Lighting Website Updates

[Robert Patterso]

I understand the Sunlight Supply Galaxy is a very good ballast. That's what I'm going to run on my new tank with Lumenbright reflectors with either 400w radiums or the Aquaconnect 400w 14k bulbs.

[Diana Caye]

I am building a 48L x 23W x 23H tank. The expense really jumped when I decided to go with Starphire glass, but I think it will be worth it. I want to keep softies and LPS (No SPS), and a maxima clam high up on the rocks. Maybe a few Zoas, my husband loves them.

I don’t want to go with metal halides. I fell in love with the 48 inch Current USA SunDial T5 HO 4x54W w/ Timers & LED. Dawn/dusk lighting and moonlighting sound beautiful to me and I definitely want the effects. I think this T5 system is somewhat comparable to a PC (no individual reflectors), but I think the PAR is better. More importantly, its within my budget. To this I would soon add the 48" 2x54W SLR T5 High-Output Retrofit Kit by IceCap.
I have PC lighting (65W) over my old 36� tank and if there is room in the new hood (I doubt it) will include these as well.

Will I be doing okay with this lighting?

Another question. If I were to magically come up with the money for maybe a 6 bulb icecap retrofit, what would I have to buy to get the dawn/dusk lighting and moonlighting that the Sundial offers?

[boalady]

I really like the old Happy Reefing 14K. Anyone know where I can find something similar?

[Paul_PSU]

Has anyone heard of Plusrite MH bulbs? My friend bought a setup off of someone that moved and could not continue the hobby. THe bulbs are listed as Plusrite MH-DE 250w/14k. The bulbs actually look nice, but I imagine that they will have a short life. I run Phoenix DE 250w 14k and they look as good as mine.

just curious.....

[GreenMan13]

Thanks for all the help this forum and Sanjay's website has helped me.

Sanjay, I was wondering if you would mind testing a Compact florescent bulb for me. One that is just a screw in socket so I think I would be able to work in your setup with little modification. I have been looking into making a light setup using GE 26 watt CFLs . They seem to have better or equal lumen output compared to MH bulbs. And they have a wide spectrum from what info GE does have - GE Spectrum Page (click on the Daylight (D) link). I am just wondering how accurate this spectrum is since it is for all there florescent bulbs that are daylight rated. Also I would like to know the PAR value compared to the MH that you have tested.

I have started a new forum to ask for opinions on this idea. It might also have any info I may have left out here. CFL lights compared to MH

[hahnmeister]

Sanjay, I have a LED flashlight I would like you to test if you could. I was thinking that if I used 20 of them over a nano...

[GreenMan13]

I understand that it is unlikely that Sanjay will want to test one of these bulbs but I thought it would be worth asking. I understand that he is only going to test things that interest him now since he has already tested 900+ MH bulbs. I just thought it was worth a shot in asking.

[Nickde123]

I have 400w 14k AC I hear that it should be sitting in the mogul socket a certain way does anyone know which way that is ?

[hahnmeister]

GreenMan13, Im sorta funnin' ya, but it made me chuckle and so I thought I would just go a little crazy with the idea...'Hey Sanjay, can you test this ________?' Lol. Please dont take it personal. I might have gotten the idea from you and a couple others, but I dont mean to discourage or be critical. Its just funny for Sanjay Im sure... it might even be a funny thread all on its own.

[reeffer1]

I am in need of a little input. I am wondering if 2 250watt 20k radiums driven by pfo electronic balasts with lumenbright reflectors will be sufficent lighting lor a 4'x4'x10" frag tank?
I am also considering 400watts but am thinking that may be to much?
Or maybee you lighting gurus will have a better idea.

Thanks for your help I am unsure of how to light this tank.

[hahnmeister]

The only problem I see is that Lumenbright reflectors are not good at spreading out the light... they are like car headlamps... a beam/focus of light. I see this as a problem for your tank because it is, well... a frag tank. I dont think you can use lumenbrights and cover a whole 4'x4' area with just two, and the patches that the reflector does cover will be very intense, perhaps too much because its only 10" of depth. So you can raise the reflectors up... alot (like to the ceiling and then some because the lumenbrights still have a narrow focus), but then you get alot more light escaping the sides from the unreflected light the bulbs make.

My biggest suggestion for a 4'x4' tank that is only 10" deep would be to use a single 400 watt bulb in a full size lumenarc... thats if you plan on using a bluer 20/14,000K bulb. If you plan on using a more daylight bulb, a single 250watt 10,000K/14,000K bulb will be fine in a lumenarc. The tank is only 10" deep after all.

