454's or not.

Reefn00b · 04/07/2010, 07:07 AM

Its time to replace my VHO's.. i currently have 4 vho super actinics and 2 250 MH 10K XM's over my 120.

Was curious if anyone was running 454's and if they would recommend them... should I do 4 454's to level out my 10K's or should i do 2 super actinics and 2 454's...

Thoughts?

Reefn00b · 04/07/2010, 08:55 AM

Anyone? Surely not everyone has jumped to T5's

mfinn · 04/07/2010, 08:58 AM

I just switched my actinic on my zoanthid to the 454 VHO and I love it.

AaronReeph · 04/07/2010, 08:59 AM

I'm on T5s but am switching to VHOs!
I have tried quite a few color combinations, but I can't get that "pop" that I see in VHO tanks with super actinics and 454s. The T5s put out a heck of a lot of light though.

I would go with 2 454s and 2 super actinics.

Reefn00b · 04/07/2010, 09:00 AM

Ah! Good to hear. Do you have any other lights besides VHO? how many do you have?

Reefn00b · 04/07/2010, 09:03 AM

If it were you.. how would you arrange them.... alternating? super actinic 454 super actinic 454 or 454's on the outsides or in the middle etc...

Quote:

Originally Posted by AaronReeph

I'm on T5s but am switching to VHOs!
I have tried quite a few color combinations, but I can't get that "pop" that I see in VHO tanks with super actinics and 454s. The T5s put out a heck of a lot of light though.

I would go with 2 454s and 2 super actinics.

AaronReeph · 04/07/2010, 09:05 AM

Right now my only lighting is 6 54W T5s, but I am switching to 3 250W Radiums supplemented with half super actinic and half 454. I'm not sure if I'm going to run 2 or 4 VHOs yet..

AaronReeph · 04/07/2010, 09:06 AM

I think I would do super actinic, 454, MH, super actinic, 454

Reefn00b · 04/07/2010, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AaronReeph

I think I would do super actinic, 454, MH, super actinic, 454

Yeah thats what i meant. MH are always in the middle.... just didnt know what would get me the best effect on the arrangement of VHO's.

Anyone else have any input?

mfinn · 04/07/2010, 10:16 AM

If you already are using the super actinics and want a change, why not go with all 454's?
If you want the full effect of the new color, your going to dilute the change, by going half way.

jimsplace · 04/07/2010, 10:59 AM

I run an all VHO tank, but I can tell you the 454 puts out a lot of blue. All 454's might be too much. I think I would try 50/50 03 & 454. The 03's and 454 tend to floresce different colors too.

Reefn00b · 04/07/2010, 11:54 AM

Jim thats good to know... i run 4 super actinics now... and my xm 250watt 10k's almost completely drowns out all the blue....im really thinking about doing all 454's.. do u have any pics of ur tank?

luisgo · 04/07/2010, 01:48 PM

I have in my 125 reef 2-Reeflux 175w 12K MH + 2 UVL T12-VHO 72" 160w, one super actinic and one 454. This is the best color of all my previous combinations.

Before that I had one super actinic and one actinic white. It was nice but a little white and also there was some pink from the actinic white. After that I tried two superactinics but the intensity was not as expected. Also it was too blue during the VHO only photoperiod. When I installed the 454, wow the colors and intensity improved dramaticaly and I still have the pop of the superactinic.

tegee · 04/07/2010, 06:18 PM

ReefnOOB,

I have the same setup you are thinking about. I just switched over to XM 10k's after 3+ years of ReefLux. I needed a way to drown out the white and yellowish look of the XM 250w 10k's. I went with (2) SA and (2) 454's. Spoke to Tim at UVL and that is what he recommended. I only have three weeks on this setup so I need more time to tell what's up. But right now I like what I see. The 454's are sweet VHO's.

I would suggest buying (4) 454's and if it is too blue than just swap out (2) 454's and use the them for spares down the road and simply install (2) SA in their place. Either way, imo, you will not go wrong with either setup. But you will definitely need some 454's to help with drowning out the XM's. The reason why I went XM's, after countless hours talking with some lighting gurus they stated that they give the highest par value and light output without cranking up to 400w setup. Heat is an issue for me and 400w was out of the question, so this was the best alternative.

So far so good.........

redfishsc · 04/07/2010, 07:18 PM

There is a local LFS that has 400w 20k's (not sure the brand) in combo with 2 454's and 2 420's.

Looks sweet.

I totally agree with those recommended you use two of each.

blue/actinic.....MH....blue/actinic In that order.

Reefn00b · 04/07/2010, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tegee

ReefnOOB,

I have the same setup you are thinking about. I just switched over to XM 10k's after 3+ years of ReefLux. I needed a way to drown out the white and yellowish look of the XM 250w 10k's. I went with (2) SA and (2) 454's. Spoke to Tim at UVL and that is what he recommended. I only have three weeks on this setup so I need more time to tell what's up. But right now I like what I see. The 454's are sweet VHO's.

