more lighting for sps....

[Skeptic9962]

lately alot of people have been saying that my problem is probably just not enough light over my tank...just alot of the corals arent as dark and vibrant as they should be and ive checked everything (my nitrates are still at around 10 so that is one thing)

but my question is...is 150w halide w/4 24w t5s over a 24" deep and 24wide tank enough or to be safe just upgrade to a 250w stealth lumenarc...any suggestions would help me decide the only reason that im fighting upgrading is the fact that i spent 450 on this light setup lol....but if thats what it needs owell

 

[kevinpo]

I have a 90 gal (48"x18"x24") with a 400W 20,000K HQI bulb and it is not enough light for SPS corals placed on the sand to keep good color. For a tank of your depth I would recommend 400W bulbs if you plan on keeping high light SPS corals and have them color up nicely.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[jmp21677]

I don't think your tank is 24" tall is it?

 

[Skeptic9962]

just measured it its 21" from the sand to the top of the tank the other 3 inches is the bottom and 2 in sandbed...but i dont ever plan on putting corals on the sand other then zoes and clams...clams are high light demanding but just the 150 i have is doing fine with the maxima i have in it....the lowest point i will be placing SPS would be at 16-18 deep....just sucks cause everyone i talked to before i bought this fixture said oh yeah that will be fine for sps..what do you think about a 250w stealth lumenarc w/icecap 250w electronic balast, and 250w 14k pheonix...that is what im curently looking at...still think i should get a 400w?

 

[roscoe]

More more more light Dan!!!!!! Moooooooore.

 

[jmp21677]

Dan, I think the 250 should be good. My tank is 20" deep and I haven't had any trouble yet. You could always add some T-5's to the 250 watter if you had to. I would listen to anything kevin has to say. He has a way with sps

 

[Skeptic9962]

right now im debating between upgrading to the lumenarc 250w or upgrading to the same light i have but just the 250w version...i love the day to night effect and the all in one setup but i know the lumenarc has alot more coverage area...and also im sure the reflector is more intense then currents...any suggestions on setups? just want to do it right this time...lol

 

[jmp21677]

Dan, I have the 250 hqi with the T-5's from outer orbit and I love this lighting set up. If you want to stop by and take another look before you buy one let me know.

 

[mcneilwh]

I have a 90 tall with two HQI Reeflux 12K 250 Watt bulbs. It is adequate, for the heat load that I can bear. I would have preferred 400 Watts, but then my heating problems would require me to get a chiller.

I believe on Reef Central there was a link on light set efficiency. The 250W HQI were the least efficient of the bunch, with the 400W being close to the top.

 

[CCR]

You also should be thinking of the future needs you may have (when you want that bigger tank) and go with 400W 15K xm. I like the light. I will say that I'm slowly going HQI 400W radiums. I also run deeper tanks, 30' SOOOOOOOO many ways.

 

[tike]

I also run deeper tanks, 30' SOOOOOOOO many ways.

That is one DEEP tanK!:badgrin:

 

[kevinpo]

Hello,
If you want to use 250W bulbs I would recommend DE bulbs or if using a mogul mount, drive the bulb with an HQI ballast. The Outer Orbit fixture with the 250's and T-5's will work well (especially if you use the mounting legs supplied).

Regards,
Kevin

 

[Skeptic9962]

just ordered the 250w version hope it will help out....

 

[kevinpo]

I would suggest reducing the halide photo period to about 4 hours for a week after installing the new fixture.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[Skeptic9962]

ok thanks alot for the help hope this will help a bit...so should i still have the t5s on the same amount of time but just reduce halides down to 4 hrs? also what coloration of bulb should i get ive heard that the 14k pheonix 250w is alot more blue that the 150...cause i was going to go with the same thing i love the blue look is there any other bulbs that you guys would suggest i just cant stand the 10k look....

 

[roscoe]

I have 14k hamiltons on mines and I like it.

 

[kevinpo]

so should i still have the t5s on the same amount of time but just reduce halides down to 4 hrs?

The T-5's should be run 12-14 hours. The Coralife 14,000K is another good bulb.

Regards,
Kevin

 

[Skeptic9962]

i reduced it down to 4 hours a day for the last 3 days since tue. should i slowly go from 4-8 hours....over a week or so?

 

[Skeptic9962]

i can already tell a big difference in coloration on most of my corals starting to get much darker and more vibrant with only 4 hours of halides and only after a week so i cant wait to see what they will look like in a month :shock:

 

[kevinpo]

I would increase the time to 6 hours a day for four days then 8 hours a day. Glad to hear you are happy with your upgrade

Regards,
Kevin