What is your lighting of choice for optimum acropora color and growth

Mr. Brooks · 10/10/2017, 10:52 PM

I'm curious to know which type of lighting you prefer as your main light source to color up and grow acropora.

Take heat and cost out of the equation.

DiscusHeckel · 10/11/2017, 02:59 AM

I used both MH and T5 lighting. My preferred choice is T5. I currently use 8 X 39W ATI Powermodule with ATI tubes.

jda · 10/11/2017, 08:44 AM

Metal Halide for pure performance.

I have large tanks and even with heat and cost in the equation, MH are by-far cheaper to run and buy when I could be looking at 10-12 Radion G4 Pros to replace 4 250W MH.

My new frag tank will be VHO - they are twice the output of T5 at twice the electricity, so half of the bulbs are necessary. VHO also come in 6 foot lengths. The bulbs last twice as long T5. I will be changing half the bulbs half as often. They perform the same as T5s, IMO just with different life cycle and far fewer bulb choices (this can be huge for some folks).

Chris Lakies · 10/11/2017, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jda

Metal Halide for pure performance.

I have large tanks and even with heat and cost in the equation, MH are by-far cheaper to run and buy when I could be looking at 10-12 Radion G4 Pros to replace 4 250W MH.

My new frag tank will be VHO - they are twice the output of T5 at twice the electricity, so half of the bulbs are necessary. VHO also come in 6 foot lengths. The bulbs last twice as long T5. I will be changing half the bulbs half as often. They perform the same as T5s, IMO just with different life cycle and far fewer bulb choices (this can be huge for some folks).

VHO do not put out more par and are not as efficient as T5. (As long as you have good reflectors) Im not sure where you received this info.

jda · 10/11/2017, 09:04 AM

Apogee 510 PAR meter in my house 8" under the water. 4 bulb VHO with 2 AW and 2 SA is within 1% of PAR as a 8 bulb ATI fixture with 4 C+ and 4 B+. BTW - I did not say more, I said the same.

Wazzel · 10/11/2017, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Brooks

I'm curious to know which type of lighting you prefer as your main light source to color up and grow acropora.

Take heat and cost out of the equation.

Even with heat and cost out of the equation it is still preference. I am not married to any one option so it is what makes the most reasonable selection for the tank I am running.

Mr. Brooks · 10/11/2017, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wazzel

Even with heat and cost out of the equation it is still preference. I am not married to any one option so it is what makes the most reasonable selection for the tank I am running.

You don't notice better color out of one over the other?

Wazzel · 10/11/2017, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Brooks

You don't notice better color out of one over the other?

I notice different shades of colors. Better is a subjective term and the colors we get in our tanks are artificially stimulated. Any "standard" color used for comparison is totally arbitrary.

Mr. Brooks · 10/11/2017, 01:57 PM

That's what I was asking, if you like one over the other, subjectively.

scchase · 10/11/2017, 03:45 PM

I am also a MH and VHo kind of guy, currently running 4 400wt 14k lamps (wish they were just a touch bluer closer to 12K) and 2 6ft VHO lamps. Living in Colorado helps, heat is only really a problem for 2 months, rest of the year just helps keep the place warmer.

cFloor · 10/11/2017, 08:34 PM

I've been using T5s with reefbrite strips on my main display and on one of my frag tanks. I've been very happy with this combo over the years. I'm using a G4 Radion Pro on my other frag tank and I'm very impressed. Honestly, if cash was no object, I'd buy 7 or 8 radions and put them over everything. I've recently visited a couple tanks using G4 Radions and the colors were insane. That being said, you can't go wrong either way.

Wazzel · 10/12/2017, 06:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Brooks

That's what I was asking, if you like one over the other, subjectively.

I would say not really. I have run VHO, mh and LED over the years. For me they have all performed about the same.

Leopardshark · 10/12/2017, 03:56 PM

Radions for me all the way.
MH are great but 400 watts for each bulb is too much IMO.
With 3 G4 X30 fixtures I´m using 270 watts and it´s plenty of light. And the tank looks great

kenneth wolfe · 10/14/2017, 08:53 PM

Mine t5s and leds, with lots of uv supplement , I run about 300 par in the middle of the tank half way up between sand and top of water. Two Giesman pure actinic and two ati purple plus, sb lightighting bb threw apex three on top one on each side , I added acrylic diffuser to leds to push the spread and blending , if had more room I would have like to ad a couple of mh, mine is a diy .

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

jda · 10/15/2017, 07:03 PM

Nobody except for people with huge tanks should be using 400W MH. 250W are probably overkill for most. 175W and 150W HWI can easily handle what a pair of Kessils or maybe 1.5 Radions can handle over most reefs except for the most light-demanding acropora tanks.

slavetonet · 10/15/2017, 07:13 PM

T5 lighting is my choice of poison for my sps corals.
Next would be LEDs but only the Philips Coral Care peak my interest.

abhishek@1985 · 10/17/2017, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jda

Nobody except for people with huge tanks should be using 400W MH. 250W are probably overkill for most. 175W and 150W HWI can easily handle what a pair of Kessils or maybe 1.5 Radions can handle over most reefs except for the most light-demanding acropora tanks.

