lighting ideas

[Texreefer]

ok, as you can see in the for sale/trade forum, i'm tring to upgrade my lighting.... what are your opinions on this combo. dual 250w PFO ballast, spiderlight reflectors, 6500k bulbs, 2-4' VHO's(actinic), over 75 gal. i'm looking for good coral growth and pleasing to the eye...

[Tim Marvin]

Excellent choice! You won't get better growth than with that combo. The actinics will offset the halides, which by the way, the new and improved Iwasaki bulbs are less yellow and more white in appearance.

[Chris]

I like that setup too... smells something like mine. 8)

[Texreefer]

now all i have to do is get rid of the 770 watts i have right now

[Chris]

Have you posted them for sale on RC yet Mike? They might go faster since there's so many more people there.

[TexasState]

At MACNA, Sanjay presented his study on lightning.

Here's the ranking on the reflectors.

Going in the order from the to Best to Good
Sunlight Reefoptic III reflector(can't remember the correct model designation.)
PFO Reflector
Spiderlight reflector.

In the past, peoples have said that the Spiderlight was one of the best, ranking only lower to the reflector for sale by Champion lightning(about $45 for each reflector.) This is the latest result.

Your result might be different, depending on how high you would want to hang the reflector.

Since you're concentrating on SPS, I would go w/ 400Watts setup.

for something pleasing AND good growth, you can run two Radium Bulb w/ the Iwasaki in the middle.

Or two Iwasaki & actinic supplementation should be good too. For about $260 more then the cost of the dual PFO setup, you can buy two HQI 250W 10K pendant. That would be a killer combo in with the Actinic. You'll get growth and afterhours color from your Actinic.

[Chris]

Those ReefOptic III's are HUGE though compared to the Spiderlight Reflectors. You might as well skip the canopy if you have something that big.

As for the PFO vs Spiderlight... I was under the impression(at least I think I read something about it somewhere) that the company who made the Spiderlights went out of business and sold the design to PFO... therefore they're pretty much the same thing with the exception that the Spiderlights are still longer. The price is still the same.

:?:

[TexasState]

Mike's tank are build into the wall, I don't think he use a canopy. I have a canopy on my 120, and I'm thinking about ditching that and go w/ a pendant .... If I can pull some money out of thin air.

[Texreefer]

yep,,, i'm not going to use a hood at all,,, i'm just going to hang the reflector from the ceiling. it will not be seen since tank is in the wall..

[TexasState]

http://www.sunlightsupply.com/aquarium/products/reflectors.shtml

Mike's tank have a Eurobrace, w/ no center brace. If that reflector is as good as I said, and as big as Chris said; I wonder if one Reflector in the center of will be enough light for your tank. Aquatek use those 400Watts Gieseman over their four foot, 120 gallon tanks(w/out center brace.) They only use one Gieseman MH over their 120 gallon tank w/ hardcorals.

Up until now, most reflector only cover 36 inches(w/ 30 inches spread being the optimum spread.)

Please let me know if you see anybody using only one Sunlight Reefoptics III over a four foot tank.

[Texreefer]

the reflector i'm getting is a 48" PFO aluminum reflector only $31.00.it is pre-drilled for two MH and 2-4' VHO