SPS with VHO's???????
- Thread starter ronj
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Herefishyfishy
Smart Bass
Herefishyfishy
Smart Bass
Not just softys to worry about. Biggest problems I have been having on placement are with stony corals. Was having some mysterious partial losses with excellent water parameters and awesome coral growth. Turned out that at night, the Pavona (cactus) and Favite (green brain) at night send out very long stinging tentacles. As my flow pattern changes, they find new corals to sting. Have moved them out of reach of others.
spongebob lover
flea whisperer
dood you might wanna consider MH first then because if its only gonna be sps, you won't be able to put them at the bottom
SueT
Well-known member
Ron, if you are going to dedicate this tank to sps corals then I would go ahead and do what is needed to be able to use halides for the corals sake. There are limited sps corals that can't be kept with vho's and halides will give you the ability to keep any of the sps corals out there. You want to be successful with keeping them and these corals need the intensity of the lighting to thrive.
Reefdaddy1
Reef Geek Jedi
Sue I understand that thought but to say few? Is not correct. you can keep any SPS in VHO tank as long as placement is met. But if he wants totaly SPS then switch them to MH , Build the canopy and your off.
SueT
Well-known member
I would not even try to keep these lighting needy corals under anything but halides. You see some that even try to keep them under 175w'ers and they can't do it. Why try to keep a frag/coral right up at the water surface just to try to get lighting to it. Instead start right off with the lighting they need and then not have to wonder why they have no color, no growth nothing??
This is JMO, JME. after keeping these corals.
This is JMO, JME. after keeping these corals.
Reefdaddy1
Reef Geek Jedi
Well I was keeping sps long before MH became the norm. VHO was great add to the hobby. it allowed us to keep things we never did before under NO bulbs. GARF still uses VHO only for clams and sps, it can be done, just have to be knowledgable in where to place them.
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Herefishyfishy
Smart Bass
Have to agree with Sue. My favorite coral was adopted from a very nice guy who has a tank with 175watt MH lighting. He was attempting to illuminate a large acro Milli colony. It was dying from the bottom up and hair algae was taking over the dead parts. Since cleaning it up a bit and being put under 250watt halides it has taken off. In just a couple months, 20% volume and mass growth. Yes, I have better flow etc, but the lighting is a huge part. I bot some frags from another person who has a tank with poor filtration, very little water changes showing a bad effect on the fish, yet her SPS corals were growing like weeds. She had awesome lighting!
Granted I am a SPS newby, but when it comes to Acro, Milli, etc, the better the lighting, the better the stewardship and growth. Better growth also equals probably propagation.
Granted I am a SPS newby, but when it comes to Acro, Milli, etc, the better the lighting, the better the stewardship and growth. Better growth also equals probably propagation.
ReeferPatt
Well-known member
I'm with Sue here all the way. GARF is a research facility, they can afford to experiment with things ie: lighting, filtration ect. They've been doing this for a long time. I have a 70g tank and my old lighting was 150w hqi 10k with 300watts of vho's mounted 3" from the surface. Sure my sps stayed alive with soso color. I have since switched to 400w 10k xm SE in LumenarcIII reflector and bam, My growth and colors are off the hook. Difference of night and day.
Sue has been a very successful acro/sps keeper for several yrs, check her tank out in Mike Palettas Ultimate Aquariums. That's enough for me. I've learned loads from her. She's got it going on in my book.
Reefdaddy1
Reef Geek Jedi
LOL, out dated? Lord have mercy Tell me what is outdated about VHO. This I would like to hear.
Truthfully, VHO can and will support SPS, GARF proves it daily with clones of thier tanks popping up all over the country. DSB, Plenum, VHO and Maxi Jets. Its not as out dated as some would think. Acintic supplementation is used daily By MH users, so I guess old out dated is still the best for that huh?
Truthfully, VHO can and will support SPS, GARF proves it daily with clones of thier tanks popping up all over the country. DSB, Plenum, VHO and Maxi Jets. Its not as out dated as some would think. Acintic supplementation is used daily By MH users, so I guess old out dated is still the best for that huh?
Krish
RF STAFF
I agree with Bob...It's a very bold statement when people are still using them everyday to support different types corals, even though MH's or T-5's would be a better option...
Scooterman
Well-known member
I'LL Have you know that VHO's outperform PC's on every count, PC's are the most Inefficient fluorescents there is. Until H.O. T5's became popular in the reef tanks here in the U.S. V.H.O.'s was top of the line & in fact T5's & VHO have been around Longer than PC's in the first place. I would suggest you post up SOLID documented information before making crazy statements like this & some of the others here @ RF!
ReeferPatt
Well-known member
Without a doubt vho's will outperform pc's and T5HO's will easily outperform vho's. In 99% of the cases vho's are use to supplement MH for color but not necessarily for input or intensity. If the vho's are to be used only, then they better be mounted within 3" of the waters surface, the canopy will need to be stuffed full of vho's and your water conditions prestine on all counts. Placement will be the real key to the success of keeping any of the higher lighting needs of acros. I doubt you will be able to achive any really nice colors and growth will be very slow.
Ron if you want to have a sucessful sps dominated tank, and I'm assuming your tank is 24" deep, go with MH, put some 120mm fans in your canopy, like 4, two one each end, two pushing air in and the other two pulling air out. If not you will need to stack your rock up to within 6" of the surface and change your bulbs every 6-8 mos. Whatever you decide to do I wish you luck with you tank. SPS are a very demanding coral and will need your attention on a daily basis.
Again GARF does it with success, but they have the luxury of a research facility and scientist to make it happen. And yes there others out there doing the same.
Ron if you want to have a sucessful sps dominated tank, and I'm assuming your tank is 24" deep, go with MH, put some 120mm fans in your canopy, like 4, two one each end, two pushing air in and the other two pulling air out. If not you will need to stack your rock up to within 6" of the surface and change your bulbs every 6-8 mos. Whatever you decide to do I wish you luck with you tank. SPS are a very demanding coral and will need your attention on a daily basis.
Again GARF does it with success, but they have the luxury of a research facility and scientist to make it happen. And yes there others out there doing the same.
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