Stupid Lighting Question

[The Kerrnel]

As I continue to plan my 55g (I should probably start a dedicated thread at some point), I'm starting to think about lighting and what would fit in the canopy.

 

I have a standard tank and would probably build the canopy to just a bit larger than 48". Having said that, if I were to get a retro kit, what I'm thinking about doing is:

 

Left: 1 x 50/50 Right: 1 x Actinic

1 x 50/50 1 x SuperWhite

 

In all cases I'm looking at T5's.

 

I have several questions about this though...

• Will those (24") fit side-by-side in a standard 55g made-to-measure canopy?
  
• Would I be better off going with a 2 x 48"?
  
• I want optimal lighting control, so do I need to look for alternate ballasts?
  

Regarding the ballasts (I know next to little about lighting), assuming I was to go with TEK or somthing as my retro kit, if you had two bulbs controlled by one ballast, can you control each bulb individually? I've kind of got in my mind a lighting setup where I'd have Actinics on overnight, turn on 50/50, then other 50/50, SuperWhite on Actinic Off, 50/50 off, SuperWhite off, Actinic on, 50/50 off, repeat.

 

Is something like that possible with the stock ballast?

 

Or would I be better off going with 3 2x48" 54W kits under the hood? I know the 24" model is only 24W per, so that would leave me with only 96W of lighting for a 55g tank. I'm kind of thinking it would be better to go with the 2x48" kits because at least then I've got 108W per kit, up to 324W. Unless I can fit the 2x24".

 

Obviously I haven't played around with this much, and don't really have the means to. I'd appreciate input from anyone who has wrestled with this on a similar sized tank with a custom canopy. What fits? What is the most economical with most control? I'd like to keep lighting around $300 to 400 if I can. What I want, as outlined above, is an end-solution, but allows me flexibility to add more kits as I go if cost becomes a factor. But control is definitely high on the list.

 

Metal halides are not an option for me. My interest is in soft corals, LPS, and perhaps at some point a clam. I have no interest in SPS, so I don't need uber lighting.

[Big Country]

For T5's and a nice setup for retrofit go with the 4x54w icecap http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluore...Bulbs_by_IceCap it's $359 right in your price range. Should be able to control the bulbs 2 and 2, will want blue + bulbs in the front and back and probably something like a aquablue special and a daylight in the middle. Will give you a nice setup that should be able to grow most anything if you change your mind on the sps. Otherwise you could go cheaper with a TEK retrofit which won't have as much power or light output as the icecap setup. Either way I would highly recommend reefgeek.com as a place to do business with

[shawns]

since you're doing a retro and mh are not an option--although you will want to do sps down the road. we all make plans and i can guarantee that NO ONE has stuck to them--this is my sugestion:

 

2-3 t-5s controled on 1 ice cap 660 or equivelent

and

1 vho super actinic powered by a sufficient ballast.

 

the reason i say 2-3 is you may fit 2 or you may fit 3. it just depends on how things line up. you may want to consider having room for fans inside of your hood. i would go w/ the vho actinic simply because you will never get the same color from a t-5 actinic. you can try pc, but i would just do all 48'' bulbs across the tank. use 2 ballasts to control the vho and the 2-3 t-5s independently. 1 ballst for the vho and 1 for the t-5s. got it??

 

you also dont want to have the lights on overnight. probably 10-12 hrs photoperiod for the tank. that is all that you'll want. that way it will simulate "life" better.

 

have fun!!!

[jakaufman]

For my 55g I am working on, I picked up a used SLS Tek system with 4x54w 48" bulbs w/ mounting legs for $225 shipped from a guy on RC. I think it should be plenty of light and will support most SPS corals or clams. I haven't gotten it set up completely so I can't say from experience that all the corals and clams will do fine but the guy I got it from said his were perfect and from what I have read, since it is only a 55g that the T5s give plenty of light, even without going to the higher priced IceCap stuff.

 

If you are looking at that 300-400 range anyways, IceCap is great and is well known for their excellent customer service which is a huge benefit, but you can get high quality setups for less if you keep an eye out for some deals.

 

The way the Tek is set up, the two outside bulbs and the two inside bulbs are controlled separately. I think the common setup was explained already of 2 actinic bulbs on the outsides and 10 or 20k bulbs on the inside.

 

 

Joe

[The Kerrnel]

If you are looking at that 300-400 range anyways, IceCap is great and is well known for their excellent customer service which is a huge benefit, but you can get high quality setups for less if you keep an eye out for some deals.

 

The way the Tek is set up, the two outside bulbs and the two inside bulbs are controlled separately. I think the common setup was explained already of 2 actinic bulbs on the outsides and 10 or 20k bulbs on the inside.

 

One of the reasons for the timing of this post is there's a potential group by starting up here with Sunlight products, the TEK folks. Since I need the lights and I'm doing the planning, I thought I might be able to take advantage of it rather than wait 6 months for the next GB.