Jda - do you think it's way overkill to use 400 watt radium over a 30 in x 30in x18 in only acropora tank over a 250 watt radium run on m80 ballast .
The reflector plays a huge role and in my case it's a Hamilton comuzel 20 in x20 in reflector .
Mind you - am planning for a 400 watt only for sone specific acros I want to keep like OG purple monster and spaths and not craze of the day like Walt Disney tenuis .

Regards,
Abhishek

StarF · 10/18/2017, 05:56 AM

Using GHL Mitras 6300.. I have been using Mitras 6100 when they first came out, and upgraded to 6200, and then to 6300. With good results... I even run them at energy saving mode, and have my acropora around 20-30cm from the water surface.

jda · 10/18/2017, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abhishek@1985

Jda - do you think it's way overkill to use 400 watt radium over a 30 in x 30in x18 in only acropora tank over a 250 watt radium run on m80 ballast .
The reflector plays a huge role and in my case it's a Hamilton comuzel 20 in x20 in reflector .
Mind you - am planning for a 400 watt only for sone specific acros I want to keep like OG purple monster and spaths and not craze of the day like Walt Disney tenuis .

Regards,
Abhishek

It you need to cover that much area, they might be a good idea. I would consider that a large tank for a single bulb.

abhishek@1985 · 10/18/2017, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jda

It you need to cover that much area, they might be a good idea. I would consider that a large tank for a single bulb.

Biggest problem is I cannot move my reflector past 6 inches from the water surface . Although winter in Minnesota is so brutal , that it's a blessing in disguise with the heat .
How do you think about a luxcore electronic 250-400 watt ballast powering the 400 radium in hqi mode ?

Also , is the spectrum same between 250 a d400 radiums when run to spec ?

Regards,
Abhishek

jda · 10/18/2017, 08:07 PM

250W on M80 looks very close to 400W on Magnetic. If you go electronic, then they shift a bit bluer. 400W Radium on 400Q PFO HQI will be a bit whiter and an output monster, but if you don't have that exact ballast (or make your own), then it is not the same.

Vio · 10/18/2017, 08:36 PM

400W Radium is the ans.
LEDs need 50 years more to come close to MH.

kenneth wolfe · 10/18/2017, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vio

400W Radium is the ans.
LEDs need 50 years more to come close to MH.

Come on now, I'm a betting man and would bet the bank that led science can easily surpass mh, if manufacturers truly wanted to build the ultimate led fixture, it would easily out perform any mh fixture, it's like building are race engine after you already know there horse power and size, I can easily build a one off led light fixture to out compete any side buy side comparison of any fixture on the market ..thats not what the market bears , there is 100.00 dollar bb that ,,,sells because they work, maybe not the absolute best, ....100.00 is cheap open that box, the metal frame is worth half the money, we can absolutely mimic mh but no one does..simply not cost prohibited...but were not but a few years away imo, diodes are getting better , quality control is getting better, it's not rocket science...give me a budget I give you a true replacement...

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

Volcmreefer · 10/19/2017, 07:56 AM

2x G4 Pros for me. Color looks amazing!

jda · 10/19/2017, 07:57 AM

Until a single diode put out a full spectrum range of light, then there can be no equality. This is possible, BTW, but the power that is required is many times more than that of the other light sources. Until you are blending and mixing, it will always be different with no way to be equal.

Also, the p-n junction LED has not fundamentally changed since the 1920s. Sure it was not commercialized until the 1960s, but lets don't act like this is all kinds of new tech. The packages and applications are different now, that is for sure.

For ten years, people have been saying that we are just a "few years away." Each year that actually passes in an indication of many more years of actual needed development, if it will ever come. AI has been a few years away every year since the 1970s. This might just be the lot of LED that their only true benefit is to cut spectrum in certain cases and what we have is what we have - that is probably the most real scenario, and not too bad of one for most of the cases where limited spectrum is just as good.

10/10/2017, 10:52 PM	#1
Mr. Brooks MASVC Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Simi Valley, CA Posts: 3,477	What is your lighting of choice for optimum acropora color and growth I'm curious to know which type of lighting you prefer as your main light source to color up and grow acropora. Take heat and cost out of the equation.

10/11/2017, 02:59 AM	#2
DiscusHeckel Acropora Gardener Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Sheffield, UK Posts: 2,780	I used both MH and T5 lighting. My preferred choice is T5. I currently use 8 X 39W ATI Powermodule with ATI tubes. __________________ Featured Tank OCT 2016 \| "Reef Hobbyist Magazine" TOTM OCT 2016 \| "Ultimate Reef", UK FB \| "/troutsReefTank/" 65G SPS Reef- ATI 8 X 39W PM; TM [Bacto-Balance A-; Reef Actif; Nitribiotic; Iodine]

10/11/2017, 08:34 PM	#11
cFloor Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,552	I've been using T5s with reefbrite strips on my main display and on one of my frag tanks. I've been very happy with this combo over the years. I'm using a G4 Radion Pro on my other frag tank and I'm very impressed. Honestly, if cash was no object, I'd buy 7 or 8 radions and put them over everything. I've recently visited a couple tanks using G4 Radions and the colors were insane. That being said, you can't go wrong either way. __________________ 250g. SPS tank Instagram: @cfloorsaltwater

