All about lighting

Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum

Help Support Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum:

Watts/gallon rule is archaic, outdated and doesn't really mean much, so you're good. This is why I didn't bother to mention my Watts/gallon, in my original post.

For example, I'm running 540 watts of T5HO, with individually contoured reflectors, over a 200 gallon, 27" deep tank.

That's 2.7 watts/gallon.

I can grow SPS anywhere in my tank, including on the glass bottom.

The reason I originally asked to state watts per gal was just for the simple fact that a lot of new people like to have some general idea of what they would need. Same thing like when asking about live rock. Someone might ask how much rock would they need and they are given a general idea of lbs per gal. Doesn't mean it is gospel because there are many things you could factor in like how dense the rock is as 10 lbs of one type of rock could provide more biological filtration than 20 lbs of another and so it is the same with lighting. You could have a 20 gal tank 30 inches tall and another 20 gal only 10 inches tall where both will require different lighting. So it was just mentioned just to give people a general idea and nothing more. :)
 
Watts/gallon rule is archaic, outdated and doesn't really mean much, so you're good.




I agree with that and have hesitated to jump in before now. But now that it's being discussed, I'll add my 2 cents.
I have 640 watts of VHO and 750 watts of mh. While they are close to being the same amount of watts, they are not equal in anyway.
I think it use to be a general guide line, but with the use of so many different cheap power compact bulbs you can find on fleabay, it gives someone new to the hobby a false sense of what they should be able to keep.

Maybe a better rule would be watts per gallon , then specify what type of lighting??











I gotta lay off those 20oz. double carmel macchiato's
 
I gotta lay off those 20oz. double carmel macchiato's

My wife loves them!!! :eek:


I agree with that and have hesitated to jump in before now. But now that it's being discussed, I'll add my 2 cents.
I have 640 watts of VHO and 750 watts of mh. While they are close to being the same amount of watts, they are not equal in anyway.
I think it use to be a general guide line, but with the use of so many different cheap power compact bulbs you can find on fleabay, it gives someone new to the hobby a false sense of what they should be able to keep.


Makes tons of sense what both you and Sid said and I agree totally. Nevertheless, your average newbie will still come on here and ask, "How many watts per gal do I need?" :oops:
 
My wife loves them!!! :eek:





Makes tons of sense what both you and Sid said and I agree totally. Nevertheless, your average newbie will still come on here and ask, "How many watts per gal do I need?" :oops:

They're way too sweet!!! I prefer a Triple shot latte, NO flavoring!! Oh and none of that Starbucks crap, either!!

When the newbies ask how many watts/gallon they need, we drag them, kicking and screaming into the correct reality! :evil:

Or, we can politely educate them, which isn't near as fun. :mad:
 
When the newbies ask how many watts/gallon they need, we drag them, kicking and screaming into the correct reality! :evil:

Or, we can politely educate them, which isn't near as fun. :mad:


Well then I elect you incharge of the lighting questions :lol:


Maybe we need a new lighting thread to discuss the old general rule of thumb and how things have changed with all the new technology etc. Maybe just leave this one for people to post what they are using as a reference (ie who's using t-5's, mh's, vho's, leds etc) and on what types of tanks. Just a thought. Might come in handy! We had a lighting thread a while back that was over 100 posts long and it was accidentally permanently deleted. We need another one of them :)
 
In reality WPG is almost as useful as inches per gallon. I was just being polite bringing it up. with a few exceptions 1/2 the light (par) on some of the modern lights is just the reflector. No idea how to bring LED in the mix.
 
In reality WPG is almost as useful as inches per gallon. I was just being polite bringing it up. with a few exceptions 1/2 the light (par) on some of the modern lights is just the reflector. No idea how to bring LED in the mix.

Good point on the reflectors as they do make a big difference. :)


Maybe I should have edited the first post as the intention of the thread was not necessarily a debate on lighting but rather to just post up what type of lighting you are using and on what kind of tank. :)

Maybe we need a new lighting thread to discuss the old general rule of thumb and how things have changed with all the new technology etc. Maybe just leave this one for people to post what they are using as a reference (ie who's using t-5's, mh's, vho's, leds etc) and on what types of tanks.
 
Kevin, I also have no idea how to bring LEDs into the mix, however, I do see them having a very "bright" future, in our hobby. (Pun intended)

I think a lot more work needs to be done, in the manufacturing end of things though. From the research I've done, which is admittedly, not enough, the DIY hobbyists are producing fixtures that are producing better results than anything manufactured yet, at a fraction of the cost.

