Avi
06/09/2005, 06:31 AM
Okay...I figured that it's enough time for me to post here, now that I went through the whole decision making process about which lighting to change to from the PCs that I had on my 120-gallon reef...the decision to buy an Aquactinic fixture....the changeover....and the condition that the reef's in now that the Aquactinics have been on the tank for a while.
I can sum it up like this...I'm happy as a Clownfish in the right anemone that I chose this fixture. There were some bumps in the road like a bit of algae growth, some corals not responding perfectly at first to the intensity of the new lights, etc. but nothing major at all. Things have settled in by now and the coral that had been in the tank and the new ones that I never would have tried before under the PCs are flourishing and showing up really well.
The temperature of the tank is even better than it had been under the PCs....I can tell since we've had some hot days here in the NY area and that's something that I was really concerned about all along.
The decision about which lighting to get is, I think, the most difficult to make in this whole reef-keeping thing and frankly, it can drive you nuts with all the opinions out there. All the different kinds of lighting available nowadays, together with the cost and the consequences to the major investment in corals makes it something that you want to do as infrequently as possible so you try very hard to get it right.
For anyone who is considering a change to MHs and for whom the issue of heat is a major consideration, the Aquactinic fixtures should be a serious option. I'm also glad that I upgraded to the Icecap variable speed fans and the two "moonlights."
If anyone reads this and wants more detail about the whole question of which lights might be right for them, take a look at this thread:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=532276
It covers my inquiry here at RC about chosing the Aquactinic fixture, from my concerns before I made the purchase to other people's opinions (sometimes hotly contested) to the way things panned out in my reef after they've been on the tank for a while now. There are also some pics that may make things clearer.
Tom at Aquactinics is a fine person to do business with...he's reliable and will come through for you every step of the way, so you can buy an Aquactinic fixture with confidence.
I can sum it up like this...I'm happy as a Clownfish in the right anemone that I chose this fixture. There were some bumps in the road like a bit of algae growth, some corals not responding perfectly at first to the intensity of the new lights, etc. but nothing major at all. Things have settled in by now and the coral that had been in the tank and the new ones that I never would have tried before under the PCs are flourishing and showing up really well.
The temperature of the tank is even better than it had been under the PCs....I can tell since we've had some hot days here in the NY area and that's something that I was really concerned about all along.
The decision about which lighting to get is, I think, the most difficult to make in this whole reef-keeping thing and frankly, it can drive you nuts with all the opinions out there. All the different kinds of lighting available nowadays, together with the cost and the consequences to the major investment in corals makes it something that you want to do as infrequently as possible so you try very hard to get it right.
For anyone who is considering a change to MHs and for whom the issue of heat is a major consideration, the Aquactinic fixtures should be a serious option. I'm also glad that I upgraded to the Icecap variable speed fans and the two "moonlights."
If anyone reads this and wants more detail about the whole question of which lights might be right for them, take a look at this thread:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=532276
It covers my inquiry here at RC about chosing the Aquactinic fixture, from my concerns before I made the purchase to other people's opinions (sometimes hotly contested) to the way things panned out in my reef after they've been on the tank for a while now. There are also some pics that may make things clearer.
Tom at Aquactinics is a fine person to do business with...he's reliable and will come through for you every step of the way, so you can buy an Aquactinic fixture with confidence.