Which bulbs for my system?

[bigloggerhead]

I have a 58 gallon reef ready tank that is 18 inches deep. I have SPS, some LPS, a clam, and a RBTA. My SPS have lost their color and I know its time to change my bulbs. They're about 10 months old. I am running a 250 watt DE with 4 39 watt T5's for supplementation. I just recently purchased an Ice Cap electronic ballast, the new style. I recently changed my halide bulb. I purchased a Reef Optics 14k bulb from one of my buddies. I haven't noticed any shift in color of my SPS. They may have even got a little worse. The bulb was brand new. It had only been run maybe 20 hours.

I was running a Giesemann 14.4k Coral bulb, 2 ATI Blue Plus, 1 Fiji Purple, and 1 Giesemann Pure Actinic. Does this seem like a good bulb combination? Do I have too much light on this tank? I don't think I do. But it seems like I can't get the good color I want. Any suggestions on bulb combinations will be appreciated. Also, let me know what you think of my current combo? I need the input of all you lighting gurus on this forum.

Thanx

[bigloggerhead]

Come on! Somebody has to have some kind of input.

[Toddrtrex]

How have they gotten worse? Lighter? What colors do you want? There is more to color then just light. Excess nutrients can/will effect color too.

And 20 hours isn't enough time to see a change in color.

Overall I don't think it is too much light for the tank, though it is on the higher end.

[bigloggerhead]

My corals have gotten browner and I doubt its nutrients. I do 5 gallon weekly water changes.

The bulb was ran by my friend for 20 hours. I've been running it now for 3 weeks and haven't seen any change. I even went so far as to cut back my photoperiod. My halide is on for about 7 hours a day now.

I'm just wondering if the setup I posted in my first post will have enough blue supplementation to get my corals to bring back those bright blues and purples or should I choose a different spectrum.

[Toddrtrex]

With them being brown, I would tend to leave towards a nutrient issue.

Over my 58 I have 2*250 20K XMs (( SE )) + 1*96 dual actinic PC and 1*96 50/50 PC. I am very please with my colors.

[bigloggerhead]

Guess I should check for phosphates then?

[jbird69]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14856897#post14856897 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Toddrtrex
With them being brown, I would tend to leave towards a nutrient issue.

Over my 58 I have 2*250 20K XMs (( SE )) + 1*96 dual actinic PC and 1*96 50/50 PC. I am very please with my colors.

Wow! and I thought I had a lot of light on my 50!:D

[bigloggerhead]

Here's my water parameters:

CA - 400

dKH - 8

Nitrite - 0

Nitrate - 5.0

Ammonia - 0

Ph- 8.0



I don't have a phosphate test but I plan to get one tomorrow. I'll probably have my water tested at my LFS too. I know my nitrate is slightly elevated but I wouldn't think that would cause by SPS to brown.

[bigloggerhead]

Anyone else having success with a particular bulb combination?

[bigloggerhead]

Well, I ordered my T5's today. I decided to go with 3 ATI Blue Plus and 1 Fiji Purple. I'm gonna stay with the Reef Optics metal halide for the time being. I may end up going back to the Giesemann 14.5k.

I also thought about the 14k Iwasaki DE. Anyone have any experience with that bulb?