how important is the order of your bulbs?

ziggy222 · 06/14/2006, 10:58 PM

to get the correct lighting over my 50gallon tank i'm setting up,i need to use 2 seperate pc lights cause i don't want metal halides.my lfs told me if i do that,then i need to put all daylight bulbs in the front one and the actinic in the back so its not daylight actinic daylight actinic.i wanted to know if you've heard of this and how important is this?because i have a dual 65wat already and if i added a 36 inch single 96 wat pc to it, i would have the 4.50 wat per gallons i want,but the bulbs can't be aranged in a different order cause their different sizes.this would enable me to use the one light i already have,saving alot of money.

gh0st · 06/15/2006, 08:51 AM

It really all comes down to how you want your tank to look.

Depending on where you place the actinics versus whites, you will get slightly different shadows and color.

I'd say try it both ways and see which you like better.

With the White bulbs all in the front, you won't have as many shadows, especially under overhangs as the light will be coming in from the front . With the whites in the center you will get more dramatic shadows under the overhangs, at the back and it wil be a back lit type of effect, bright at the top and dim at the front and underneath.

I like the shadows, so right now I'm running 3 VHO's order front to back: actinic, 50/50, actinic.

Toddrtrex · 06/15/2006, 09:01 AM

To Reef Central

You can "order" them how ever you feel. I would say that having them set up daylight-actinic-daylight-actinc might look the best, but it is really up to you.

Plus if you got the 50/50 bulbs it really wouldn't matter. My 75 has 6*65 PC, each bulb is a 50/50 which, IMO, gives a very nice balanced look.

HTH

ziggy222 · 06/15/2006, 02:32 PM

thanks alot guys,that saves me alot of money.i'll just use my 130 wat that i already have and add a 96wat pc in front of it.that'll give me 4.52 watts per gallon in my 50 for only $85

06/14/2006, 10:58 PM	#1
ziggy222 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: butler,pa Posts: 238	how important is the order of your bulbs? to get the correct lighting over my 50gallon tank i'm setting up,i need to use 2 seperate pc lights cause i don't want metal halides.my lfs told me if i do that,then i need to put all daylight bulbs in the front one and the actinic in the back so its not daylight actinic daylight actinic.i wanted to know if you've heard of this and how important is this?because i have a dual 65wat already and if i added a 36 inch single 96 wat pc to it, i would have the 4.50 wat per gallons i want,but the bulbs can't be aranged in a different order cause their different sizes.this would enable me to use the one light i already have,saving alot of money.

06/15/2006, 08:51 AM	#2
gh0st Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 956	It really all comes down to how you want your tank to look. Depending on where you place the actinics versus whites, you will get slightly different shadows and color. I'd say try it both ways and see which you like better. With the White bulbs all in the front, you won't have as many shadows, especially under overhangs as the light will be coming in from the front . With the whites in the center you will get more dramatic shadows under the overhangs, at the back and it wil be a back lit type of effect, bright at the top and dim at the front and underneath. I like the shadows, so right now I'm running 3 VHO's order front to back: actinic, 50/50, actinic. __________________ I REFUSE to buy Named/LE/High End Corals for insane prices. I REFUSE to pay Per Polyp for micro "Frags." Further more, I REFUSE to sell in any similar fashion. This is a hobby, not the Stock Market. If you feel the same, change you're signature to something similar and spread the word! Long Live the Reef Revolution!

06/15/2006, 09:01 AM	#3
Toddrtrex Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 23,162	*To Reef Central* You can "order" them how ever you feel. I would say that having them set up daylight-actinic-daylight-actinc might look the best, but it is really up to you. Plus if you got the 50/50 bulbs it really wouldn't matter. My 75 has 6*65 PC, each bulb is a 50/50 which, IMO, gives a very nice balanced look. HTH __________________ Click my name and then "visit toddrtrex's homepage" for tank pictures Current Tank Info: 210g reef and 65g reef

06/15/2006, 02:32 PM	#4
ziggy222 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: butler,pa Posts: 238	thanks alot guys,that saves me alot of money.i'll just use my 130 wat that i already have and add a 96wat pc in front of it.that'll give me 4.52 watts per gallon in my 50 for only $85