Lighting Questions

[SuperXdude]

Hi Again. More questions. :-D

I'd like to thank everyone for their help already so far.

I've got the mrs sold on more lighting for the tank. We left the LFS
and she was drooling over the corals and stuff. (Alamo Aquatics)

I was planning on going to VHO, but if Metal Halide is much better
for the live rock and some basic corals, I'll gladly go with that.

For a 55 Gallon standard tank, what would be best?
175w, 250w, or 400w? 400 is probably extreme for me.

Thanks again, and see you all saturday.

SuperX

[captexas]

SuperX -
For a 55g tank, the lighting depends on what you want to keep. If you plan on staying with soft corals, then you could probably get away with just using 175's even though they really aren't that necessary except for a few sun loving types. If you want to try a few SPS (hard corals) or are thinking of maybe upgrading down the road, I would go with 250's. Remember that it is recommended to use one light for every 2ft. in length of tank so for a 55g you will need two lamps. You are correct that 2 400watters will be too much for that size tank. I have one 400 on a 58gallon tank in the center, but the tank is only 3ft. long.

[Chris]

Like Chris said it really does depend on what you want to keep. 2x250's would be a great way to go though without have to worry about buying more in the future or having to sell them off for the next tank. 8)

[SuperXdude]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2318608455&category=32 12

a little pricey, but it looks great to me.

SuperX

[ratboy]

I know this goes against eveyone else here but I am all for vho and PC's. For most of the simpler to keep softies and LPS I think that flourescents give better growth and color. Its only when you get into SPS and clams that halides become necessary. Now that Ive been in this hobby for 10 years I think that I might be in the market for a HQI setup for my 90. On a 55 you could run 5 or 6 3' bulbs with a icecap 660 for ~ 350W of lighting. You could prob get a hellolights ballast w/ endcaps for not much more than 150$ I believe but I have always used Icecaps. I think flourescents are more forgiving for new hobbiests too. Ive seen alot more people w/ halides (maintenence customers) having hairalgae problems than w/ flourescents. If you want clams and such go w/ halides, if you want shrooms, zoos, LPS Id say vho's.

[ratboy]

Pros/Cons

VHO- lg bulb selection can adjust color of tank by replacing 1 out of many bulbs but relacement costs should be considered @ ~25$/bulb. If 1 goes out the rest can still be run (icecap). Run cooler than MH. Can have a smaller hood.

PC- Powercompacts- great colors in my opinion, limited bulb selection, fragile bulbs, expensive 30-45$/ bulb, brighter than vho/ watt bulb, run cool.

MH- Ive never run MH so others can probably more add to this. Point light source so more intense /watt bulb better for sps, clams. Often need supplemental actinics to get good color. Run hotter than flourescents need fans or possibly a chiller.

[ratboy]

I just looked at that fixture on Ebay. That is pretty good looking deal for the $$.

[matt]

I would chime in on the MH suggestions, for many of the same reasons, but here's maybe the most important, and overlooked reason. MH light looks MUCH more natural, like sunlight in the ocean. There's a MH retro kit at hellolights that includes 250W bare ballast and socket/reflector for about $77. Get two of those, plus 2 bulbs ($120 if you use iwasakis, $180 if you use ushios) and some boxes and wire at HD to set up the ballasts and you're all set.

I also think 175W would be fine for a 55, especially if you get the right reflector. You'd be trying to cover a 24"X 12" area with each bulb, which is not much space. Iwasaki does not make a 175W bulb, though, so you'd be limited to ushios or other high kelvin bulbs. There are lots of them, and everyone has an opinion on which is best.

I would really research the MH possibilities before spending a lot of money n vho or pc light.

Matt

[R.Allard]

food for thought ....
i have 2 MH/ 250w 65k iwasakis and yes they do run alittle hot but i purchased 2 clip on fans from wal-M for 7 bucks each and put them in the back of the hood blowing on the MHs and thats all i needed .. my tank stays arround 77f and goes down to 73-74 at night ..
i am also running 2/ 4ft 110w VHOs (actinics)..and the color is wonderfull..
but i also plan on having clams and sps corals so its all going to be
up to what you want to keep .. the best thing you can do is ask
people and do some research and find out what you are going to need for what you want to keep.. hope that helps :grin:
R.

[Tim Marvin]

R.Allard, are you keeping all Atlantic species? That sounds a little cool to me. I stay in the 80-83 range. Maybe you could shut off one of those fans just my opinion. It is a fact the the Carribean runs from 77-92 depending on how deep or close to shore you are, or tidepools. Under 75 would cause undue stress.

[SuperXdude]

well we are probably going to go with the one on ebay for now and run it with just the VHO until we can get the halide bulbs at a nice price.

Thanks to all for the advice.


SuperX

[R.Allard]

hmmm im just going by what i read in THE NEW MARINE AQUARIUM by
Michael Paletta.
"Most of the inhabitants of a salt water aquarium will do well with consistent temperatures of between 72 and 78 degrees F.
Generally speaking, the lower avarage temperatures are better for most tanks.not only does cooler water hold more oxygen,but lower temperatures also result in slower metabolism..." yada yada yada
and it goes on about feeding less etc..
is that wrong??? what temp would be best for a reef aquarium???
im still just a newby myself so i just go by what i read..
i know when we kept fish in the store (10 yrs ago) we kept
the salinity at 22 and the temp arround 78..do i need to raise the temp
of the tank ? if i do ill get a heater but i dont want to turn off the
fans...

[captexas]

I would get a decent heater in your situation at least for the night time so temps don't drop/vary so much. A more constant temp is better for your livestock. You can acclimate livestock from one temp to another, but it is hard for them to handle wide fluctuations. You could also try turning the fans on timers to run while your lights are on and for a few hours after they turn off. You really don't need them at night as that is what is causing your temp to drop. The heater would mostly be there to keep the temp from dropping to low.

[Tim Marvin]

Talking about Michael Paletta I have a KILLER blue acropora from him. I did a trade with Scott Morel from GARF and he "Hooked Me Up" with this coral. The coral came from Michael on a different trade of Scotts, but that is another story. I pulled those temps off the top of my head at work, which I thought were correct. The correct temp in Belize (Caribbean) is 79.2-87.1 with an upper limit of 92 being most organisms are able to survive short exposures in. These temps are actually slightly cooler than Indo Pacific areas which have the highest coral diversity.

check out:

http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/aqfm/1997/nov/features/1/default.asp


This is 1997 research done by Ron Shimek Ph.D. he is known to be one of the leaders in marine biology. There is probably varied opinions, but you can't mess up temp reading very easy.....It is a good read though and will add to your opinions so you can formulate your own opinion. I like 79-82 degrees myself, 86 being my max stress limit before my eyes start bulging.

[Tim Marvin]

I hate when the wife turns the AC off. "well it doesn't need to be cool when we aren't home" I have other things to worry about than my own comfort...........LOL........................