Supplemental Blue: 140W VHO vs 80W T5?

[Fishdisease]

Hey,

Just when I thought I had made a decision, doubt creeps up and causes confusion.

I'm building a 3 x 250W MH lighting rack and I'm looking for advice and opinions (yes, that can be dangerous). I have 3 aquaconnect 250W bulbs going on icecap ballasts and I was looking for something for dusk/dawn or moonlight. Ya know, something to really make the coral fluoresce.

I have VHO endcaps around and I thought since I had them I'd use them. So I was asking a technical question in the DIY forum and a senior member mentioned I should prolly go T5 instead if I wanted more blue. Hence the doubt and also the financial worry of buying new endcaps and reflectors.

So what do others think? For what I've described will the VHO solution work (UVL Super Actinic) or should I bite the bullet and invest livestock dollars in a retro T5 setup and ATI Blue+ bulbs?

Thanks

[uncleof6]

Well I will show you the Blue lamps I am speaking of, next to 15000k lamps, also T5/HO, perhaps someone has a picture of an actinic lamp in operation. These are Giesemann lamps, but the ATI are similar. (The two higher quality brands.)

http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu274/uncleof6/DSCN0219.jpg (http://s655.photobucket.com/albums/uu274/uncleof6/?action=view&current=DSCN0219.jpg)

http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu274/uncleof6/DSCN0220.jpg (http://s655.photobucket.com/albums/uu274/uncleof6/?action=view&current=DSCN0220.jpg)

These are BLUE lamps, with spikes in the 430 - 440nM range, whereas the Actinics are further down the spectrum. It is a tight race between the two, and the super actinics are not bad lamps.


http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu274/uncleof6/giesemann_actinic_plus.jpg (http://s655.photobucket.com/albums/uu274/uncleof6/?action=view&current=giesemann_actinic_plus.jpg)

http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu274/uncleof6/lighting_uri_super_actinic.jpg (http://s655.photobucket.com/albums/uu274/uncleof6/?action=view&current=lighting_uri_super_actinic.jpg)

[Fishdisease]

Hmmm,

I've been reading and it seems that with the bulbs I have, some report a "windex" effect with the Blue Plus. I wonder what the purple plus or the actinic would produce?