lighting

[aqua666]

hi
Im going to start a 75 gallon reef tank and im wondering what type of lighting you guys suggest me going with.
metal halide or florescent or compact florescent.
I have been reading a lot and they say that the metal halide is the best but if makes the water to evaporate very fast.
then its the florescent that I need many of them to accomplish the 3-5 Wat per gallon and so on.
im so confused and can make up my mind to which im gonna go with.
for metal halide I was thinking of getting the retro kits.
tell me what u guys think.

[nissannx]

Theres many posts on this already, i wouldn't worry too much about the watts per gallon rule.
MH will give you the most par, you can keep anything, very hot, evaporation, high energy bill
T-5HO you can keep anything if you have enough tubes, individual reflectors will yield higher par value, you can choose your own color by selecting different tubes, lower temperatures, lower energy bill
Power compact lower par, cheaper, good for softies

[mikerobart]

Pretty much what nissanx said. It's a personal choice, look at some other reefers tanks and see what you like best. Pro's and cons to each. If you can't live without the shimmer lines, MH may be what you want ( can be achieved without MH by adding led strips... but more cost.)

T5HO though of course very cool running and colour options perhaps greater. I was pretty torn between these two myself.

If the power consumption is not really a large concern to you, a very common set-up is MH with t5ho supplementation.

Also depends heavily on what you want to keep. If you only want softies, as mentioned, PC is great. LPS for the most part will also probably be fine. If you want clams/sps, look at higher end t5ho with individual reflectors, or a MH setup.

On my 90, which is the same footprint as a 75 but deeper, I use 2x250w Phoenix 14k DE's 2x 24w actinic pc's in an aquamedic fixture, and I'm thinking I will add 2x54w t5ho's at some point for more flexibilty, or go with a fixture that incorporates t5's and mh and moonlights all-in one hanging fixture.

Or, just go all t5 with something really sexy like a sunpower/powermodule... or see what sunlight supply has up their sleeve when they release the new line of t5ho fixtures with active cooling. So many options !

To save money look for deals in the classified, awesome deals to be had if your looking to save some bucks. Our forum sponsors also carry anything you need, check them out and ask for their advice as well.

[Hookup]

Lighting in your reef is based around the quality of what you want to achieve.  To that end, that means you have to pre-determine what it is you want to keep in your tank, and what levels of quality you want to see.  Lighting is only one element of quality, but like others it is a key factor.  The quality factor really boils down into two main elements.  Coloration and growth which are a personal preference, though most people prefer to have dense rich colors and growth.

What you want to keep, in terms of lighting can be categorized into 4 main areas;

1) Low/no light - there are many non-photosyntehic "corals" you can put into your tank that require little to no light to survice because they get their food from other, supplemented, sources.  Gorgonias, SunCorals, Sponges are just a few.

2) Low/Medium - this classification would include most soft-corals that do not have calcium based structures.  Zoanthids, Pallys, leathers, etc all fall into this category.

3) Medium/High - this classification is for mostly LPS corals though certainly there are several SPS that would fall into this category.  For most people this level of light keeps the majority of corals that they want to have in their systems.

4) High/Very-High - this classification is primarily for SPS corals.  They often-times require the highest levels of light to get them to even survive.


It's important to understand how to measure light to understand what low, medium, high and very-high light really means.  This is done via a PAR which is a measurment of photons hitting a meter from a light source.  The furter from the source or the deeper in your tank the less PAR gets to the meter.  Additionally, the type of light (spectrum) has an impact on PAR.  Blue light (below 500nm) disperses easily and therefore is affected by depth of water more adversely than red light (650nm+).  This is why sunsets are red and after the sun-sets, the night sky looks blue for a period... the blue light is being scattered by the atsmopsher and throw'n up into the night sky...

The problem with PAR is that corals don't really care about it... they care about photosynthesis... Photosynthesis is the process of turning light into energy for the coral and is triggered by photons hitting the coral.  Any wave length (400-700nm) photons will trigger photosynthesis but some wavelenghts are much better at it than others.  420-480nm (blue) range of light is, in most corals, very superior at triggering photosynthesis, 500-600nm (greens) are not good, and red light is somewhere inbetween.

So it's not just a matter of pumping out PAR, but pumping out useable PAR.  And getting back to understanding Low, Medium, High... it's about PAR levels and needs to include the idea of useable/prefered spectrum.  I do not believe there is a scale of what PAR levels are "low" vs "high", but maybe someone knows of one.  I could make one up based upon what I have seen..


MH vs T5HO is a huge debate with no clear winners.  Both work as is evident by the multitude of beautiful and successful reefs that are run by either system.  Troll thru any forum with TOTM and you'll see all kinds but from what I can summize below are the main qualities of each.

MH
-spot light effect
-shimmering effect
-rumored/argued to have higher PAR/$spent
-hot - could be an issue with cooling in the summer months

T5H0
-uniform lighting
-no shimmer
-ability to mix/customize the color spectrum via multiple bulb combos
-rumored/argued to have lower PAR/$spent

Personally, I prefer T5 over MH due to the flexibility that can be had by changing out bulbs for different color combos (spectrum) to not only maximize growth, but to also create the best coloration in the corals.  That said, i've seen amazing tanks (coral color and growth) with MH... At this point you just cannot go wrong.... almost....

To get a good MH you need to have a good balast, quality reflector and a good bulb.  To get a good T5HO you'll need to have the same, but they do require active cooling to get them to work at optimum levels.  Currently, ATI Powermodule is the only one I know of, but I'm sure there are others... I know FaunaMarin has one as well but I've not seen it in action anywhere myself.

