Another SPS lighting Q

[Jovreefer]

I have a 20 gallon tank. Currently I have a 14k 150W MH over it. I'm getting ok growth out of my sps, nothing like I've seen pictures of on here though, I'm tired of looking at frags...I want some filled in colonies :)

SO I'd like to change up my lighting a bit since I'll need to change my bulb in a few months. I was gonna go with some t5 actinics but someone sold me a 65w PC setup for $20.

SO what bulbs sould I get for Optimum growth & good color! MH & PC please.

Upon looking at sanjays study it looks like a 150w XM 10k produces the best par. Does this sound right? What actinic should I go with also?

A single 65W square pin PC bulb should produce enough actinics right? Should I place that in front of or behind the MH?

Sorry for so many questions :(

[Don Berry]

If you go with the DE XM 10K you are going to need more than just one PC actinic to off set the yellow. They have high PAR, but you would need more actinic for my taste.

[DitchPlains2]

I had a similar setup a Phoniex 14k 150de over a 18g tall tank. I can say the lighting is not the issue, its you water parameters, although I dont know what they are I can bet you that somehow your calc and alk are not properly balanced or high enough or stable enough to promote good growth, or perhaps you need more flow. ie: there are many ways to skin a cat.

Let me ask you what is your growth so far, some sps grow much slower then others, torts vs policopora, etc... or yongei vs birdsnest or so.


I think give us some more info.

like what were the sizes of the frags at the begining, there size now, coloration etc...

What type of sps.

and water specs.

good luck
David

[Jovreefer]

Would it be enough actinic for the corals? I dont really care about astetics. I can live with yellow for a year if it gives my coral growth a boost & I have little colonies at the end. I was planning in switching back to a 14k bulb after the 10k anyway. I like the slightly blue'er look.

If not, what bulb would you reccomend?

[Jovreefer]

Ah ...freakin A ... my water parameters are good ...
Its not a phoenix bulb ... its a crapy par giesmann 14.5 k
Alk. 10 Calc 450 Mag 1300 Stable every day for the past year.
I have 2 maxi jet 900's & 1 600 on a wave timer + about 300-400 GPH return

My problem is I buy the smallest frags (they grow right? so why pay more for larger frags in a tiny 20g tank) I've got good color, and again ok growth they all started at 1 inch and under and my ORA tort is almost 3 inches now. My gallery has a few pics if you want to see what else I have.

I just want more growth...simple as that... Its pretty well known that you get better growth with 10k over 20k or even 14k ... Therefor I'll sacrafice my neon colors for growth for a year ... just want best combination of bulbs.

[Jovreefer]

Heres a compairason. The Cali/Ora tort when I got it ... september I believe
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y80/jovreefer/Newtort9-15.jpg

And a pic from beginning of may.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/554/43844Torts.jpg

[Jovreefer]

Bump for the people getting off work! best light combo advice please :)

So far I'm leaning toward the 10k XM with 03 actinic.

[beeker]

i just switched my 175w xm 15k for a 175w iwaski 14k, i just got done aclimating but i had a nitrate issue soon after and my tank isn't 100% stable yet but i am still noticing better growth with this bulb than the XM 15k but the iwaski isn't blue in the slightest and even with 2 T5 24w actinics i still see no blue until the MH goes off.

not sure about 150w bulb choices but the iwaski is growing my corals pretty nicely, about 1mm a day if that much...depends on the corals..i have noticed about 1 cm in growth in 1 month with my acropa but with the monti caps i noticed a little more. I can't wait to get my tank stable again i should see a lot of growth once my nitrate issue is all the way gone.

[DarkXerox]

I dunno that encrusted all over the epoxy right? Torts just grow slow until they reach a decent size, especially oregon torts. I know the larger colonies of cali tort grow like 1-2 inches a month so I guess once yours starts sprouting more branches it should do better.

A higher PAR bulb probably would help and I hear 10k ushios with actinics are a good combo. Heck, ushio makes a 14k bulb, you could try that as well, but it is more like a 10k in color.

[humbugy]

i use ushio 14k and its a cold brigth white, and i supplement with two t5 acitnic blue +, i've beeb getting pretty decent growth on the two small sps frags i have, and my clam has been adding to the shell, monti caps has been growing a little bit, but my tank is still less than a year old, i use a ca reactor and kalkwasser topoff on a to controller, seems to working pretty good, i migth switch to ushio 10k bubl when that times comes.