Ultimate lighting experiment!

[Jimnorris]

Hello,
My goal is to document using digital photography the growth and coloration of sps corals and maxima clams under different kelvin rated metal halide bulbs.

Holding system: 100 gallon tank, 70 gallon refugium, PMhot1 protein skimmer, kalkreactor, 1/3 horse chiller, 6 maxijet 1200 powerheads, mag9 pump, sen 700 pump, four 400 watt metal halide bulbs and four match to bulb PFO ballasts.

Corals 4 green pocillopora, 4 dark green montipora digitata, 4 orange montipora digitata, and 4 grape digitata.

Clams: 8 4-5cm first grade color maximas and 4 4-5cm ultra maximas. All corals and clams were purchased from ORA (Ocean, Reefs & Aquariums, Inc.)

Light bulbs: Iwasaki 400 watt 6,500k, Radium 400 watt 20,000k, Ushio 400 watt 10,000k and Hellolights XM 400 watt 20,000k.

All light bulbs are brand new with brand new matching reflectors. All PFO ballasts are matched to the bulbs.

This experiment will be for one year and is now in process. (05.21.2003)

All MAAST members who are interested in being a part of this are WELCOME!

Thanks,
Jim Norris

[RedDragon]

I have a Monitpora Capricornis I want to bring over to see how it grows if thats cool with you Jim :-D

[Jimnorris]

Jaime,
Thanks but in the holding tank it will not work. BUT if it is a purple monti cap I will put that baby in my main tank! The catch is ALL addistional growth cannot be removed from my tank!
Thank-you!
Jim

[Derek B]

Awesome Jim!! I can't wait to see the results. Let me enter my hypothesis:

65K - will show great growth, but poor coloration.

Actually, After running Iwasakis for a year, I noticed that vividly colored Acropora respond the worst as far as coloration goes, but growth is excellent. My Montipora Digitata (purple and orange) did not fade nearly as much as my Acros. The Acros browned out. If you could, you should throw some colored acro frags under the different lights. I think it could be a valuable addition to your experiment.

10K - moderate growth and coloration.

20K Radium - Marginal growth and good coloration

20K XM - Good growth and coloration

I have been running 2 250 watt XM bulbs for about a week and a half and have already seen noticable changes. Light penetration is excellent on my 26" deep tank. Color is excellent and needs no daylight or actinic supplimentation. Corals have responded already. I had a tricolor acro that had browned out and the purple is already returning. Also, another light brown acro frag is now turning blue. I just hope the XM's have a better life than the Radiums. Can't wait to see how they stack up in your experiment!

[witecap4u]

Jim,

What are you doing to keep the light directed on just the test specimens for that light? I would think that on a 100g tank, 4 400W bulbs would spread quite a bit...cs

[Jimnorris]

Techgrad I am right with you on this having used all the bulbs except the Radium. I think just as you do! The colors I have chosen (corals) colorwise are fairly bright. I can expand as I go. ( I have some Steve Tyree frags and colonies coming tomorrow mostly purples and blues!) I wanted to start with as close to same under each bulb as possible!
Witecap4u I am running the bulbs perpendicular. With the reflectors I am using (Hellolight's version of the spider) they focus most of the light to a small section in the tank.
Techgrad it would interesting to get 4 BROWN acros and put one under each light and watch!!!!! I see what I can do!
Jim

[Derek B]

That all sounds cool Jim. I think adding the brown acros would be really interesting. Can't wait to see how this progresses.

Derek

[RedDragon]

so how's it going Jim :-D