I would suggest buying (4) 454's and if it is too blue than just swap out (2) 454's and use the them for spares down the road and simply install (2) SA in their place. Either way, imo, you will not go wrong with either setup. But you will definitely need some 454's to help with drowning out the XM's. The reason why I went XM's, after countless hours talking with some lighting gurus they stated that they give the highest par value and light output without cranking up to 400w setup. Heat is an issue for me and 400w was out of the question, so this was the best alternative.

So far so good.........

This was super helpful! Always good to hear from someone with the exact same setup. I decided to buy 4 454's to go with my 10k xm's... The tank is still kinda yellowish with the super actinics so ill see what 4 454's can do... its its too blue i can always swap a few out like you said but i think it will be perfect... Im not one of those people that wants a blue tank... Which is why i didnt go with the 15K XM's... well that and the growth was poor... but i always thought if they made something between a 10 and a 15 thats what i would go with.. so hopefully this will put me in that range... very excited, let u know what i think when i get em in and installed!

grigsy · 04/07/2010, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reefn00b

Surely not everyone has jumped to T5's

Definitely not me. I like VHO bulbs much better than T5 bulbs myself.

I like the 454 bulbs. They are a bit more royal blue in color, a bit brighter than the 03 blue VHO bulbs. It is like the difference between a 460nm compact fluorescent and a 420 nm compact fluorescent.

jimsplace · 04/08/2010, 03:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reefn00b

Jim thats good to know... i run 4 super actinics now... and my xm 250watt 10k's almost completely drowns out all the blue....im really thinking about doing all 454's.. do u have any pics of ur tank?

If you click on my user name, I have an album with a few pictures taken in December.

DL · 04/08/2010, 11:52 AM

I run a 4vho and 3 mh system as follows: 454 -actinic -50/50 400w20k 454

Since I run the MH's only 6 hours and the vho's 11 hours, I wanted the 50/50 in there also for some punch.

Great look running the 454 - actinic and then having another 454 and 50/50 come on later and then finally the MH turn on.

04/07/2010, 07:07 AM	#1
Reefn00b Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Myrtle Beach, SC Posts: 524 Blog Entries: 1	454's or not. Its time to replace my VHO's.. i currently have 4 vho super actinics and 2 250 MH 10K XM's over my 120. Was curious if anyone was running 454's and if they would recommend them... should I do 4 454's to level out my 10K's or should i do 2 super actinics and 2 454's... Thoughts?

04/07/2010, 08:58 AM	#3
mfinn Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Olympia. WA. Posts: 8,648	I just switched my actinic on my zoanthid to the 454 VHO and I love it. __________________ 240 gallon soft coral tank 50 gallon lps tank

04/07/2010, 08:59 AM	#4
AaronReeph Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 220	I'm on T5s but am switching to VHOs! I have tried quite a few color combinations, but I can't get that "pop" that I see in VHO tanks with super actinics and 454s. The T5s put out a heck of a lot of light though. I would go with 2 454s and 2 super actinics. __________________ Last tank: 180g 3x250W Radiums in LumenBrites driven by BlueWave 7 and BlueWave 3, 2x160W VHO (1 454, 1 Super Actinic) on IceCap 660, 2 MP40Wes, Blueline 70HD return, SRO-3000INT, Apex Current Tank Info: 60g 24" Deep Blue Rimless RR Cube, Hydra 52 w/ Director, 2x MP10Wes, Basement sump w/ 100g Rubbermaid stock tank, RLSS 6i skimmer, Panworld 100PX return, Apex Lite

04/07/2010, 09:05 AM	#7
AaronReeph Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 220	Right now my only lighting is 6 54W T5s, but I am switching to 3 250W Radiums supplemented with half super actinic and half 454. I'm not sure if I'm going to run 2 or 4 VHOs yet.. __________________ Last tank: 180g 3x250W Radiums in LumenBrites driven by BlueWave 7 and BlueWave 3, 2x160W VHO (1 454, 1 Super Actinic) on IceCap 660, 2 MP40Wes, Blueline 70HD return, SRO-3000INT, Apex Current Tank Info: 60g 24" Deep Blue Rimless RR Cube, Hydra 52 w/ Director, 2x MP10Wes, Basement sump w/ 100g Rubbermaid stock tank, RLSS 6i skimmer, Panworld 100PX return, Apex Lite

