Lighting Upgrade Options

[jeffrey_ropp]

As a new zoanthid collector, I'm somewhat uninspired with the coloration of the zoos from my current PC lighting setup. I'm running 2x55W 10K bulbs and 2x55W Actinic 03 bulbs.

My ballasts do support 96W bulbs, so I could get quite a bit more wattage by buying new bulbs (220-->384).

The other option is to go MH, which would obviously be more expensive and require some refitting of my 6" tall canopy.

So my question is this:

Will upgrading to 384W (perhaps 1/2 actinic) will result in significant better coloration or do I need to go MH to achieve real results?

Thanks for the thoughts.
Jeff

 

[Krish]

I've never kept zoo's or anything other than fish so I really couldn't say. I just wanted to stop in and say welcome to RF! Hope you enjoy it here!

 

[jeffrey_ropp]

Thanks for the welcome. Frank at Tropical Reef Oasis in Alhambra, CA sent me over.

 

[wrightme43]

Welcome. I have kept zoos in a 75 under 4 x 96 compact bulbs. They did ok. Mine seem to do a whole lot better under 2 x 250 watt bulbs now. Cant really give you any pictures right now. I am on my new laptop, and my desk top went to the shop today to get what ever the heck has blowed up in it fixed. LOL
there are pictures of my zoos under pc and Mh on this site somewhere, but I dont have the slightest idea how to find them. Sorry I am lucky to be able to post photos, not real computer literate.

 

[Krish]

Frank at Tropical Reef Oasis in Alhambra, CA sent me over

Tell Frank I think he's cool then(LOL)

 

[wjake]

lights

go with mh

 

[Skimmy]

if your going to stay with p.c.'s i would upgade the wattage to the 96's and i would incorporate some of the non- actinic 7,100k blue bulbs to the fixture, ie:
1 true actinic, 1 blue 7,100k, 1 50/50 white 10,000k and blue 7,100k, and one 10,000k white.
the blue bulbs compared to the true actinic bulbs will produce more flourecence from your corals, when it comes to p.c. bulbs anyway. i have yet to see a p.c. actinic bulb that has the output and visual effect of a v.h.o. actinic. look at my avatar, that acan doesnt look nearly as stunning when it's under true actinic p.c.'s, but under the blue bulbs it looks awesome!

 

[mfinn]

I would have to say that if you really like zoanthids and you want the best color for viewing them, you have to go to a mh 14k to a 20k bulb.
I used pc lighting with my zoanthids for a while, but the zoanthids I bought never had the same color as the pictures I saw online, until I went with mh.
The difference is amazing. I always thought the pictures I saw online had to be color inhanced, but if you read the fine print at those websites, they will say that they use, whatever wattage, with a 20k bulb.
Zoanthids will grow very well with pc lighting, but the colors look better under mh 14k-20k.jmo