Opinions on lighting a frag tank: light and K choices for growth..???

redfishsc · 02/07/2009, 05:57 PM

This is more of an opinion thread. I am hoping to get info from folks who are running frag tanks with good results. Two main questions:

1) If you were going to set up a small, shallow (ie, a 10g) prop tank with SPS growth in mind (ie, you don't care about looks), would you set up a 4X24 T5 w/parabolic reflectors, or a 70W MH with a good reflector? A 150 MH would just waste electricity IMO and generate too much needless heat.

Do MH just inherently promote more growth, or do you think the T5's stack up fist-to-cuffs?

2) What bulb color would you recommend? In something this shallow I am somewhat afraid that a low K rated bulb, like a 6500K or 10,000K setup, would be too white for good growth. I have heard people around here claim both sides: more blue, or more daylight/white.

My main tank is VERY blue (two 460 blue tubes, one UVL Super actinic and one UVL 12,000K) but growth seems to be fairly good and steady.

The problem is, I have little to compare things to. My previous tanks were only lighted with T8 or PC bulbs and I did not grow very much SPS.

Any opinions on which light type and color I would be best with?

redfishsc · 02/08/2009, 03:47 PM

Any opinions on this?

02/07/2009, 05:57 PM	#1
redfishsc Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Wake Forest, NC Posts: 3,696	Opinions on lighting a frag tank: light and K choices for growth..??? This is more of an opinion thread. I am hoping to get info from folks who are running frag tanks with good results. Two main questions: 1) If you were going to set up a small, shallow (ie, a 10g) prop tank with SPS growth in mind (ie, you don't care about looks), would you set up a 4X24 T5 w/parabolic reflectors, or a 70W MH with a good reflector? A 150 MH would just waste electricity IMO and generate too much needless heat. Do MH just inherently promote more growth, or do you think the T5's stack up fist-to-cuffs? 2) What bulb color would you recommend? In something this shallow I am somewhat afraid that a low K rated bulb, like a 6500K or 10,000K setup, would be too white for good growth. I have heard people around here claim both sides: more blue, or more daylight/white. My main tank is VERY blue (two 460 blue tubes, one UVL Super actinic and one UVL 12,000K) but growth seems to be fairly good and steady. The problem is, I have little to compare things to. My previous tanks were only lighted with T8 or PC bulbs and I did not grow very much SPS. Any opinions on which light type and color I would be best with? __________________ "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.

02/08/2009, 03:47 PM	#2
redfishsc Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Wake Forest, NC Posts: 3,696	Any opinions on this? __________________ "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.