10/12/2017, 03:56 PM	#13
Leopardshark Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Mexico Posts: 2,633	Radions for me all the way. MH are great but 400 watts for each bulb is too much IMO. With 3 G4 X30 fixtures I´m using 270 watts and it´s plenty of light. And the tank looks great __________________ "To understand the bonds that unites us to all the living beings and to better judge the miracle of our own life, let the first wave of the sea break over you" Jacques Ives Cousteau Current Tank Info: 110 gal SPS tank, 3 G4 Pro Radions, Geo 618 calcium reactor, 2 x MP 40 Vortech, Vectra M return pump, Octopus Elite 200-int skimmer, APEX controller

10/11/2017, 08:44 AM	#3
jda Dogmatic Dinosaur Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 6,256	Metal Halide for pure performance. I have large tanks and even with heat and cost in the equation, MH are by-far cheaper to run and buy when I could be looking at 10-12 Radion G4 Pros to replace 4 250W MH. My new frag tank will be VHO - they are twice the output of T5 at twice the electricity, so half of the bulbs are necessary. VHO also come in 6 foot lengths. The bulbs last twice as long T5. I will be changing half the bulbs half as often. They perform the same as T5s, IMO just with different life cycle and far fewer bulb choices (this can be huge for some folks).

10/11/2017, 09:04 AM	#5
jda Dogmatic Dinosaur Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 6,256	Apogee 510 PAR meter in my house 8" under the water. 4 bulb VHO with 2 AW and 2 SA is within 1% of PAR as a 8 bulb ATI fixture with 4 C+ and 4 B+. BTW - I did not say more, I said the same.

10/11/2017, 01:57 PM	#9
Mr. Brooks MASVC Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Simi Valley, CA Posts: 3,477	That's what I was asking, if you like one over the other, subjectively.

10/11/2017, 03:45 PM	#10
scchase Premium Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Aurora CO USA Posts: 1,402	I am also a MH and VHo kind of guy, currently running 4 400wt 14k lamps (wish they were just a touch bluer closer to 12K) and 2 6ft VHO lamps. Living in Colorado helps, heat is only really a problem for 2 months, rest of the year just helps keep the place warmer.

10/14/2017, 08:53 PM	#14
kenneth wolfe Moved On Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Galveston Co. Posts: 853	Mine t5s and leds, with lots of uv supplement , I run about 300 par in the middle of the tank half way up between sand and top of water. Two Giesman pure actinic and two ati purple plus, sb lightighting bb threw apex three on top one on each side , I added acrylic diffuser to leds to push the spread and blending , if had more room I would have like to ad a couple of mh, mine is a diy . Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

10/15/2017, 07:03 PM	#15
jda Dogmatic Dinosaur Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 6,256	Nobody except for people with huge tanks should be using 400W MH. 250W are probably overkill for most. 175W and 150W HWI can easily handle what a pair of Kessils or maybe 1.5 Radions can handle over most reefs except for the most light-demanding acropora tanks.

10/15/2017, 07:13 PM	#16
slavetonet Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Brisbane Australia Posts: 442	T5 lighting is my choice of poison for my sps corals. Next would be LEDs but only the Philips Coral Care peak my interest.

10/18/2017, 05:56 AM	#18
StarF Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Denmark Posts: 586	Using GHL Mitras 6300.. I have been using Mitras 6100 when they first came out, and upgraded to 6200, and then to 6300. With good results... I even run them at energy saving mode, and have my acropora around 20-30cm from the water surface.

10/18/2017, 08:07 PM	#21
jda Dogmatic Dinosaur Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 6,256	250W on M80 looks very close to 400W on Magnetic. If you go electronic, then they shift a bit bluer. 400W Radium on 400Q PFO HQI will be a bit whiter and an output monster, but if you don't have that exact ballast (or make your own), then it is not the same.

10/18/2017, 08:36 PM	#22
Vio Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Posts: 77	400W Radium is the ans. LEDs need 50 years more to come close to MH.

10/19/2017, 07:56 AM	#24
Volcmreefer Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Milton, FL Posts: 346	2x G4 Pros for me. Color looks amazing!

10/19/2017, 07:57 AM	#25
jda Dogmatic Dinosaur Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 6,256	Until a single diode put out a full spectrum range of light, then there can be no equality. This is possible, BTW, but the power that is required is many times more than that of the other light sources. Until you are blending and mixing, it will always be different with no way to be equal. Also, the p-n junction LED has not fundamentally changed since the 1920s. Sure it was not commercialized until the 1960s, but lets don't act like this is all kinds of new tech. The packages and applications are different now, that is for sure. For ten years, people have been saying that we are just a "few years away." Each year that actually passes in an indication of many more years of actual needed development, if it will ever come. AI has been a few years away every year since the 1970s. This might just be the lot of LED that their only true benefit is to cut spectrum in certain cases and what we have is what we have - that is probably the most real scenario, and not too bad of one for most of the cases where limited spectrum is just as good.