What LOA Model?

[bang guy]

You hit on a sticking point with me
Lumens are not a measure of how much useful light a bulb has. A 175 watt 6500K MH is going to have 10X the lumens of a 175 20,000K MH. It may or may not be better for a reef.
The LOA bulb is designed to produce the brightest light for our eyes (about 557nm). The better reef bulbs avoid that spectrum entirely because it's not as useful to corals as the higher frequency light (toward the blue end, below 500nm). So, while the LOA is putting out a lot of light you need to ignore the lumen count and focus on the PAR (uh oh, another confusion item, Photosynthetically Active Radiation). A 175 MH 10,000K puts out over 3 times more PAR than the 65 watt LOA in about the same amount of space.

 

[surfnturf]

That setup would cost you $50 a month to run (@ 8 cent/KWH). Bang has a good point, if you are looking for an extreme light, go with the MH. The beauty of the LOA bulb is getting a decent quality of light with minimal investment, the quality will of course not approach MH, although I've heard that some things do better under flourescent than MH. If you are planning on keeping SPS or something like that you probably need to go with MH. For my application (FOWLR) these lights paired with an actinic or two would be more than adequate.

 

[melbournefl]

LOL sorry couldn't resist the pun on PAR ... Okay fine Guy, just confuse me more, I think the whole issue of lighting was destined to become my downfall Before I continue I'm going to do a little more research and I'll return later this afternoon.
Thanks (I think) for your efforts to en"light"en this light impaired guy!
Later,
Paul

 

[melbournefl]

you say "in the same amount of space" ... my canopy is 6' x 2' so space is not an issue, any thoughts?
Thanks again,
Paul

 

[bang guy]

Originally posted by MelbourneFL
you say "in the same amount of space" ... my canopy is 6' x 2' so space is not an issue, any thoughts?
Thanks again,
Paul
My ideal lighting for that space would be:
a 250 watt Iwasaki MV on the left and one one the right. A 400 watt Iwasaki MV in the center. 2 6' VHO SuperActinics across the front and one across the back. A pair of 4" fans on the right blowing air in and another pair on the left blowing air out.
Guy

 

[melbournefl]

Thanks Guy, I love that idea too! Now if I can just convince my wife that the kids *really* don't need to eat all that silly food every day! Seriously, I agree entirely but I was looking at economical alternatives that would still provide for a fairly broad choice of critters in da' tank.
Thanks,
Paul

 

[bang guy]

Originally posted by MelbourneFL
I agree entirely but I was looking at economical alternatives that would still provide for a fairly broad choice of critters in da' tank.
Hey Paul.
My current reef has six 72" VHO's and it supports are very wide variets of corals and critters.
Pair of new IceCap 660's = 2 X 180 = $360
Six pair of 3 piece Endcaps = $60
Six URI bulbs= 6 X 35 = $210
Total = $630 plus DIY hood
Addin another pair of VHO will also fit but will make mounting in a hood difficult.
You can get a 4 bulb VHO hood for less than $800 but that's going to limit your livestock more.
I have to be picky about the SPS I get as only a few will thrive under VHO IMO. I also refuse to try Crocea or Maxima clams but I have heard of them being successfully raised under VHO. I just don't believe they will thrive so I don't have them. I do have a pair of Squamosa's on the sandbed that are thriving.
If you build your hood make it tall enough for MH and down the road you can add MH and use the VHO to supplement.

 

[melbournefl]

Guy, thanks for the input! I like your ideas and, I may be wrong here, but aren't there a couple of you "shark" critters out there that swear by VHO? As much as I love the idea of Mh, I'm afraid that the annual operating costs right now put them out of my reach, I just have a problem with $100 bulbs. Anyway, I really did appreciate particpating, and learning in this thread. I just wish that someone, somewhere could come up with an economical solution the the complex issue of lighting. Even more, I wish that there was a "diffinitive" guide to lighting. Something that even us dummies could understand. It seems that for every opinion there are 2 or 3 that disagree. Confusing at best, frustrating usually and costly always. Again, my thanks to you and all that have participated in my education. The good news is, no livestock has had to be sacrificed due to my ignorance
Later,
Paul

 

[salvatore]

FWIW, here are two pictures of the LOA installed:
Hanging From Stand
Turned On & Over Refugium

 

[gregzbobo]

Hi folks, just wondering, but I have been to several local Walmarts and 2 local Home Depots, and neither one has this light. Is this light only available in certain geographical areas, or is it being discontinued? I'm really interested in putting one or two of these above my sump. Thanks.

 

[salvatore]

Lights of America has a store locator and a contact us portion of their site.
Shoot them an email to see if you can find something locally....or see if your Home Depot/Wal Mart will order a few for you.

 

[gregzbobo]

I tried the store locater and it doesn't work, and neither wal-mart nor home-depot would order one for me. :-

 

[salvatore]

A quick google search found this:
http://doitbest.com/shop/product.asp...034&sku=532371

 

[n2deep]

Hey Gregzbobo,
Just got back from Home Depot on N.W. Expressway and they have a BANG LOAD of these lights!! Just remember you are going to have add a cord to the light. Let me know if you go get one.

 

[tkblazer]

back from the dead
i just purchased a LOA light fixture and had a question to those that already have it. how did you wire these outdoor lights to use indoors? someone on another forum said u had to wire some sort of circuit, but was of no help.

 

[salvatore]

The one I purchased from Wal-Mart came prewired. All it needed was to be plugged into a power point. It even had a stand for use in a garage or whatever (its original purpose).
Sure you bought the right one?
.salvatore
http://www.sienar.org/

 

[tkblazer]

well i bought the outdoor flood light which i believe is basically the same unit. i just bought some outdoor wire and a plug and wired it together. works like a charm and the light has a swivel bracket so i can just mount it to my stand without any fabricating.