Krish, a 100 page thread deleted? Ohhhh, that hurts!!

Lighting is a kind of debatable topic, as we've all seen. MH vs. T5 is a prime example. Another example is just how important is lighting, in the over all scheme? For instance: When I decided to go with T5HO, I was told I wouldn't be able to grow SPS. I was told this by A LOT of people, including some LFSs. However, I decided to try it out anyway. A few months later, all of my SPS were the same color...dull brown....lol. I'd about come to the conclusion that the people who had told me I couldn't grow SPS were right. About that time, a RF member offered me a great deal on a used skimmer. It wasn't a "great" skimmer, but was much better than what I was running. Within 2 months of upgrading my skimmer, I had a tank full of beautifully colored SPS, growing like mad. The only thing that changed, was the skimmer.

That really got me thinking, which I rarely do. Then I read a lot of things, written by very trusted people, such as Anthony Calfo, who talks about how too much emphasis is put on lighting, and not enough on flow. I'm just beginning to understand, more, just how important "quality" flow, vs. "quantity" of flow is.

Okay, enough of a sidebar. Back to this great lighting thread!!!
 
LOL!! you can sidebar all you want :p All the info provided here is VERY useful to anyone looking in. :)

About the 100+ post thread that was actually deleted, it was back when Luke (liveforphysics) was posting here and there was a huge debate on lighting. Mojo had some good stuff in there. It was great!! If I remember correctly Scooty accidentally deleted it permanently :lol:
 
I'll restart it, you two are like a old married bickering couple LOL.
2x 250w MH 14 coralvues in LUMENBRIGHT relectors Ice cap ballasts.
2x 54w T-5 actinics in individual reflectors. workhorse ballast.
 
I had my 90 AGA setup with a Odyssea fixture that has 2-250MH 4-54 watt T5HO actinics and 6 dual moonlights. Bulbs sucked at first and switched them out and also the ballast to IceCaps because everyone said the problem with those fixtures was bad ballast and they would catch fire. Well after buying the Icecaps I found out they are using new ballast and don't have that issue any more.
Now everything got switched over to my 180 aga tank and I got a hamilton fixture with 2-250 MH bulbs and 1-400watt MH and 4 96 watt PC lights. The bulbs were all old and I replaced them today with the Ebay bulbs and the color is soooo nice. In the 90 browned out SPS colored back up very nice with these bulbs. And on the 180 I don't need to run the PC bulbs, but they are very old and need replacing also. I am running a mixed reef and everything looks great and has great colors.

180 on 1284 watts ,thats 7.133333 watts per gal.
90 on 716 watts, thats 7.9555555 watts per gal.
 
Last edited:
Yeah I don't go by wpg but maybe I should...250w 20k giesemann with icecap ballast over 20high tank. 12.5 WPG.

Oh yeah and I don't go by: inch of fish, or lb of rock, or pound of sand, or ounce of coral, per gallon either.
 
Yeah I don't go by wpg but maybe I should...250w 20k giesemann with icecap ballast over 20high tank. 12.5 WPG.

Oh yeah and I don't go by: inch of fish, or lb of rock, or pound of sand, or ounce of coral, per gallon either.


Your such a rebel! :D
 
Used to power the heck out of my 180 with 3 each 250 halides and 4 each 6' VHOs plus a few moonlights kept cool with a 1/3 hp chiller.
My 72 used to have a hamilton fixture with 2 250w halides plus CFs for more color.
Now am into power conservation. Have no chiller and fully open top
Doors to room open in day and closed off at night

My 72 has 2 each 175w halides in luminbright reflectors
my 54 has a single 250w halide in a luminbright reflector
Both flanking the E facing window for a little bit more direct sun

Cooled with fans as needed on a temp controller
 
My setup is a 50 gallon reef. Here is what I have for lighting, my fixture is a Finnex HO 36" T-5 4-39 watts setup which includes 2 Aquablue+, 1 Actinic+ and 1 Pure Actinic.

It was suggested to go with a 175 watt metal halide instead but if my reef is doing well (all SPS corals) is it necessary for growth? The only thing in my tank struggling are my two bubble tip anemones, but that could be the clowns being too aggressive.

I am looking for a fixture, 175 watt metal halide if anyone is selling a good one.

Thanks,

ReefJeff
 

Latest posts

Back
Top