Question's about IC660.

[Quis]

For my 120 gl I plan on going with 8 T-5 for my light. 4 will be on HO, and 4 will be on IC660. My first question is, does the IC660 change the color/specturm of the bulbs that are being over driven (80 watts), or do they look the same as the 54 watts just brighter? With 4 fans in the canopy how long will the bulbs last? Last question..is this too much light for a sps tank with a few lps? Thanks for looking.

[Quis]

Bump.

[fat-tony]

the blues "traditionally" that are overdriven move whiter, but that's it. As far as too much light, you'll be pretty happy on a 24" with most if not all sps

[lark]

That's an awful lot of light. Will you have 8 individual reflectors?

There's certainly nothing you can't keep. I'd be a bit cautious with some LPS under that kind of lighting. It's going to be more brilliant than most store lighting, so you'll likely want to acclimate accordingly.

Reports are that overdriven bulbs last almost as long as those run with 55w, if the fans are directed near the end caps.

[Quis]

All 8 bulbs will have slr reflectors. I do plan on having a few lps on the bottom, and in shaded areas. There will be 4 fans in the canopy, so I hope they will be enough to keep the bulbs cool. I am alittle worry about having too much light for some lps. If this is too much light, do you all think it would be better to go with 6 bulbs instead. 4 on IC660, and the other 2 on regular ballast? I would like hear what everyone think about this set up . Thanks for looking.

[lark]

I can't say from personal experience. I would think that with individual reflectors, there would be nothing you couldn't keep with 4 overdriven 48" bulbs and 2 normally driven. I'm not sure how much you're really adding with the extra 110w, other than additional costs on your electric bill! That said, you'll definitely find people of the can't-have-too-much light variety here, and I admit again that I don't have nearly the experience with SPS to be able to say with authority.

I run 4x55 with individual reflectors on my 23" deep tank, and it's been fine. I don't keep much in the way of SPS. I do know that even with that set up, I have to be a bit careful with LPS -- I had a trach that got a little bleaching at first.

If money and canopy space were not a premium, my ideal set up would be 4x55 T-5 HO with individual reflectors and 2x 110w T-12 VHO on an icecap. I like the t-12 VHO actinic better than t-5 and even without the individual reflectors, the 48" VHO T-12 lights are pretty good.

[qfrisco]

My LFS (who I trust a great deal) thinks the overdriven bulbs get washed out from their original colors, even though they produce great PAR values.

I have 4 Ice Cap overdriven T5HOs over my 90 and he thinks I should add one or two normal output blue (460nm) bulbs to really make the colors pop.

[Quis]

That's is my main concern with the bulbs that are been driven by the IC660. I want the bulbs to maintain their normal color/specturm. Gfrisco do you think that your tank look washed out? What bulbs are you using, also do you have any pic?

[qfrisco]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12175741#post12175741 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Quis
That's is my main concern with the bulbs that are been driven by the IC660. I want the bulbs to maintain their normal color/specturm. Gfrisco do you think that your tank look washed out? What bulbs are you using, also do you have any pic?

I have before and after pics, but I don't have access to the "after" full-tank shots right now. Mind you, I think you'll still be very happy with the colors you'll get, as long as you pick the right bulbs. I was extremely happy with mine, having just replaced my 4x65w PCs. My LFS just thinks the colors could be even better with the normal output blue bulbs.

The bulbs I used are as follows (from front to back):

Giesemann Actinic Plus
UV Lighting 10000K AquaSun
ATI 12000K Aquablue
UV Lighting Super Actinic

With the above bulbs, the lights have a crisp bluish hue.

[DarG]

I dont think that the overdriven T5's lose any color at all. Not the German lamps anyway. I have run T5 both HO and V-HO. The depth of color looks the same to me, but with clearly higher output at V-HO level. The T5 Super actinics which look anemic at HO levels look much stronger at V-HO levels and they also retain their color. If there really is any loss of color it's subtle. There certainly isnt any "washed out" look from Icecap driven T5's that I have seen.

[Quis]

That is exactly what I wanted to hear.

[Otto2]

With the 660, does it always overdrive the bulbs, or can you just keep them at normal output?

[qfrisco]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12176207#post12176207 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scottdwh
With the 660, does it always overdrive the bulbs, or can you just keep them at normal output?

Good question - I believe they just always overdrive. The Ice Caps do have a dimmer port to connect a dimming controller to. I don't know if a dimmer reduces the wattage sent to the bulbs.

[DarG]

The 660 delivers about 80 watts to each bulb and that is it, so yes, it always overdrives them.

[Otto2]

So if you put 4-48" VHO's on an icecap, are they being under driven at 80 watts or are they getting the full 110?

[qfrisco]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12178135#post12178135 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scottdwh
So if you put 4-48" VHO's on an icecap, are they being under driven at 80 watts or are they getting the full 110?

The specs say the 660 can support any combination (VHO, T5, PC) of up to four bulbs up to 440 watts, so the VHOs will get the power they need, but not overdriven.

If I remember correctly, the 660 dynamically adjusts its output depending on the lamp load, up to a limit of 440 watts. With 48" bulbs, that maximum happens to be around 82 watts.

[DarG]

With 48" T5's it is about 80 watts. VHO is 110 watts.

[Otto2]

Gotcha, thanks.