New Lighting

[lvmartian]

Hey, My IceCap 660 ballast just died...again...and I am wondering what kind of alternative lighting systems would be appropriate for my 58 gal reef tank.

My intent is to have a great system with up to date lighting. I currently am using 4 vho flourescent lights (2 acintic, 2 daylight) installed in a canopy. I'm not sold that I need to keep the canopy, so I am open to any lighting ideas.

I have been thinking metal halide would be nice and so would moonlighting but have no idea what size would be appropriate. Any ideas?

[lemonhead]

pfo has some very nice pendent system. i used a 250w mh when i had my 58 gal. i think a 150-250w double ended mh with t-5 supplement would work great. it also depends on what you want to keep. softies and the like will do great under the 150w or sps and lps under a 250w.

[parothead22]

Yeah, the biggest issue for you is what types of corals do you intend to focus on and keep?
Soft corals are low to moderate light corals.
LPS are mostly low to moderate light corals.
SPS are mostly moderate to high light corals.
There are exceptions to the rule!!!
I love using metal halides with the "shimmerof light" that is brought on by them as you would see depicted
in a reef while scuba diving or snorkeing.
Lesser amounts of light will accomodate most corals, however the vivid colors associated with some corals will not be seen under inadequate lighting.
After deciding what type of lighting to use, you will be faced with the task of deciding what color(kelvin) bulbs you will want.

[lvmartian]

Thanks, who is pfo? Also the sps and lps terms are throwing me. I have never looked into lighting. I think I will go for a combo of soft and hard corals. Do you have a supplier you would suggest for what I am looking for?

[parothead22]

SPS stand for small polyp stony(hard corals which are responsible for reef growth due to calcium and strontium which is absorbed by these corals to build their skeletons). Some examples of sps are Montipora, Acropora, Stylophora, and Pocillopora.
LPS stands for Large polyped stony's. Some examples of these are Euphylia sp( torch, hammer and frogspawn), Brain corals, Turbinara(pagoda) and Bubble corals.

[lvmartian]

Based on this I have generally raised LPS. So you think pfo 250 with 20k bulbs? What is the t-5 supplement the lemonheaded gentlemen suggested?

[parothead22]

What I believe lemonhead was referring to was the replication of dusk and dawn and also the shocking of our reef inhabitants.
By having the t5's or pc's or any lighting for that matter that is lower in intensity mainly and is higher in kelvin temperature(ie. actinic 420-460nm is ideal to gradually acclimate corals etc. from intense lighting to no lighting. Or taking the other end of the spectrum by going from no lighting to intense lighting. Basically, establishing a dusk and dawn period of time as evident in our coral reefs throughout the world. And eliminating the stress involved with light intensity(light and dark).
I hope I made some sense. If not let me know and I will try and help ya another way!

[lemonhead]

pfo is a lighting company. marinedepot.com has them. sps stands for small polyp stony(acropora and montipora) and lps stands for large polyp stony( cynaria, blastomussa, and pectina).
for what you want i'd go with PFO Mini pendent 250W($100) with a PFO 250w hgi ballast($141) and 250w 14,500K giesemann bulb($105). with this setup you won't need supplement.

[lvmartian]

You guys are great, would I be able to mount this in my canopy or will it get too hot? will I need fans, etc?

Also, I have layman electrical wiring experience (I wired my other stuff) will this be difficult?

[parothead22]

As for metal halides, I would not mount them in a canopy as they produce intense heat.
Power compacts etc. can be placed in canopies and do come with fans.
Metal halide pendants and fixtures come with fans as well however, because they are a point source light, all the heat is generated from the small bulb, whereas the t5's and power compacts etc. displace the heat from the bulb throughout the length of the long bulb.
That is also the reason for the "glimmer lines and more intense light associated with halides. All that light coming from a small bulb, not dispersed throughout the length of the other types of bulbs.

[lvmartian]

If I wanted to go with power compacts, what would be the right type, or brand and power, etc...?

[parothead22]

Let me know what you plan on keeping and I can offer you a better choice in terms of lighting.

[lvmartian]

LPS, I guess, brains, hammers, frogspawn, some reef fish, lotsa rock.

[lvmartian]

My tank is 58 gal, I currently have a canopy. It is about 24" deep. I will have approximately 95 lbs live rock, I have yet to set it up with corals this time around but will have mainly LPS. In addition I have two damsals, a maroon clown, a small sailfin tang and a cleaner shrimp. Many very small feather dusters are popping up all over the rocks and there are quite a few small snails (the dusters, sm sponges and snails were freeloaders on the rock.)

[lemonhead]

i would use t5 instead of pc. less heat and power use, longer bulb life and it looks better. and 3ft t5 retros would be easy to install.

[parothead22]

Ok, that helps alot! Save yourself some money and stick to what you have now. If you have roughly 4 watts per gallon over your tank, then you are fine with what you plan on keeping.
If you were going to keep Acropora or Goniopora or vivid Montiporas, then I would suggest a different route for your lighting. The corals you mentioned are low to moderate in terms of lighting requirements.
Now, in terms of color(kelvin) it basically depends on you and aesthetics(eye appeal). I can offer some advice like hotter Lower kelvin bulbs (red end of the spectrum) will last longer before replacement, however they seem to increase the growth of microalgae. The fluorescense of corals will not stand out as much under this color spectrum bulb either. The other end of the spectrum(blue, warmer, and higher kelvin) tend to support better coral growth and cut down on microalgae. Actinic bulbs better replicate the deeper reefs and lagoons but need to be replaced sooner than the other end spectrum bulbs.
I would go with a 10000k bulb(s) and also have actinics as well to bring out the vibrant colors of some corals with regards to flourescense and also again the replication of dusk and dawn cycles.

[lvmartian]

so replace my icecap ballast and when I replace bulbs go with 2 10,000k and 2 acintic blue bulbs?

[parothead22]

I would but thats my own opinion. You can use what you want to be eye appealing to you, as well as recreate the type of biotope you want.
I just like the benefits of using 10000k and 20000k actinic lighting.
As for moonlights which are available in either white or blue 3/4 and 1 watt bulbs. They can be purchased separately and are fairly inexpensive, eliminating the need for purchasing a new lighting fixture. Nice to have them for viewing at night and possibly aiding in coral, invert and fish spawning.

[lvmartian]

Awesome, thanks.