Lighting advice

[dano]

I bought a used 130 bowfront and it came with a coralife aqualight pro fixture in the hood - 1 x 150 w MH 10,000, 2 65 watt PC Actinics, and 2 Blue moonlight LEDs. I just added to it tonight 2 55 w T5 bulbs. Is this enough lighting for a reef tank with anemones, mostly softies but some LPS and SPS. If not, is there any not too pricey upgrade you would recommend. I do have a 4 x 55 watt T% fixture from my old tank but I don't think that would be better than the aqualight pro and there isn't room for both. Also, the Aqualight pro is sold with the 150 MH 10,000K and actinic PC's. the bulbs need to be replaced. Should I stick with that configuration? And what t5's would you recommend me using. I've neveer had MH before. Thanks much.

[Jan]

Hi Daniel,

Remember my 75 gallon DT? What you have sounds like the exact light I had on that DT. It worked just fine. I eventually had the unit modified where the 2 PC's were replaced by 4 x 54W T5's which made it even better. You've got enough light with the addition of the 2 T5's. Did you just add the T5's to the unit and keep the Pc's too or did you switch out the PC's for the T5's? Either way you have enough light for SPS and anemones. Do we ever really have enough? This sounds great!

 

I used Geissman super actinic blues and replaced the 10,000K 150w DE MH with a 20,000K 150 W DE MH. The colors really popped with this combo. I loved that light fixture and color combo! The moonlights can be replaced too. they fade after a while. You can get them from Coralife. they sent me 4 brand new ones for free. I dealt directly with a sales person. Very easy to install...plug and play.

[Coral Hind]

The lights sound like it wil be fine once you replace the MH bulb with a new one. I would stick with a 10k bulb and I would mix the T5 bulbs, one white and one blue.

[taiscici]

If you want to make sure you have enough light, get a par meter (wamas member can borrow one) and measure as long as you have 100 par on the bottom you can grow anything.

[dano]

thanks all. I added the 2 T5 to the PC's that were already there. what are the differences pros/cons of 10,000 k vs 20000k?

[Coral Hind]

To me, corals grow faster under 10kk but may lack some color that the 20kk helps to add. The 10kk offers more PAR so if you have a lower wattage bulb or a deep tank the 10kk is a better choice to get as much PAR to the corals as possible.

[hlem]

I learned a lot about light from this site here.

 

http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Lighting.html

[Chad]

To me, corals grow faster under 10kk but may lack some color that the 20kk helps to add. The 10kk offers more PAR so if you have a lower wattage bulb or a deep tank the 10kk is a better choice to get as much PAR to the corals as possible.

 

^+1

[PotomacBoater]

Is PAR the only reading you need,

or does the spectrum effect it too?

[Ryan S]

Is PAR the only reading you need,

or does the spectrum effect it too?

 

Generally, the higher the PAR, the faster the growth. The higher the spectrum, the better the coloration.

 

10k = grows faster; 20k has better colors. IMO: 14k/15k are a nice compromise of good growth and color.