Actinic's needed with MH?

[Guest JasonD]

If one goes with MH lighting, do you still need to add a couple of actinic PC's or T5's?

[Caribbean Jake]

If one goes with MH lighting, do you still need to add a couple of actinic PC's or T5's?

Depends,

If you decide to use 10K or 14K MH bulbs then you need to supplement with ACTINIC 03. If you decide to go with 20K MH bulbs, you do not need the ACTINIC's.

It is a matter of preference and looks.

[Folta]

Let me just clarify that the actinics are for your viewing pleasure. Your corals health will be perfectly fine without them, pending you have enough light in MH form.

 

From what I remember, the 14k's are pretty dang blue (for me both 20k and 14k are way too blue for my taste).

[Sugar Magnolia]

I use a 250W 14K phoenix bulb with no actinic supplementation. (3+ years) I've tried no name 14K bulbs and the color is just awful - very white/yellow.

[BeltwayBandit]

One nice thing about using actinics in combination with MH is that you don't have to burn the MH all the time when you want light in the tank. I ran my tank for 2 years with 2x20K XM 250W MH bulbs. I added 2 110W VHO actinics and changed out my MH to Ushio 10K's. I have approximately the same look with the actinic and MH on, but I also have an hour of 'dusk' on either end of my lighting cycle. Plus the tank looks really cool under just actinics. WHen I switched I cut 1 hour off of my total MH photoperiod.

 

But again, its all about looks.

 

BB

[ReeferMan]

What BB said but i only run 14k. Its cheaper to replace just MH then MH with actinic suppliments and you can acheive the same look

[ChrisTran]

will soft corals and mushrooms benefit from VHO actinic?

[dandy7200]

will soft corals and mushrooms benefit from VHO actinic?

 

Nope, but some of them just look so dang cool with them. Nothing will floresce corals like a URI actinic 03 VHO bulb. Nothing.