Too much ligthing???

[billy2k1]

I have a 30g tank,some live rock,soft corals,sand bed,small cleaning crew and three fishies in it.I'm using a satellite fixture 36"long with two 96 watts PC lamps with the usual actinic and daylight combination,actinic 420,actinic 460,daylight 6700k and daylight 10000k.I am not happy with the fact that the lamps went bad in about 6 month (not a good light output,yellow looking).I put new lamps in it and fix the problem but i dont think 6 month is enough so i am thinking about build a hood and four 24"long VHO uri lamps 75 watts aech power by a icecap 660-400 watts ballast and use two of them for actinic 420nm and two for daylight 50/50.Is this a good combination for my small tank?.Is it possible to use them for at least a year before replace them? :help:

 

[shiby1510]

vho lights will need replaced about the same as your pc's... I think its something like 6 - 8 months.

 

[billy2k1]

So you are saying that there is nothing that last for at least a year?,that really s~!-.How about 150 watts metal halide?.Not even a year also?

 

[tampausmc]

you also commented about the bad yellowish light output.....that's what the 6700 is.....you should replace that one with an actinic if that's the problem.....2 96 watt bulbs are a good amount of light for that tank.....

 

[reefnut]

I replace my PCs once a year... not sure why yours went bad but you should be able to get more than 6-mo out of them.
VHOs ran on Ice Cap Ballasts will easily last a year.

 

[hurt]

Ditto what Reefnut said about VHO's on an IC ballast.
As for MH bulbs, the K rating is what really affects the bulb life. An Iwaski 6500K will last up to two years with little spectrum change, while most all 20K bulbs last only 3 months before their spectrum shifts drastically.

 

[billy2k1]

Ok,now that i know that VHO with icecap ballast should run longer, my next question is how much is too much?.I'm planning on four 75 watts VHO 24" long lamps for a 30g 18"deep with some soft corals.The reason i am asking is because i have been reading about some corals bleaching out due to extreme ligthing conditions.I still dont get it but thats what i read.

 

[wattsupdoc]

If your looking for long life lamps, the T5's have about a 20000 hr lamplife. With very little spectrum change. Check em out before you decide.
JMO

 

[reefnut]

Originally Posted by Billy2k1
Ok,now that i know that VHO with icecap ballast should run longer, my next question is how much is too much?.I'm planning on four 75 watts VHO 24" long lamps for a 30g 18"deep with some soft corals.The reason i am asking is because i have been reading about some corals bleaching out due to extreme ligthing conditions.I still dont get it but thats what i read.
IF the light is significantly increases there is a real chance of having some corals bleach... but if you acclimate the new lighting slowly, the soft corals will adjust and thrive under that lighting.

 

[billy2k1]

Ok so if i understood right,since i will be using an icecap ballast wich is dimmeable if i use a dimmer and slowly increase the intensity of my new lighting setup in "x" amount of time, my invertebrates,corals etc. should be ok let say in a couple of weeks maybe?

 

[billy2k1]

I think i can get 4- 24"URI lamps,end caps,icecap ballast 660,wire harness for $317.00 including shipping.Is this a good price??

 

[hurt]

IMO, that's taxed. You can get an IC 660 with wiring harness for $135 on the online auction site. You can also get 24' VHO bulbs on the online auction site from $20-$25 each. So, that's roughly $235.

 

[saltfan]

Originally Posted by Hurt
IMO, that's taxed. You can get an IC 660 with wiring harness for $135 on the online auction site. You can also get 24' VHO bulbs on the online auction site from $20-$25 each. So, that's roughly $235.
Companied with a URI 180 Bulb, the Ice Cap will run the lights from12-18months.