Lighting Question

[GV7486]

Is it necessary to start off with NO lights or could I just go ahead and start with VHO lighting?

[pitt_prodigy]

It is really dependant on what you plan on keeping and the size of the tank.

Lighting is tricky because you can easily spend more than you did for the tank and a lot of other necessary equipment.

Most people start out with a fish-only setup and then when you get the hang of the basics (water chemistry, testing, etc) try some hardier corals (softies, mushrooms, etc). NO lighting (dependant on the watt) is pretty good for that type of setup and you need only provide enough lighting necessary for viewing... BUT, once this hobby gets its hooks into you and you really see what is out there when it comes to corals, you'll wish that you sprung for the better lighting setup.

Personally i would say VHO from the start.... just because it will save your the frustration (and money) of having to upgrade later.

Good luck
-pitt

[papagimp]

Personally I wouldn't start with either, I'd go with T5's from the start, but that's my lighting preference. If you like the VHO's over other methods of lighting corals, than start with those instead. You can start the tank cycling with just normal outputs with no problems, but don't buy any photosynthetic inverts without getting the lighting done first.

[GV7486]

I thought T5's were just a certain type of size in diameter of the light bulb. It is a measurement in 1/8 of an inch. T5's are 5/8 of an inch in diameter. Am i wrong? I have seen T5's labeled as VHO lighting. Lighting is tricky...

I wanted to know if starting with VHO would harm my tank in any way. I've heard of people starting there lighting low and gradually increasing it but I'm not sure if it was overkill or just really good patience. :)

[pitt_prodigy]

The only reason for starting things off on the low side (that i cant think of anyway) would be to resist the algae bloom that new tanks typically see.... BUT this is sort of inevitable. Make sure you have your lighting on a timer and start your day cycle with a few hours of actinics before your day lighting comes on.

Algae bloom will happen.... but this is all part of the game. Good luck.
-pitt

[IslandCrow]

You're absolutely correct, GV7486. T-5 is technically just a certain diameter lamp. It could be normal output (NO) or high output (HO) - I don't think they make T-5 VHOs. When people say T-5s around here, though, they're generally referring to T-5 HO florescent lamps. The smaller size allows you to pack more lights in as well as put reflectors on each individual bulb. The smaller bulb size also blocks less of the light the reflectors are directing back to the tank. In short, you ultimately get higher total PAR than T12 VHOs with much less wattage. They're not cheap, but a quality T5 setup can provide nearly as much, if not as much PAR as metal halides. In short, you should never need to upgrade your lighting no matter what you decide to keep in the future.