Lighting Level Article

[robe]

Check out this experiment on lighting levels on aquariums with different types of lighting. COmpact FL just don't have the power to punch through the water

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/aug...003/feature.htm

[Achilles Tang]

This is an excellent article!! Should silence the naysayers and critics of MHs once and for all..

[Joe_P]

This is interesting....

Given that we know so little about the collection sites from which our corals come, we have to make a few assumptions. Many of the most colorful Acropora, for example, are found in reef flats or at relatively shallow depths. Knowing this, we could try to shoot for light levels that approach the levels given here.

On the other hand, it is also very possible that some of the pigmentation that we see is due to too much light. Once a coral reaches P-max, more light actually lowers the rate of photosynthesis slightly. So a safer approach might be to look at lowering the light levels somewhat.

In other words, shoot for whatever are the minimum levels required to keep the higher light loving species alive and thriving. We don’t really know these levels for coral, but we do know what works for Tridacna clams. It would seem that shooting for levels of approximately 250 μE/m2 at the bottom of your tank should allow you to keep Tridacnas. Thus, it seems fairly safe to say that many, if not most, other light-loving species should survive just fine under this level of light.

From what I have measured so far, it appears that for a typical 75 gallon to 120 gallon tank, 250W metal halide bulbs in the 6500K to 10,000K range should provide enough light to bathe the bottom of the tank with a light field of 250 μE/m2 or so. Deeper tanks, or tanks with higher Kelvin temperature bulbs may require higher wattages to reach these levels of intensity

Extracts from the above link....

[danano]

Hmmm... I wonder how T5s compare

[FuEl]

T5 revolution.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthre...threadid=239653

Some say T5s can last up to 2 years!

[jc85]

Some good read I found on lightings including some bulb comparison pictures.

http://www.coralreefecosystems.com/ltg_main.htm

5000K

6500K

10000K

12000K

20000

[ervine]

I still think 20K is too blue.. like my tank... so blue that it takes out other interesting colours

[FuEl]

Interesting site on colouration of sps

http://www.dynamicecomorphology.com/stevepaper02.htm

[iantoh]

hi eveyone, here are two fantastic articles that i came across in my research prior to upgrading my lightings.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/setup/lighting/index.htm

http://www.kentmarine.com/university/reeflighting.html

they make informed comparisons between the various lighting fixtures available, like flourescents vs HO T5s vs Metal halides, etc.

the articles also debunk several lighting indicators that aquarist have grown to adjudge lightbulbs but which do not accurately reflect or reveal the aspects to the lightings to which we marine aquarists are interested in. for example, people often speak of watts per gallon, but consider this, a 50 watt bulb at a foot's distance and a hundred feet's distance yields the same wattage per gallon figure, but clearly, their relative light strengths will differ greatly. likewise, 6500k or 10000k merely refers to the light temperature emitted by the bulbs, and at that, it only refers to the peak temperatures. actual sunlight is only around 5000k. typical shallow reefs receive light of about 10000k as most of the red, orange, and yellow spectrums (those of shorter wavelengths in nm) will have been refracted or diffused in the upper surfaces of the water, allowing only the more blue higher temp spectrums to permeate.

next, the lumens rating. lumens refers to the penetrative strength of a light source and for reef type lightings where photsynthetic corals are the mainstay, a lumens of at least 2000 is recommended. this is the primary factor that disfavours flourescents as their lumens rating is low. but as the articels expound, lumens increase with added bulbs, that is, with more bulbs, you get more lumens, so someone running a two footer with flourescents may achieve the lighting penetrative qualities of using HO T5's, but will require more flourescents to make up for each individual fl bulb's low lumens or penetrative light strength.

from what ive gleaned, including through some emails i sent to various light bulb manufacturers, Metal halides are highest in lumens (above 5000), and because they come in varying colour temperatures and

high CRIs, they are very good. but here comes the caveat- MHs typically burn at above 100 degrees celcius, and add alot of heat to the tank's water, and will almost necessarily require the use of a chiller. furthermore, it is scientifically evidenced that it is possible to have too much light. a MH fixture of 150w on a one foot high tank with the bulb placed at a normal distance will almost mean too much light for its inhabitants. the zooallanthae in the corals will create too much oxygen per amount of time that will cause poisoning of the coral's tissues. there are ways to rectify this. slowly acclimatize corals so that the coral has a chance to either increase its zooallanthae count if lighitngs too weak, or to expel some zooallanthae if lightings too strong. apparently, iodide is used by corals in this acclimatizing process but i dont typically add iodide so i'm not sure about its use for that.

