6.11
Reef Fanatic
Lamp PAR Watts MaxWatts Amps MaxAmp
XM10K 571 247 248 2.03 2.77
Iwasaki 523 247 248 2.03 3.3
BLSW 454 246 247 2.0 3.75
SUN10K 420 246 249 1.98 3.68
EVC10K 417 247 248 2.01 3.44
Ushio 383 246 248 2.04 2.67
HM14K 350 247 248 2.03 2.6
BL10K 294 246 247 1.94 2.7
SBURST12K 283 247 250 2.01 2.21
SUN14K 257 246 247 2.01 2.15
CV12K 252 246 248 2.0 2.92
XM20K 246 246 334 2.03 3.31
SUN20K 239 246 247 2.0 2.02
PFO 13K 185 246 248 2.0 3.35
 
J

jacob_poly

Guest
Great info Thomas - from first glance it kinda indicates that Iwasaki and XM10K are the better choice? Am I correct in my interpretation? (Well atleast by what the raw numbers indicate)
 

farslayer

Active Member
Ok, I'm looking into picking up some MH for my 46G, but I wanted to cover all of the good Ks so to speak. I want to keep SPS corals and was wondering how many bulbs I'll need, what K I need and what a good MH wattage would be to get the desired PAR. I see that Hamilton carries some ballasts with MH and PC, so I was thinking to get different MH bulbs and then get the 10K and 03 actinic bulbs as a PC.
 

snipe

Active Member
what about pc's are they considered HO or VHO according to your description..
As he said this is a very debatable subject. But as far as I have learned from viewing "way to many sites" that PC are actually better than VHO. They run less heat "not as mutch water evaporation" and you dont have to have all that many to = the same amount as metal halide.
From some sites for sps it has this
you will need 2 metal halide's. Around 4 pc's or 4 vho "but the pc's burn a higher rate than the vho "and comes back to the heat thing again"
But this is something left to the person in general it is one of thoughs things you may like it or not.
 
T

thomas712

Guest

Originally posted by jacob_poly
Great info Thomas - from first glance it kinda indicates that Iwasaki and XM10K are the better choice? Am I correct in my interpretation? (Well atleast by what the raw numbers indicate)

Yeah seems that way to me as well. I should get my new XM10k's on Tuesday. These will be replacing two Ushio 10k's that I got in October used.
It of course also depends on what Ballast you are running, in my case its the PFO HQI ballest so I should wind up with a much higher PAR value 835 XM vs. 617 Ushio. We shall see.
Thomas
Now if only they would do this report with VHO and PC bulbs we would be styling :yes:
 

debbie

Active Member
007, Just out of curiosity I would like to know what you consider these types of lights:
Coralife 20 watt 50/50 10,000 K PC (these fit into the incandescent hoods)
Great article for beginners like myself .....:yes:
 

nosliwekim

Member
Hi everyone! I'm brand new to all this and still trying to do as much reading as I can before taking the plunge. I live in a home where all of my light fixtures are energy efficient...I turn off lights as I leave the room automatically yadda yadda yadda. What I am wondering though is if anyone has any idea on monthly electricity costs and tank accessories/hardware that has Energy Star ratings and whether they are good or bad.
The tank that I am hoping to start in the next 2 months will probably be a fish/reef 45-50 gallon tank with 2 powerheads, skimmer, halide lighting and a small quarantine tank.
Anyone have any suggestions? Or should I just bit the bullet and realize that in some areas you can't cut elect. consumption?
Thanks in advance and best wishes to you and your fishies
Mike
 

1journeyman

Active Member
Ok... so I'm convinced I need to upgrade my lighting to MH's.
Now, can someone explain MH's vs. HQI's? Why are HQI's wattage listed normally in the higher range? (10,000k - 20,000k?)
 

nikolai

Member
Where do Actinics fall in line? I have 2 55W PC's and 2 55W Actinic bulbs..... could I keep any SPS?
My tank is a 55G (20" high)
 

hermitkrab

Member
NO. You would need MH lighting no matter what size tank you have if you want SPS corals. Sorry but if you want to keep SPS corals you have to dish out the money for some decent MHs.
 
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