Lighting, How long!

[Hockeynut]

I I have a 90 gal which is still cycling and was wondering if I could get some advice on a lighting schedule. I plan on a mixed reef with lps, sps and zoos and whatever else catches my attention. I have on the tank now a current MH fixture it has two 250 w MH and 4 54 watt t5 s the t5s are two actinic and two purple bulbs I got when I bought it (used). I was told that the Mh bulbs were a couple months old when I got them ( they look good) and have a new set on a shelf, how do I tell when it is time to swap them?

What I really need to know is if anyone has a comparable fixture and tank, how many hours a day do u run each set of lights?

I also have a set of led moon lights in the fixture.

Any help would be great thanks

 

[dan_k]

I ran almost the same set up about a year ago and heres what I did at 12:00pm the actinics would come on run for 2 hours then at 2:00pm the MH would come on the actinics would stay on as well and the MH would run for 7 hours so at 9:00pm the MH would shut off and then 2 more hours after that at 11:00pm the actinics would shut off and all this was because I would get home from work around 5:30pm and I had a couple hours to enjoy my tank
so total run time for actinics 11 hours MH 7 hours most people run MH around 6-8 hours as for the moon lights you can leave them on all day
Next alot of people say the bulbs are only a couple months old just to sell the light but just to be safe I would at least buy new MH bulds they are alittle costly but atleast you will know when they were changed this is what I did and it worked great for me

 

[mnat]

I agree with the above, but wanted to add. What are the k ratings of the bulbs you got? How long you run your MH is going to depend on what you have in the tank, heat, and how your tank reacts to it. 6-8 seems to be standard but I have seen amazing tanks that run as little as 4 hours and some amazing tanks that ran longer. Again, it will probably be a number you adjust as you go on. The actinics you can run like 10-12 hours with no problem.

 

[Hockeynut]

Great thanks for the help, I figured there would be an adjustment period. I was just trying to get a basic guideline from experienced members. Is there any way of telling how old the bulbs I have actually are or do I really need to purchase new ones and mark the date this way I know How old they are.
I believe the bulbs that I have are 10K is anyone running 15 or 20 I also could be wrong they might not be 10K With little experience with metal halide I really just don't know what I'm looking at.
I know that the light looks very good plenty bright seems to be the right spectrum Or at least the color that I like

When I bought the fixture the guy gave me an extra set of bulbs he said that they were brand-new and never used but I don't know how to determine whether they are or they aren't.
Where is the best place to purchase New bulbs?
I'm still unsure on whether I will run the metal halides or I will use the brand-new Chinese LEDs that I purchased. With so much conflicting information it's very hard for somebody like me who is new to determine which way to go.
I know I would love to save the money and run those LEDs but I'm just not sure whether the coral will grow the way I would like. maybe I can increase the spectrum on them by adding another board in between them I don't know some input would be helpful. They are dimmable but only blue-and-white Bulbs.

 

[hcker99]

There's really no way to know how old a bulb really is or how long it's been fired up (outside of it being burnt) as the color spectrum shifts over time. The only way you'd really know is if you fired an old one and a brand new one of the exact same manufacture and kelvin rating. But even then there could be differences.

If you are going to go MH I whole heartetly recommend Radiums. The growth and color I got with these was amazing.
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/radium-20k-single-end-bulb.html

If I can find them I may have a couple in the garage you can try out

 

[downbeach]

I'd use the new LED's, for sure.

 

[iTzJu]

Or you can pit that MH fixture aside and use the LEDs you purchased. It will save you money on your electricity bill and from buying new bulbs. Those Chinese LEDs are proven to grow anything under the sun and if you are worried about spectrum. You can always run those T5s along side the LEDs to get a broader color spectrum. Assuming that the T5s are retrofitted fixtures and not attached to the MH. If you need proof of T5 and LED growth, go look at Sunny's (monroereef) tank thread. He used AI Sols with T5s and eventually went to all FathlomLED fixtures.

 

[hcker99]

I'd use the new LED's, for sure.

+1 LEDs all the way. Especially after that first electric bill.

 

[Hockeynut]

How crazy is this just asking about bulbs and trying to figure out how old they are this morning and POW got home from work and immediately saw one bulb was out, crazy the way things happen it was blown. Guess it was a bit older then a couple months!!
I think with all of the positive recommendations I just might get those LEDs on the tank.
I really don't want to spend 160 on bulbs today, I don't trust the second set I got with the fixture.

 

[Zippy69]

Go with the LEDs. You will be fine.

 

[Hockeynut]

Those are some crazy chickens u got there zippy, what are they "polish" ?
I have chickens ( all common) and turkeys through the summer till turkey day "(CHOP)"
I think I will take everyone's advice and go with the LEDs.
Now I just have to build a top I like to put them in

 

[Zippy69]

Those are some crazy chickens u got there zippy, what are they "polish" ?
I have chickens ( all common) and turkeys through the summer till turkey day "(CHOP)"
I think I will take everyone's advice and go with the LEDs.
Now I just have to build a top I like to put them in

Polish, Houdan, barred rock, orpingtons, Rhode Island Red, just fenced in swath of woods on the side. Gives them a 5 second head start before the fox gets em. Besides the eggs they are our food composters.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Polish, Houdan, barred rock, orpingtons, Rhode Island Red, just fenced in swath of woods on the side. Gives them a 5 second head start before the fox gets em. Besides the eggs they are our food composters.

They look like Phyllis Diller chickens to me:

 

[Hockeynut]

They do, lol
Do they lay reg size eggs or on the smaller size? I get mombo eggs from my red's for now anyway there at the perfect age now.

 

[Zippy69]

They do, lol
Do they lay reg size eggs or on the smaller size? I get mombo eggs from my red's for now anyway there at the perfect age now.

Polish and houdan lay white slightly smaller eggs. The speckled Sussex lays a huge brown with chocolate flecks. The other larger breeds lay browns, Auracanna lay blue or green. My daughter likes to collect them. Quite fun to watch.

 

[Hockeynut]

My 9 yr old likes to get the eggs, my 14 yr old son takes care of the chickens and hates them he wants me to kill them all and put them in a pot. We have reds, Colombian wandots, think i spelled that wrond. sex link reds, barred rocks, speckled rocks, and jersey giants. We also have a rooster that attacks him regularly (nasty bird).