04/07/2010, 09:06 AM	#8
AaronReeph Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Cleveland, Ohio Posts: 220	I think I would do super actinic, 454, MH, super actinic, 454 __________________ Last tank: 180g 3x250W Radiums in LumenBrites driven by BlueWave 7 and BlueWave 3, 2x160W VHO (1 454, 1 Super Actinic) on IceCap 660, 2 MP40Wes, Blueline 70HD return, SRO-3000INT, Apex Current Tank Info: 60g 24" Deep Blue Rimless RR Cube, Hydra 52 w/ Director, 2x MP10Wes, Basement sump w/ 100g Rubbermaid stock tank, RLSS 6i skimmer, Panworld 100PX return, Apex Lite

04/07/2010, 08:55 AM	#2
Reefn00b Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Myrtle Beach, SC Posts: 524 Blog Entries: 1	Anyone? Surely not everyone has jumped to T5's

04/07/2010, 09:00 AM	#5
Reefn00b Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Myrtle Beach, SC Posts: 524 Blog Entries: 1	Ah! Good to hear. Do you have any other lights besides VHO? how many do you have?

04/07/2010, 10:16 AM	#10
mfinn Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Olympia. WA. Posts: 8,648	If you already are using the super actinics and want a change, why not go with all 454's? If you want the full effect of the new color, your going to dilute the change, by going half way. __________________ 240 gallon soft coral tank 50 gallon lps tank

04/07/2010, 10:59 AM	#11
jimsplace Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, Tx Posts: 633	I run an all VHO tank, but I can tell you the 454 puts out a lot of blue. All 454's might be too much. I think I would try 50/50 03 & 454. The 03's and 454 tend to floresce different colors too. __________________ Jim Current Tank Information; - 90 Gallon DT / 30 Gallon Sump - SPS Dominate - IC VHO Lighting

04/07/2010, 11:54 AM	#12
Reefn00b Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Myrtle Beach, SC Posts: 524 Blog Entries: 1	Jim thats good to know... i run 4 super actinics now... and my xm 250watt 10k's almost completely drowns out all the blue....im really thinking about doing all 454's.. do u have any pics of ur tank?

04/07/2010, 01:48 PM	#13
luisgo Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Puerto Rico Posts: 628	I have in my 125 reef 2-Reeflux 175w 12K MH + 2 UVL T12-VHO 72" 160w, one super actinic and one 454. This is the best color of all my previous combinations. Before that I had one super actinic and one actinic white. It was nice but a little white and also there was some pink from the actinic white. After that I tried two superactinics but the intensity was not as expected. Also it was too blue during the VHO only photoperiod. When I installed the 454, wow the colors and intensity improved dramaticaly and I still have the pop of the superactinic. __________________ Tank of the Month Reefkeeping Magazine 11/2008 Current Tank Info: Reef 125 gal, Aquapod 12gal, 55 planted

04/07/2010, 06:18 PM	#14
tegee Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NY Posts: 831	ReefnOOB, I have the same setup you are thinking about. I just switched over to XM 10k's after 3+ years of ReefLux. I needed a way to drown out the white and yellowish look of the XM 250w 10k's. I went with (2) SA and (2) 454's. Spoke to Tim at UVL and that is what he recommended. I only have three weeks on this setup so I need more time to tell what's up. But right now I like what I see. The 454's are sweet VHO's. I would suggest buying (4) 454's and if it is too blue than just swap out (2) 454's and use the them for spares down the road and simply install (2) SA in their place. Either way, imo, you will not go wrong with either setup. But you will definitely need some 454's to help with drowning out the XM's. The reason why I went XM's, after countless hours talking with some lighting gurus they stated that they give the highest par value and light output without cranking up to 400w setup. Heat is an issue for me and 400w was out of the question, so this was the best alternative. So far so good......... __________________ 180-gl. SPS Miracles Tank 60" x 24" x 29". Lighting is Old School...(3) 250w MH Radiums using M80 ballasts w/ VHO Actinics (2) EcoTech MP60's, 75-gl. Sump, Kalk Reactor, MRC CalRx, Hurricone Skimmer

04/07/2010, 07:18 PM	#15
redfishsc Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Wake Forest, NC Posts: 3,696	There is a local LFS that has 400w 20k's (not sure the brand) in combo with 2 454's and 2 420's. Looks sweet. I totally agree with those recommended you use two of each. blue/actinic.....MH....blue/actinic In that order. __________________ "The measure of a life is not its duration but its donation." Corrie Ten Boom “The tyrant dies and his rule is over, the martyr dies and his rule begins” -- Søren Kierkegaard Current Tank Info: ghetto grad school reef.....11g rimless tank, 36X9X9, lit by Cree and Rebels scobbled together. Stocked mostly with free stuff I got from panhandling my fellow reefers.

04/08/2010, 11:52 AM	#19
DL Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Seattle area Posts: 47	I run a 4vho and 3 mh system as follows: 454 -actinic -50/50 400w20k 454 Since I run the MH's only 6 hours and the vho's 11 hours, I wanted the 50/50 in there also for some punch. Great look running the 454 - actinic and then having another 454 and 50/50 come on later and then finally the MH turn on.