actinic lights

[steven11]

I want to add some actinic light to my tank. The tank is a 36gal bow front. i have a 250w hqi mh pendant, which is the only light on the tank. It has a 14k hamilton bulb. What would be the cheapest and easiest way to put some actinics on the tank? I plan on building a hood so it could be a retro kit, but i just dont know what would work the best for what i have already. Any ideas? Thanks!

 

[burning2nd]

are you sure its a 14k?

14k is blue....... antinic's are blue right?

if your light is a 14k i would suggest 2 of them long nova 10k t5 lights

you could just set it over the tank for now... but a little white light looks good with them blue lights

 

[Krish]

Jon...Depending on what 14K bulb it is it can be blue or not so blue in comparison to other 14K's. I've had a 12K that looked exactly like a 20K of another brand so...

As for adding pc's to your setup, I think whatever you can fit under there in that hood alongside the metal halide, may not show up too much. 250w is alot of wattage and typically the higher wattage pc's are longer in length from what I've seen (I think 24 inch only goes to 65w) so it may be a bit cramped. However, I may be wrong...Just assuming here If you don't have the space and don't want the added heat, maybe you can just up the kelvin rating on your bulb to get more blue. Just a thought...I'm sure others who run pc's with MH's will chime in soon

 

[burning2nd]

nice i didnt know that... i thought all manufactor's compared to the light spectrum....

hmmmmmm.... good info

 

[Krish]

Check this out Jon...I posted this pic before, but this was on my old 75gal tank where I put a 12K Reeflux next to a 20K XM!

 

[burning2nd]

wow, they look the same

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Steve, I would watch craigs and ebay for a deal on the parts. Have a bulb in the front and one or two in the back behind the pendant. They WILL brighten up the tank. Use Aqua Sun bulbs which are whiter and brighter. Ice Cap make the best ballasts, but for just 48-72 inches of bulb, any brand ballast should do fine.

 

[steven11]

Thanks for the info. I will try to get some befor and after pics and what i end up doing for all of us nano reefers. Thanks again guys.

 

[mungus]

If you are looking to add actinic lighting I would recomend a VHO setup. The colors these bulbs produce is outstanding. I use 10K MH supplemented with VHO and the look is fantastic the VHO's really make the colors pop. Here is a link to the bulbs I use. They also have a built in reflector. http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...ROD&Product_Code=48BVHO&Category_Code=URIblue

I would go with a 2 or 3 bulb retro kit and get sizes you need to fit the dimensions of your tank.

JMO
Brian

 

[dragoneggs]

If you are looking to add actinic lighting I would recomend a VHO setup. The colors these bulbs produce is outstanding. I use 10K MH supplemented with VHO and the look is fantastic the VHO's really make the colors pop. Here is a link to the bulbs I use. They also have a built in reflector. http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...ROD&Product_Code=48BVHO&Category_Code=URIblue

I would go with a 2 or 3 bulb retro kit and get sizes you need to fit the dimensions of your tank.

JMO
Brian

I agree with Brian... I have two 10K 250W MH and use the same 110w actinics in the link above. They are very blue and I nice compliment to the 10K MH.