T5s according to deltec are about 3000 lumens so i think for most tanks T5s are adequate for healthy coral growth. they are what i use and i'm suitably pleased with mine. but do read up best as you can on your inhabitant's requirements before establishing your lightings.

hope that helps. i was rather confused at the start, and was even conned years ago by irresponsible and ill informed lfs owners that actinics were enough on their own, or that flourescents were strong enough for sps, etc, so i just hope to share my experience and help prevent such bad choices (as i made before) from happening again.

cheers all,

ian

[tridacna_maxima]

not really. you should try iwasaki 20K. it's white with a tinge of blue in the lighting colouration.

to my opinion, so far, the blue ones come from BLV.

[tridacna_maxima]

how much will the price of deltec be in sg? well, in malaysia, the local lfs does not bring in deltec.

it burns a hole in the pocket.

[matthewpoh]

Hi,

I would like to buy 2 bulbs 400W, to replace my old set.

What is a good set/brand to buy and from where I can get it?

Thanks..

for SPS, is 20k good or 14k?

thanks again..

[infinityex]

Very old thread you brought up... Try http://delightings.com/ they may have what you need

[CFOh]

Hi,

I would like to buy 2 bulbs 400W, to replace my old set.

What is a good set/brand to buy and from where I can get it?

Thanks..

for SPS, is 20k good or 14k?

thanks again..

check ReefDepot on this one.. I am using 250W series.. I like the effects... may be ask Seet for more advice..

Giesemann MEGACHROME Blue 400 W SE 21,000K Metal Halide Bulb

http://www.reefdepot.com.sg/

Cheers

[supeter111]

Not bad.. Thanks

[Omoto chief xtreme]

MH light is the best for sps

[jxlex]

MH light is the best for sps

Thats really random

send via tapa

[wearenotmonkey]

So led is not a good choice?

[say1606]

The same question as above.

[Sachin Dev]

hi - pardon my ignorance - am in the midst of setting up a 3x2x2 tank - planning a lps setup primarily with some easy sps to start with. have been reading up on effective lighting for healthy coral growth. would a AI hydra along with MH work well together??

[ReDDeviLs]

Hi bro,

i cant comment on led + mh. but i have seen led + T5 worked well. led alone does show results as well.

care to share whats your reason for mh + led?

[Roma]

hi planing to go with T5 + LED any suggestions for LED

[R0B]

Depends what you are keeping, and your reefing goals, budget and to lessor degree tank size.

I have an Aquaticlife T5 hybrid on my 4ftx3ft tank. I needed a good spread so went with this fixture. I run 3xATI blue plus and 1xActinic, I also have 3x Radion XR15 gen 4 pros with diffusers. Basically I have loads of horsepower (par) which I can control, and I have really good spread. Limited hot spots.

Kessil A360X or AI hydra, or Prime and the orphek Atlantik v4 (#drool) were also on my radar when setting up the tank.

The reason I personally went with the Radion xr15 was
1. It is a known quantity - you know they can grow coral. So one less thing to think about.
2. They are readily available at a good price... I picked them up 'nearly new' from Reefer who was moving to the Gen5. Some good bargains to be had.
3. the form factor of the xr15 is very flexible and can easily be used if I upgrade or move to a different system (i.e. frag tank or display)
4. Like any top end light they have v.good resale value.
5. Ecotech have excellent customer service.

It certainly would be interesting the hear what others are using. There are many paths to success!!

Sent from Singapore Reef Club mobile app