Dream lighting setup?

TChristman · 01/04/2008, 09:43 PM

Just some input on what would be your dream light setup? I am looking at getting a new light setup and was wondering if you had to do it all over again what would you do?

I have SPS at the top of my tank and LPS and a few softies at the bottom. I have been a SPS person for the last few years but I am transitioning into more LPS.

I currently run the Hamilton 3 x 400 SE MHs with XM 20k bulbs. The retrofit also has one 96 W PC that is used for dusk and dawn.

I am leaning towards 3 individual pendants (IceCap ballast) with VHO.

Tank is 6 foot long and 26 inches deep.

Your opinions and suggestions are appreciated.

zuzecawi · 01/04/2008, 10:46 PM

I've got to say, the lumenarc reflectors are the bomb, and if I could rebuild my canopy, it would have been to provide more room for the lumenarcs. If I had deep pockets, I'd run lumenarc III type reflectors with ice cap electronic dimmable ballasts, VHOS, dimmable moonlights and one of those nifty little lighting computers that programs your lights to dim and turn on and off in cycles that match the weather patterns of your chosen reef.

I'd run a mixture of 2 6500K, 1 10,00K, (mh) and 4 super actinic VHO's so that there would be a full guantlet of light that satisfied both natural and visual needs. There are fantastic tanks that mix lighting to that extent.

Actually, I am running that mix (2 6500K on 250w e-ballasts and 1 10,000K on 400w ballast) but only with 2 super actinic VHO's. My tank is similar in length but a couple inches shallower. I don't like the chernobyl blue super actinic look you get with some of the higher K bulbs, but my tank does look a little yellower than you'd see with all 10,000K's. I prefer to look at it as sunny reef vs alien reef.

TChristman · 01/04/2008, 11:33 PM

How is your color? Do you run the VHO with the halides? I usually turn my PCs off when the halides run but I run 20k bulbs. Who makes the best controllers that control the lights? Link? That may be a bit of overkill for me but I am intrigued. I am thinking of the lumenarcs. My canopy is a good 12 plus inches from the water so there is plenty of room. I did not know that there were dimmable IceCaps. Are these different than the regular electronics?

TChristman · 01/05/2008, 10:02 AM

anyone else?

zuzecawi · 01/05/2008, 01:10 PM

Color on the sps is pretty good, considering I run a pretty high level of phosphates (not on purpose, my RO/DI unit is due for maintenance and my neighbor kids like to "help" by feeding the fish to watch all the things crawl out of the liverock). My pinks are pink, my greens are greenish but not that uber glowing green you'd get with more actinics. I run the actinics with the halides, I don't have a controller at all (I've read about them and lust for them but I couldn't afford one if I ate nothing but turnips for six months) and instead I have a ugly mass of timers. The VHO's come on, run an hour, then the 6500K's come on and run around 4 hours, then the 400w 10K comes on, runs 2 hours, then 3 hrs after that the 6500K's shut off, and an hour later the VHO's shut off. That gives oh, 11 hrs VHO's 9 hrs 6500K + VHO's, with a peak light period of 2 hrs with 10K, 6500K and VHO's. That'd probably be what everybody else would call the prettyiest time, since there's a pretty good blue-y white color, the 6500K's plus VHO actinics make a nice sunny reef, definitely not blue toned though like 12K or 10K plus actinics. The nice thing though, even with all the lights turned off, my pink birdsnest is still pink... so I know my colors ARE NOT just the actinics glowing. I've got an ugly tank, I've had a number of crashes in the past 4 years its been running, one from power failure, one from neglect (aka work related abscense) one from rtn (most likely phosphates) and right now is the bounce back time from one of the crashes. Never the less, the corals that have survived all the bounces look pretty good. My tri color is still tri colored, the gsp are scandolous, the plate corals have a nice greeny and purple tint, the birdsnest is uber pink, the reds on my monti's are okay, not uber red, but not pink. The pocillopora from hades is nice and emerald green. Like I said though, the tank is definitely yellower than most tanks running the high K bulbs. You're not going to get the same glow from 6500K mixtures as you would from 10K mixtures, and the algae really loves the 6500K bulbs, so you have to keep your tank pretty tiptop as far as nutrient control goes. I run a big refugium and that helps, but I also run small amounts of passive carbon to keep the yellowing from the algae down. Ozone might help, but I try to only change a few things at a time.

Remember with the lumenarcs that if you're going to run tubes too, you've got to have room for both in your canopy. My canopy is 13" up and I wish I had a couple inches more room, I had to put the VHO's on a really really silly looking sliding rack to be able to do tank maintenance without taking off the whole canopy. If mine opened from the top I'd be a lot happier. I drilled extra holes in the lumenarcs to screw them to the canopy, so that all the weight wasn't resting on two points. Some people go with bigger washers, I tend to be... well... paranoid. So I drilled four extra holes.

Hope that helps some.

TChristman · 01/05/2008, 03:39 PM

I really like the mini lumenarcs. For people that use them are they happy? That gives me room to work under the lights as well.

