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View Full Version : Light Upgrade



Gilbert
Fri, 29th Jan 2010, 08:42 AM
My current lighting system i have is
2 x 175watt MH
2 x 110watt VHO actinics
The light are about 10" hanging off the water, so i can still reach in an clean the glass.
But i feel like if i had more lighting or stronger lighting my coral growth would be a little fast.
Any recommendation on what i can do to up the light?
I have thought about drilling a hole in the middle of the light fixture and adding another 175 watt MH, but fear that would be to much heat in the fixture.

This is what my fixture looks like.
Except i have the UV protection plastic
http://www.hamiltontechnology.com/shop/images/900.jpg
The light sit over a standard 55 gallon with dim~ 48x13x18
The actual light fixtures dim~ 48x11x7

Gilbert
Fri, 29th Jan 2010, 08:43 AM
Oh, also my fixture doesnt have reflectors around the MHs the inside is just white.

aquasport24
Fri, 29th Jan 2010, 09:18 AM
I'd add the reflector in first , that should add more light by itself. At 560 watts for a 55g is plenty of light. You just need to direct all of it downward. Have you check all your water parameters and flow? some of those may be off to cause slow growth. My tank only has 496 watts and all my SPS are doing good so far.

lt1z28
Fri, 29th Jan 2010, 09:29 AM
That is plenty of light for a 55 gallon. If you want better growth you can try Iwasaki 15k bulbs. They are par monsters.

Gilbert
Fri, 29th Jan 2010, 09:49 AM
Water is good...
I was thinking about the reflector but i dont think that they will fit.
Ill check to see if hamilton tech has custom ones.

As for flow i have 2 Mod MJs and last night i added a K2 and K3 because i started to grow red and green cyno on the sand. Hope fully that helps.