I have yet to get any MH lighting for my 80 gallon setup. And I am trying to plan ahead for any and everything including clams and SPS.
I was thinking about this setup.
||175||250||250||175|| acrost the top To be numbered #1,#2,#3,#4.
I would have the pair of 250's mounted perpindicular to the tank, and the 175's would be pendant style on both ends. And maybe add VHO supplementing for both color and beggining dawn/dusk.
If the average tropical day gets 14 hours sun, I would try to duplicate this as well.
Start by bringing on the VHO's for about 15 to 25 minutes before bringing on #1 on one end. It would stay that way until the 3 hour when #2 will turn on. #1 will remain on until the 5th hour, at which time #3 will come on. #2 will stay on until the 9th hour, where #4 will come on. #3 will stay on until the 11th hour. And then it will only be #4 until just shy of the 14th hour and the last 15 to 25 minutes of VHO's.
I feel this would accomplish a few things. First to give the corals, and fish, a much better imatation of the movement of the sun. I have even thought about tilting the two 175 pendants at angles for better simulation. I also feel that the pendant style should give a more diffused approach to sunrise and sunset, while having the spider style reflectors for the 250 watts for the intense midday sun.
It would also seem that a higher CCT (maybe around 12k) for the pendants would simulate that the light travels through more water at the angle of the sun at sunrise. And the 250 watters would be 6500k bulbs for a more intense midday.
The VHO's would be for dawn dusk, and just the general appereance of the tank with 500 watts of 6500k bulbs.
I see a few down sides to this. First, number of lights/timers/wiring/heat. Also maybe that there will not be enough light at all times for some clams/SPS. And last, that the time that I will be getting to see the tank till usually be sunrise and sunset. But then again, I would use this setup for the tank's inhabitants, not for me. (After all, who is more important! )
So, has anyone done a setup similiar to this? If so, how did it work out? What would you have done differently? What size tanks was this over?
And is it worth all the trouble?
Thanks
Hammer
I was thinking about this setup.
||175||250||250||175|| acrost the top To be numbered #1,#2,#3,#4.
I would have the pair of 250's mounted perpindicular to the tank, and the 175's would be pendant style on both ends. And maybe add VHO supplementing for both color and beggining dawn/dusk.
If the average tropical day gets 14 hours sun, I would try to duplicate this as well.
Start by bringing on the VHO's for about 15 to 25 minutes before bringing on #1 on one end. It would stay that way until the 3 hour when #2 will turn on. #1 will remain on until the 5th hour, at which time #3 will come on. #2 will stay on until the 9th hour, where #4 will come on. #3 will stay on until the 11th hour. And then it will only be #4 until just shy of the 14th hour and the last 15 to 25 minutes of VHO's.
I feel this would accomplish a few things. First to give the corals, and fish, a much better imatation of the movement of the sun. I have even thought about tilting the two 175 pendants at angles for better simulation. I also feel that the pendant style should give a more diffused approach to sunrise and sunset, while having the spider style reflectors for the 250 watts for the intense midday sun.
It would also seem that a higher CCT (maybe around 12k) for the pendants would simulate that the light travels through more water at the angle of the sun at sunrise. And the 250 watters would be 6500k bulbs for a more intense midday.
The VHO's would be for dawn dusk, and just the general appereance of the tank with 500 watts of 6500k bulbs.
I see a few down sides to this. First, number of lights/timers/wiring/heat. Also maybe that there will not be enough light at all times for some clams/SPS. And last, that the time that I will be getting to see the tank till usually be sunrise and sunset. But then again, I would use this setup for the tank's inhabitants, not for me. (After all, who is more important! )
So, has anyone done a setup similiar to this? If so, how did it work out? What would you have done differently? What size tanks was this over?
And is it worth all the trouble?
Thanks
Hammer