01/04/2008, 09:43 PM	#1
TChristman Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Georgia Posts: 454	Dream lighting setup? Just some input on what would be your dream light setup? I am looking at getting a new light setup and was wondering if you had to do it all over again what would you do? I have SPS at the top of my tank and LPS and a few softies at the bottom. I have been a SPS person for the last few years but I am transitioning into more LPS. I currently run the Hamilton 3 x 400 SE MHs with XM 20k bulbs. The retrofit also has one 96 W PC that is used for dusk and dawn. I am leaning towards 3 individual pendants (IceCap ballast) with VHO. Tank is 6 foot long and 26 inches deep. Your opinions and suggestions are appreciated.

01/04/2008, 10:46 PM	#2
zuzecawi Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Salem, OR Posts: 472	I've got to say, the lumenarc reflectors are the bomb, and if I could rebuild my canopy, it would have been to provide more room for the lumenarcs. If I had deep pockets, I'd run lumenarc III type reflectors with ice cap electronic dimmable ballasts, VHOS, dimmable moonlights and one of those nifty little lighting computers that programs your lights to dim and turn on and off in cycles that match the weather patterns of your chosen reef. I'd run a mixture of 2 6500K, 1 10,00K, (mh) and 4 super actinic VHO's so that there would be a full guantlet of light that satisfied both natural and visual needs. There are fantastic tanks that mix lighting to that extent. Actually, I am running that mix (2 6500K on 250w e-ballasts and 1 10,000K on 400w ballast) but only with 2 super actinic VHO's. My tank is similar in length but a couple inches shallower. I don't like the chernobyl blue super actinic look you get with some of the higher K bulbs, but my tank does look a little yellower than you'd see with all 10,000K's. I prefer to look at it as sunny reef vs alien reef.

01/04/2008, 11:33 PM	#3
TChristman Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Georgia Posts: 454	How is your color? Do you run the VHO with the halides? I usually turn my PCs off when the halides run but I run 20k bulbs. Who makes the best controllers that control the lights? Link? That may be a bit of overkill for me but I am intrigued. I am thinking of the lumenarcs. My canopy is a good 12 plus inches from the water so there is plenty of room. I did not know that there were dimmable IceCaps. Are these different than the regular electronics?

01/05/2008, 10:02 AM	#4
TChristman Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Georgia Posts: 454	anyone else?

01/05/2008, 01:10 PM	#5
zuzecawi Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Salem, OR Posts: 472	Color on the sps is pretty good, considering I run a pretty high level of phosphates (not on purpose, my RO/DI unit is due for maintenance and my neighbor kids like to "help" by feeding the fish to watch all the things crawl out of the liverock). My pinks are pink, my greens are greenish but not that uber glowing green you'd get with more actinics. I run the actinics with the halides, I don't have a controller at all (I've read about them and lust for them but I couldn't afford one if I ate nothing but turnips for six months) and instead I have a ugly mass of timers. The VHO's come on, run an hour, then the 6500K's come on and run around 4 hours, then the 400w 10K comes on, runs 2 hours, then 3 hrs after that the 6500K's shut off, and an hour later the VHO's shut off. That gives oh, 11 hrs VHO's 9 hrs 6500K + VHO's, with a peak light period of 2 hrs with 10K, 6500K and VHO's. That'd probably be what everybody else would call the prettyiest time, since there's a pretty good blue-y white color, the 6500K's plus VHO actinics make a nice sunny reef, definitely not blue toned though like 12K or 10K plus actinics. The nice thing though, even with all the lights turned off, my pink birdsnest is still pink... so I know my colors ARE NOT just the actinics glowing. I've got an ugly tank, I've had a number of crashes in the past 4 years its been running, one from power failure, one from neglect (aka work related abscense) one from rtn (most likely phosphates) and right now is the bounce back time from one of the crashes. Never the less, the corals that have survived all the bounces look pretty good. My tri color is still tri colored, the gsp are scandolous, the plate corals have a nice greeny and purple tint, the birdsnest is uber pink, the reds on my monti's are okay, not uber red, but not pink. The pocillopora from hades is nice and emerald green. Like I said though, the tank is definitely yellower than most tanks running the high K bulbs. You're not going to get the same glow from 6500K mixtures as you would from 10K mixtures, and the algae really loves the 6500K bulbs, so you have to keep your tank pretty tiptop as far as nutrient control goes. I run a big refugium and that helps, but I also run small amounts of passive carbon to keep the yellowing from the algae down. Ozone might help, but I try to only change a few things at a time. Remember with the lumenarcs that if you're going to run tubes too, you've got to have room for both in your canopy. My canopy is 13" up and I wish I had a couple inches more room, I had to put the VHO's on a really really silly looking sliding rack to be able to do tank maintenance without taking off the whole canopy. If mine opened from the top I'd be a lot happier. I drilled extra holes in the lumenarcs to screw them to the canopy, so that all the weight wasn't resting on two points. Some people go with bigger washers, I tend to be... well... paranoid. So I drilled four extra holes. Hope that helps some.

01/05/2008, 03:39 PM	#6
TChristman Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Georgia Posts: 454	I really like the mini lumenarcs. For people that use them are they happy? That gives me room to work under the lights as well.