Lighting Question

[hclaveria]

I have a 90g FOWLR (48" wide). I have standard lighting with 2 Actinic Blue 24" bulbs in the back and 2 10k Sun White in the front.

Because of the setup, the back of the tank is more blue and the front is more white. I want to make it more uniform. Other than switching to LED (which i want when I can budget for it) can i do something different with the bulbs?

Do the 50/50 bulbs work better or the same while making the color more uniform? I like how the blue light amplifies the colors of the fish but I have never tried any other bulbs to know any better.

Thanks.

 

[nanoreefer22]

Hey,

I'm assuming this is in 2 24inch fixtures, each holding 2 bulbs.

If that's the case, put one 10k and one actinic in each fixture and that should fix the problem.

 

[hclaveria]

Well, i just picked up Yesjenks' 55g tank and moving my FOWLR into it, with the current light fixture from this 90g.

I am converting the 90g into a reef tank and looking to get a 4x 48" bulb t5/ho fixture. This seems like the best bang for the buck. Do you agree?

 

[canitolindo]

I got a 4bulb t5 tek light 48 inches that im going to sell once I upgrade my lights

 

[hclaveria]

Cool, i have some time before I have to purchase so let me know when you are ready.

 

[Awibrandy]

You can put 1 blue 1 white in back, 1 blue 1 white in front. That is similar to what I did when I had VHO.

 

[Jwoodall]

Mine have 2 blue and 2 white and moon led in each fixture but I run mine as states at 730 am blues on and moon off at 830 whites on then at
830 pm whites off and at 930 blues off and moons on the blues help recreate dawn and dusk It seems to be working thinking about adding a hour and I'm at 4 watts per gallon

 

[strgazr27]

Well, i just picked up Yesjenks' 55g tank and moving my FOWLR into it, with the current light fixture from this 90g.

I am converting the 90g into a reef tank and looking to get a 4x 48" bulb t5/ho fixture. This seems like the best bang for the buck. Do you agree?

Depending on what you plan to keep will determine if a 4 bulb is good enough. It depends also on who makes the fixture. A 90 is a deep tank. With a generic 4 bulb you may find, if you
Plan on any SPS in the tank you most likely will need to keep them up high. With something like a TEK or ATI you may be able to get away w 4 bulbs. A 6 bulb would be a better choice and allow you to keep almost anything you want in the tank.

 

[fishman1069]

Depending on what you plan to keep will determine if a 4 bulb is good enough. It depends also on who makes the fixture. A 90 is a deep tank. With a generic 4 bulb you may find, if you
Plan on any SPS in the tank you most likely will need to keep them up high. With something like a TEK or ATI you may be able to get away w 4 bulbs. A 6 bulb would be a better choice and allow you to keep almost anything you want in the tank.

+1 go with a 6 bulb

 

[skene]

If you can justify spending the money... 8 bulb would be better and would allow room for coral selection. But hey that's me.

 

[Jwoodall]

That's what I have is 8 because of the watt per gallon

 

[fishman1069]

Watt per gallon dosent mean crap with the lighting nowadays. That's an old rule of thumb when people used t12 and t8 vhos. T5 and MH put out alot more lumens per Watt which gives u better par values compared to the old school lighting.

 

[Jwoodall]

O so I'm over what I thought to be 4 per gallon

 

[skene]

nothing wrong with overkill... that means when you are ready to do some serious corals... you'll have more than enough.

 

[Jwoodall]

Cool good news today

 

[hclaveria]

Well, I'm picking up Canitolindo's 4 bulb TEK which has 2 Whites and 2 Actinics.

Since I'm starting off, I really am only thinking basic Corals and other Invertebrates.

I read that the color spectrum is what brings out the colors and growth and I will probably diversify the bulbs to maximize the spectrum.

My questions is can I add a single Blue Actinic LED strip to the tank so that I can replace one of the Blue Actinic T5s for another color? Will I have the same result?

 

[Jwoodall]

I would think so all my coral and polyps really glow when my blues come on in the morning I did a lot of research on lighting on the web

 

[skene]

Well, I'm picking up Canitolindo's 4 bulb TEK which has 2 Whites and 2 Actinics.

a 4 bulb I do not feel would be enough lighting for a majority of corals on a 90g tank. The overall height of the tank is what you need to consider.

a 6 bulb would be a minimum at that height... but this is JMO...

I'm sure there are "other" more "knowledgeable" people that can chime in.

 

[Imbarrie]

Addressing the original post, have you thought about LED?

Wingo D120 units are perfect for a 90 and will cost less over two years of T5 bulb replacements. Im not trying to make a sale, just saying I replaced T5s with cheap 1 watt LED on my 75 that did a great job growing SPS, LPS and all kinds of coral for a couple years. The D120 are 3 watt LEDs and have much greater depth to them.

I would not even waste time underpowering that tank with a 4 bulb T5 of any brand. I originally had a TEK Elite 6 bulb on my 75 and considered that to be OK.

Seriously.

 

[hclaveria]

Thanks, that seems to be the dominating opinion. I will have to seriously consider.

I tried to get an idea of pricing from Wingo's thread but I'm going to have to pm him to get an accurate price.

Thanks.