Heck, I would suggest T5s over halides even: like two banks of 4x 4' bulbs. That way you can get the bulbs down right over the water and still have a good spread, but you wont lose as much light as a halide mounted up high.

[reeffer1]

Thanks I was thinking a single 400 but just was not sure. The only reason I was thinking about the 2x250 was so I could turn half of it off if it was not needed. Do you think a lumenmax 3 would be a better reflector for this? Otherwise I think I will go with a single 400 with the luminarc.

I will look into the t-5's. I like the halides because they can be farther from the water surface.

Thanks again it is an odd size to try and light.

[BreadmanMike]

reeffer1

FWIW, I'm covering a 4'x4'x25" reef with two of the big lumenarcs. As John suggested since the tank is only 10" deep, two big lumenarc's and 250w bulbs/ballasts will be plenty.

[Nickde123]

I have 400w 14k AC I hear that it should be sitting in the mogul socket a certain way does anyone know which way that is ?

[surgeonfishbarb]

Can anyone tell me about the downside to the Tek fixtures in regards to not having active cooling? How detrimental will this be to the longevity of the bulbs? Also when those bulbs get hot will you have a decline in PAR due to the bulbs being too hot?

[kdblove_99]

Why was the Ushio 14K never tested?

I would love to see stats on this bulb

[kdblove_99]

DP

[kdblove_99]

TP

[hahnmeister]

Originally posted by surgeonfishbarb
Can anyone tell me about the downside to the Tek fixtures in regards to not having active cooling? How detrimental will this be to the longevity of the bulbs? Also when those bulbs get hot will you have a decline in PAR due to the bulbs being too hot?

Without active cooling on the Teks, the bulb output on Giesemann T5s dropped almost a whole 20%. They also dropped in longevity by an amount I dont know, but it was pretty dramatic. When I added a fan to mine, the bulbs regained much of their lost output and their life shot up to 18months+. Those w/o fans seem to have rapid bulb output losses, I would imagine 9-12 months being the life span like this.

[BreadmanMike]

Has anybody actually run the 400w SE G-mann 14.5k and the 400w SE 14k Ushio? I'd like to know if there is a visual difference between the two without actinics on. I've run the G-mann and they are very white. Are the 14k Ushio's as white or do they have a slight yellow to them.

I know there is speculation they might be the same bulb, but it's still just speculation... right?

[klasiksb]

I know it's not a 400w but i'm running a Ushio 14k 175w SE on an Icecap e-ballast and it is white with no yellow after burn in. HTH

[BreadmanMike]

Thanks! I'm probably going to stick with the Helios for right now. The growth is pretty decent so far.

[GeoB]

I'm setting up a 75 gall 48x18x20. What would be good T-5 fixture for this application, and what would be a good bulb layout for mostly soft corals. I'm looking at Nova extremes, but not sure if I need 4 or 6 lamps. How do the Novas hold up?

[mousefish]

I have a 180 gallon reeftank (24x24x72") that, due to a recent system crash after 9 years of being set up, needs to be redone. I'm contemplating changing the entire lighting structure, however, I have some constraints because of a customized hood for the tank. I have only 10" of clearance between the top of the hood and the tank surface. I currently have a DIY set up of 3x400W MH 20,000K SE fixtures with reflectors of questionable optical value + 4x65W CF actinic lighting. I am contemplating going to 3x250W DE MH fixtures with better reflector structure + 4x24" T5 HO or VHO fluorescent lighting in order to get some energy savings. So, two questions:

1. Will the set up for 3x250W DE MH provide near the same amount of light as the 3x400W SE MH if I improve the reflectorization?

2. What retrofit fixtures can anyone recommend that would fit the custom hood currently in the tank? I have a size limitation of 10" from top of hood to tank surface and 16" from a large crossbar on the underside of the top of the front of the hood to the back of the hood. Obviously the more compact the fixture the better.

Any advice or recommendation would be helpful.

[GeoB]

Originally posted by GeoB
I'm setting up a 75 gall 48x18x20. What would be good T-5 fixture for this application, and what would be a good bulb layout for mostly soft corals. I'm looking at Nova extremes, but not sure if I need 4 or 6 lamps. How do the Novas hold up?

I thought this would be a simple question with a simple answer. Any takers here?