 

So far as I can tell there are 4 bulb options if I get an empty kit and go with Geisemann bulbs:

 

Pure Actinic

Actinic+

Midday 6k

AquaBlue+ 11k

 

From what it sounds like you have setup, and what was suggested by Big Country, is a setup like:

 

Actinic+

Midday 6k

AquaBlue+ 11k

Actinic+

 

Is an alternate version of that for full spectrum maybe:

 

Pure Actinic

Midday 6k

AquaBlue+ 11k

Actinic+

 

Or does that even provide much extra benefit? I assume with this setup in a 4x that you can control 2 by 2 and not just have everything on or everything off?

 

Is an option (for possibly down the road...and would it fit?) to maybe go with the 4x Act+/Midday/Aqua/Act+ and stick another 1x Pure Actinic on a different ballast, or is that blue overkill?

 

Thanks for the responses so far!

[shawns]

it's all about how much blue your pallate can handle. some guys like radiums, others like 10k. some like 10k w/ A LOT of actinic. just look at the TOTM's they each have wonderful tanks. each has great lighting, but each do it in the way that it would look good to them. if i was doing the gb, i would buy 1 midday, 2 act+, 2 aqua, and 2 pure act. play w/ the configuration and see what YOU like. thats what matters anyway. no one sees your tank more then you...other then your fish. if it were me, i wouldnt rule out using 1 vho actinic, but thats me and what I like.

 

 

like i said, "HAVE FUN!!"

[The Kerrnel]

it's all about how much blue your pallate can handle. some guys like radiums, others like 10k. some like 10k w/ A LOT of actinic. just look at the TOTM's they each have wonderful tanks. each has great lighting, but each do it in the way that it would look good to them. if i was doing the gb, i would buy 1 midday, 2 act+, 2 aqua, and 2 pure act. play w/ the configuration and see what YOU like. thats what matters anyway. no one sees your tank more then you...other then your fish. if it were me, i wouldnt rule out using 1 vho actinic, but thats me and what I like.

like i said, "HAVE FUN!!"

 

That's actually a great idea...browsing through the TOTMs to check out FTS and their lighting setups. And for an extra $40 I could just do that...buy an extra couple of bulbs and just mess around. Worst case, I'll go with a setup for six months that might be something I like marginally less, but the bulbs would get used and I'd know what worked for me.

 

Hadn't even considered that, thanks for the great idea.

[extreme_tooth_decay]

Metal halides are not an option for me. My interest is in soft corals, LPS, and perhaps at some point a clam. I have no interest in SPS, so I don't need uber lighting.

 

 

That's exactly what I said years ago, and it's still how I feel. We can develop a secret anti-SPS handshake.

 

tim

[The Kerrnel]

That's exactly what I said years ago, and it's still how I feel. We can develop a secret anti-SPS handshake.

 

Sounds good to me. Just don't see much in acros. I like things that move.

 

Having said that I do have a monti cap frag. I like things that move and big round stationary things.

Edited April 30, 2008 by The Kerrnel

[CHUBAKAH]

That's exactly what I said years ago, and it's still how I feel. We can develop a secret anti-SPS handshake.

 

tim

I wouldn't rule out any SPS in my future, but right now that's where I am as well.

 

Sounds good to me. Just don't see much in acros. I like things that move.

 

Having said that I do have a monti cap frag. I like things that move and big round stationary things.

I'm with you, and also in the market for a new lighting system, and looking for the same advice.

 

Right now I am using two 24" 65 watt compact fluorescents on my 100 gallon, so pretty much anything is going to be an improvement.

 

I'm however looking for more the Tek Light Fixtures type of thing.

 

I'm looking at this, and looking for any and all advice.

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluore...Sunlight_Supply

 

Tagging along and also interested in the group buy!!

 

Mark

[treesprite]

Just exactly how much of an advantage, in percent, does being so particular about individual bulbs have over your basic standard actinic/10k combo? Eventually in teh not-near future I want retros with individual reflectors, but even then it it really such a serious thing to get so specific?

[The Kerrnel]

Just exactly how much of an advantage, in percent, does being so particular about individual bulbs have over your basic standard actinic/10k combo? Eventually in teh not-near future I want retros with individual reflectors, but even then it it really such a serious thing to get so specific?

 

Probably not, but I figure it gets me closer to the "real thing" on the cheap, without having to fork out bazoongas. And as shawns mentioned, it's about personal preference as well. What makes the tank look the way you like it to look? Sometimes it's the smallest things that will make a difference.

 

Heck, I've got a glass cover on my 10g that got gooped up with salt and watermarks and the tank looked kind of dull. I'm using a 50/50 PC 65W fixture, and when I cleaned the glass (the simplest thing), the tank livened up. So who knows how much of a difference something as small as individual reflectors will make?

 

CHEWIE:

 

The same advice would apply with a fixture vs. a retro kit, I'd think. The only difference in this case is the 6x has a ballast that controls the two outside and one that controls the four inside. I can imagine that buying extra bulbs (2 of each = 8 ?) and messing around with the combos likewise applies.

[Big Country]

Buying extra bulbs and trying them out is the way to go to get a look that you like. When I had 2 of the Geisemann pure actinic bulbs in my fixture I didn't think they put out much light and looked purple to me. I had the GE 6500K bulb and it looked very yellow. Since I changed my bulbs out the growth in my tank has been much improved and I like the look although my camera sucks so I can't get a decent picture. I have the Tek 8x54 light over my 75.