So which bulbs should I use?

[velbar]

So my replacement Halide bulb came in today, another casualty from the great tank crash and attempted recovery that failed those years ago. I now have both halide slots full and there are 2 standard 48" inch florescent slots as well, one on each side of the halides. I have collected several bulbs over many years and realized it just a little while so... I have the timers I want so I can perhaps do some decent facsimile of sunrise and set for the reef tank.

One halide is a 250 w MH250t15 and the other one is MH175w/U/T15/10k

those are set for now, maybe they will change in the future if need be but the question now is which of the several florescent should I use to help the corals out the most, so the florescent I have are...

a) 40w Marine-Glo
b) Wide Spectrum Plant & Aquarium F40opl/AQ
c) Coralife Trichromatic 65000/Full Spectrum FR 40 T12-360
d) 40w Marine-Glo
e) Philips Alto 32 w F32T8/DX

so, suggestions?

Thank you in advance..

Mike

 

[lmforbis]

I don't know about the specific bulbs but I'd stay away from b. It sounds like a grow bulb. On a refugium it would be great.

 

[velbar]

I don't know about the specific bulbs but I'd stay away from b. It sounds like a grow bulb. On a refugium it would be great.

yeah that makes sense, I think I remember buying that particular bulb about 15 years ago to use in a big terrarium habitat for lizard my kids had for 6 or 7 months until it tail whipped one of the kids in the face and subsequently escaped....

for the time being I put both of the Marine-Glo's (a & d) and set the timer cycles for the fluorescent to do what I hope will be a decent Sun rise to sunset with a slightly over lapping moon rise and glow using the Halides as the sun and The fluorescent ones as the moon. Day 1, I am not liking how the lighting is looking with just the halides, its just not as colorful and pretty....

Thank you for the input, really appreciate it....

 

[lmforbis]

You might look at getting a HOt5 fluorescent fixture. I bought a two bulb fixture on eBay for under $50. The bulbs it came with were crappy but I bought new ATI bulbs. I use one true actinic and one purple plus. This fixture supplements my LED fixture and helps eliminate the shadows caused by the single source LEDs.
Way back when I had my first reef tanks I used VHO bulbs, not sure you can even get them any more.

 

[velbar]

I have not heard of HOt5's... I will have to look into them, I am not sure about any of the types of lights you named except what LEDs are but I knew I wasn't going to convert to them for a while because I had everything for the Halides and fluoro's with the exception of the one burned out Halide bulb that I was replacing. Kinda, using what I have so I spend as little as I have to, if I have to I will like replacing the protein skimmer that was cracked and replacing 2 dead power heads.... its all in place now though so once I am happy with the tank and sump etc and its all been stable for a few weeks at least then I will get some fish....and then maybe look at changing lighting fixtures but in the mean time I will listen and make my notes and researches, hell I might find just the right deal and make the switch sooner lol

 

[lmforbis]

Sounds like you are doing it the right way. I left the hobby 5 or so years ago after a tank crash. Started back a little over a year ago. I was shocked at how much things have changed in a relatively short time.