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Lighting Question - I hope to get lots of feedback

mynd

mynd

Hello all,

I have a question so I will try to explain it easily. I am running a coralife 24" 150w MH with dual 65 actinics etc.. The actinic bulbs are 03 420nm coralife bulbs at 65 watts. What I want to do ( maybe ) is replace the 65w actinics which are 2 bulbs of 50/50 ( both 420nm )so you see 4 bulbs now, but in actuality are only 2 bulbs, with 2 t5's 460's ( I think ) but would be 24watts. Now I know I can do it. The real question is should I? OR should I just replace the 65w 03 actinics with a couple 65w current 460nm bulbs?

So on one hand you would have t5 at 24w HO so a total of 48w's or on the other hand you would have 2(4) 65w actinics at 460nm from current. I am trying to get the BEST color for my corals. What would you do. Please if you answer give a reason. Saying T5's does not help. I really need to know why.

I hope I can get a lot of you veteran's in on this as I would really like to know what you do and why. It's all about the color!

Thanks!
 
reefsandrotts

reefsandrotts

NJRC Member
I would do the T-5 swap if you feel you can.
I like the color of the T-5 actinics alot more than pc,plus you get over 12 months of life with T-5 unlike pc.
Just my 2 cents.
 
magic

magic

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
I think I read somewhere that per watt, T5s usually provided a higher PAR. To Jim's point, the T5s last longer and are cheaper to replace.

Bob
 
Phyl

Phyl

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
I believe that the color of the MH bulb you're using is going to have a FAR greater effect on your coral coloration than the color of your actinics. The actinic spectrum is [nearly] purely for our enjoyment and not the benefit of the corals. So coral color-wise you'd be best off changing your bulb to a 20K bulb. Since I don't care for the color of that I stick to 14k and hope for the best.

As for PC to T5 choice, I'd take the T5 any day. The color spectrum shift is so dramatic and fast on the PCs and when it happens it causes a nasty algae outbreak every time in our eel tank. It seems to happen faster than 6mo.
 
J

jonathan.

This is my take on this.

You say you're looking for the best color for your corals. 20K, by far, offers the best pop and colors if you ask me. But the problem with that is that you see a lot less growth with the 20K bulbs.

I really do prefer a 10K bulb (my current bulb is 15K and I can't wait to change it out) with blue spectrum T5's to supplement. The T5's offer a much better color of the coral than the PC's from experience and as mentioned tend to have a better PAR rating for bulbs with smaller wattage than the PC's.

The T5 shelf life and bulb cost is more than enough for me to recommend them above and beyond the PC's, even before we take into account all the other benefits to the T5's in comparison to the PC's.

This is how I like to break it down: If you're totally fine with how big your corals are now and want to sacrifice growth for color, go with the 20K bulb. If you want a bit of pop and a bit of growth, go with the 15K.

But I think that all can be made well with a 10K bulb (the Aqualine 10K bulbs are my favorites lately) with the blue spectrum T5's supplementing more color and pop. You get a tad more blue and pop from the Aqualine 10K bulbs as well in comparison to others.
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

I would go with the T5s. I have PCs on my nano as you know. For sure in 1 year they are crapped out (technical word usage). I just replaced them and I can see the diffence which tells me I waited too long. I have T5s on my FW tank and I really like them. I think they provide better light, with less heat, and they last longer. I don't know if you can find VHO but if you are looking for color they are extrodinary, in particular since you already have the MH lights to provide overall lighting.
 
M

medachef

Phyl said:
As for PC to T5 choice, I'd take the T5 any day. The color spectrum shift is so dramatic and fast on the PCs and when it happens it causes a nasty algae outbreak every time in our eel tank. It seems to happen faster than 6mo.
Click to expand...

Ain't that the truth. I try to push for 8-9 months on my pc's. Sucks though... One day it good next day GHA. the cuc like it though.
 
T

tangdude

as far as pc's go they are crap compared to t5's. (sorry dont know how to candy coat that) if it was my setup I would replace the halides for 10k xms( best par rating other than an ushio 6500k) for growth. then I would replace the pc ballast for an icecap 430 and run 4 t5 bulbs. they can be a combo like 2 actinic and 2 aqua blues. this will give you growth, a great dawn dusk effect, awsome coloration of your corals and and you can cut down on the halide daylight to 4-6 hours. if you go t5 dont forget to use individual reflectors.
 
J

jonathan.

tangdude said:
as far as pc's go they are crap compared to t5's. (sorry dont know how to candy coat that) if it was my setup I would replace the halides for 10k xms( best par rating other than an ushio 6500k) for growth. then I would replace the pc ballast for an icecap 430 and run 4 t5 bulbs. they can be a combo like 2 actinic and 2 aqua blues. this will give you growth, a great dawn dusk effect, awsome coloration of your corals and and you can cut down on the halide daylight to 4-6 hours. if you go t5 dont forget to use individual reflectors.
Click to expand...

What color hue is the XM 10K? Is it towards the yellow or blue side? 10K seems to be way hard to predict the color from brand to brand.
 
T

tangdude

jonathan. said:
tangdude said:
as far as pc's go they are crap compared to t5's. (sorry dont know how to candy coat that) if it was my setup I would replace the halides for 10k xms( best par rating other than an ushio 6500k) for growth. then I would replace the pc ballast for an icecap 430 and run 4 t5 bulbs. they can be a combo like 2 actinic and 2 aqua blues. this will give you growth, a great dawn dusk effect, awsome coloration of your corals and and you can cut down on the halide daylight to 4-6 hours. if you go t5 dont forget to use individual reflectors.
Click to expand...

What color hue is the XM 10K? Is it towards the yellow or blue side? 10K seems to be way hard to predict the color from brand to brand.
Click to expand...
10ks are generally pretty white. xms can sometimes have a very slight yellow hue but give excellent par ratings. that is why you would supplement with t-5 actinics. 14k and above you can run as stand alone bulbs. no supplementation needed. most will run some blues w/ 14s or better mainly for dusk and dawn effect. Ice cap now has their own bulb brand and would like to see their 10k.
 
T

tsunami

I too would stay away from pc lighting. I have some left over on one of my tanks and hate them for the same reasons stated above. Recently, I've changed from 10k to running 12k reeflux halides that give a nice look without too much blue. Just a personal preferance for me.
 
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