For my 180gallon system, I ran the math, and to run MH on the system, I'd need to spend about the same as getting the ATI Powermodule 10 bulb fixture.  And on-going replacement costs will be about the same in terms of bulbs.  The T5H0 will consume 800watts of power while the MH system would be running arround 910watts.... so monthly costs are about the same.

[Vincenzo.]

you ppl are forgetting the new wave of technology: LED lighting. go with led's or MH + T5

[ray]

Here is some of the data on the new HO T5's being released by Sunlight Supply

ELITE HIGH OUTPUT FLUORESCENT LIGHTING FIXTURE
• 98% reflective European aluminum reflectors increase output by
over 300% • Active air cooling for optimum lamp performance
• Includes acrylic shield • Aluminum body is lightweight • Powder
coated with graphite color that is heavy duty and rust proof
• Accommodates ultra efficient, high output T5 lamps (sold
separately) • Sleek profile only 2.5 inches high • 2 power
switches and cords for better lighting control – allows independent
use of timers • Cool operation and NO noise • Two 8 ft power
cords - 120 volt • Optional protective acrylic splash guards are
available • Compatible with both of our cable hanging kits

Ray

[Hookup]

Ray, who is sunlight supply?  Are they new on the market for T5HO's or are they more of a new entry on the scene all together?  Have they been producing reef-lighting for a while?


LED lighting is in its infancy, though I'd be very surprised if it does not soon become THE lighting solution...  There are some excellent DIY'ers out there working on these systems and there are a few companies producing full fixtures.  I've written about LED's before and the fact that to me there just isn't enough scientific test data about the output (PAR and spectrum) during the exceptionally long life-cycle of the LED's themselves and unless youre a DIY'er they have a crazy-high entry-price point, though if you believe the hype they are cheaper in the long run by upto 50%.

[ray]

Sunlight Supply has been around for a long time,one branch of the company is Hydroponics and the second is Aquariums.They are the manufacturer of the Tek lights and Maristar mh as well as Galaxy ballasts etc.They have approx 6 manufacturing and distribution centers w/in the US.Here's a link

http://www.sunlightsupply.com/aqua/aqua.aspx

Ray

[Hookup]

Defionately Sounds like a reputable company.  I've heard of 98% refletion reflectors on other models as well.  Definately appear to be "best of the best" for T5H0 reflectors...

Aqua66 - hope this helps more than confuses...  Do you have any other questions, if not what did you decide?

[Severum]

I don't know if this has been mentioned before but I'm too lazy to go through the thread again.

Keep in mind that there is also a saturation point for photosynthetic micro-organisms (zooxanthellae) in all corals. These are what provide them with 90% of their energy. You can blast your 10 gallon tank of SPS with a 1000W MH bulb but it will have the same as a 250W or 150W. On top of that it will also be damaging to the corals. I've noticed my rics slowly walking away from the direct light of my 250W MH, to end up on the underside of the rock!

(Wow, I think I've been reading too many of Hookups posts  )

[Vincenzo.]

^ i want more rics to extend my collection of 16

[Hookup]

Actually there is a breaking point where too many photons have a negitive effect on photosynthsis production.  The electron transfer chain cannot keep up with the volume of photons incomming and the process is negitively effected.

I think a general rule could be higher-wattages get more PAR deeper into the tank.  If you have a 36" deep tank, I think you'll want a full 400w MH solution... if you have an 18" shallow-reef setup, i'd bet 175w MH would work.

This "rule" is messed up completely because it doesnt apply to T5H0's... My ATI is an 800watt system, but it outputs over 10srq feet (5x2).  a MH casts a cone/spot-light that is much smaller and much more focused.


The "rule" would get messed up again based upon the color of the light.  Red light (6500 -10K) range is going to penitrate much deeper because of the small amplitude of the wave... 20k light will not go as deed because of its much larger amplitude...

Now i'm sure that does not help... sorry.

[OttawaFolkFestivum]

Hookup, good points. It goes to show that there are a number of overlapping factors that contribute to the best lighting, and sometimes you just need to try things out to see how it goes.

800W T5 system - holy cow! I thought my 108W had some power.

Red light (6500 -10K) range is going to penitrate much deeper because of the small amplitude of the wave... 20k light will not go as deed because of its much larger amplitude

This is an important point, but you have it backwards. Note that it is the frequency that differs across the spectrum not the amplitude, and that in fact it is the blue light that penetrates deeper than the red light.

Here is a reference:
http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/La-Mi/Light-Transmission-in-the-Ocean.html

Light Spectrum.

Water selectively scatters and absorbs certain wavelengths of visible light. The long wavelengths of the light spectrum—red, yellow, and orange—can penetrate to approximately 15, 30, and 50 meters (49, 98, and 164 feet), respectively, while the short wavelengths of the light spectrum—violet, blue and green—can penetrate further, to the lower limits of the euphotic zone. Blue penetrates the deepest, which is why deep, clear ocean water and some tropical water appear to be blue most of the time. Moreover, clearer waters have fewer particles to affect the transmission of light, and scattering by the water itself controls color. Water in shallow coastal areas tends to contain a greater amount of particles that scatter or absorb light wavelengths differently, which is why sea water close to shore may appear more green or brown in color.

[Hookup]

This is an important point, but you have it backwards. Note that it is the frequency that differs across the spectrum not the amplitude, and that in fact it is the blue light that penetrates deeper than the red light.

Here is a reference:
http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/La-Mi/Light-Transmission-in-the-Ocean.html

I thought about that three times before posting.. I knew I was on 'shakey ground' with my amplitude statement but was way too lazy to look it up... and being at work, well you know...

thanks for cleaning it up...

[OttawaFolkFestivum]

No prob. Good discussion and posts.