lighting q's

[bigreefer]

trying to decide between 3 250w se'd or hqi de's.. will be combined with 4 110w vho super actinics
this is for a 210 gal lps tank... only sps id want to keep are a few torts and a pm... what would you sugest... btw the bulbs will be 20ks

 

[bigreefer]

bump bump bump

 

[Scooterman]

I think with three 20k's & super actinics you will have a very BLUE looking tank.

http://www.cnidarianreef.com/lamps.cfm

 

[bigreefer]

I think with three 20k's & super actinics you will have a very BLUE looking tank.

yup... and thats what i want!!!!
im more curriousd as to if you all think the 250w des will be overkill for a lps tank...thanks for the link.... i bookmarked it. alot of wonderful info there

 

[bradreef]

I think a good DE pendant would spread the lighting very well.

 

[big t]

I think that if you want the 20k's that 400 radiums are your best bet. The par is pretty low on most 20k bulbs in the 250w range. Most hqi ballasts run the bulbs at around 350w so it gets more power out of the bulbs. W/ the lps this is really not all that important. I would stick w/ the se bulbs and maybe run them on the hqi ballast. That way you won't blow the lps outta the water since the par is so low on the 20k's and you will still be able to keep the tort's and PM's happy.

 

[bigreefer]

right... now my only problem with 400w radiums is changing every 6 months... i was thinking 250w xm20k

 

[reedman]

If you run an HQI ballast then your choices for SE bulbs increases. You can run the 14K bulbs on that ballast and they look great, also the 20K like you want. Personally, the 20K is too blue for me, but that is just me. I guess I'm saying that if you get the HQI now, then if your tastes change over time (like most of us) then your options are greater on future bulb choice.

I think the 250W would be plenty for an LPS tank, and would be less of a heat issue than the 400's. That said, since you are planning to keep some rare, light loving SPS, you may want to consider some bulbs that put out a little more PAR than a 250W 20K. I would suggest a mix of bulbs for best effect. Maybe go with 2 20K 250Wers on the ends of the tank and a 250W 14K in the middle. The two K ratings will blend and you can put any light loving specimens under the 14K bulb and keep them happy without upping the wattage to 400.

 

[bigreefer]

now thats an option i like

 

[Scooterman]

One top of that if your also adding super actinic, you will keep a very bluish color. I do like the idea of using se over de, de has its place but in most reef tanks you can do just as well without them, more choices & easier to cool, HIQ gets very very hot, and is difficult to cool. On my se mh I have a reflector that curves around it. At the end of the lamp I screwed in a block of wood to the hood top (Inside) I then attached a 4" thermal fan about 2 or 3 inches from the very end of the mh lamp. This blows the heat away before it hits the water, with this fan the water temp hasn't gone up one degree, without it, the lamp could boil water lol.

 

[bigreefer]

can you get me a pic of that?

 

[Scooterman]

Will do, I've been wanting to take a shot, I have to leave home now but will post it when I get back.

 

[bigreefer]

wonderful thanx

 

[bigreefer]

scooter ya ever get that pic?

 

[Scooterman]

Glad I said I'd come back & do that, sorry, hope these helps. I cut a block of wood & secured it to the top hood, using short wood screws to make sure I didn't go through. I then was able to screw the fan to the block of wood.

 

[bigreefer]

hey thanx for the pics! i assume you have 1 fan for every halide.... are you running any other additional fans? sry for ll the questions....

 

[bc_slc]

if you are planning on keeping LPS mostly, then you could get away with a SE setup for quite a bit cheaper than a DE setup. I am assuming your tank is a 6' tank, but you may find that a nice DE pendant like a PFO mini or ROIII will focus the light almost like a point source. The SE reflectors will tend to mix the light more and give better overlap. The tradeoff is the penetration of the light is not as great, so you won't be able to have light-loving species lower than about half way in the tank, but especially if you mix bulbs, it will look better.

Mat

 

[Scooterman]

Actually I have one big fan in the sump area, I probably need one more up top, the idea is to keep the heated air moving completely out from under the hood.

 

[Haole]

Tagging along here... Plan to upgrade my lighting in the future.
Sorry to butt in.... Just curious though Scooterman. Is that an Ice Cap thermo fan? If so, do you consider it to be one of the more quiet ones available?

 

[Scooterman]

YAAAA NO! It is very quiet until the light comes on, then it revs up! IT is the IC thermo, been very reliable but when it gets hot it really moves some air.