Watts per gallon????

stpauli914 · 12/02/2008, 09:21 PM

I remember reading somewhere some starting points in watts per gallon of lighting for different types of tanks(FO, FOWLR, Reef, etc.) Does anyone have any general ideas for minimum/medium/maximum lighing for these different setups?

Thanks,
Aaron

snorvich · 12/02/2008, 09:47 PM

Watts per gallon is meaningless.

1DeR9_3Hy · 12/02/2008, 09:54 PM

Well you have only scratched the surface with the lighting question, but like snorvich said...watts per gallon means nothing. You need to research what PAR values are, and understand the powercompacts, VHO, T5's and Metal Halides will all have different PAR values at the same watts per gallon.

stpauli914 · 12/02/2008, 09:57 PM

Sorry, I'll research PAR values. Didn't mean to ask a "meaningless" question.

Aaron

1DeR9_3Hy · 12/02/2008, 10:03 PM

Its not meaningless, some people just get tired of answering this question. I have not been here that long, so i dont mind...yet lol.

Ill try to find the write up that explains reef lighting....I remember seeing it in the newb forum somewhere.

1DeR9_3Hy · 12/02/2008, 10:06 PM

Here, look on this page. It has just about every answer you might need.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1031074

Specifically, here is the lighting thread.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=550860

stpauli914 · 12/02/2008, 10:32 PM

Thanks 1DeR. I'll study up.

Aaron

1DeR9_3Hy · 12/03/2008, 12:00 AM

No problem

HTH

mg426 · 12/03/2008, 12:41 AM

It would (almost) adjust the watts / gallon to watts / depth.

Toddrtrex · 12/03/2008, 12:47 AM

I feel that it is meaningless. It doesn't take into account the type of bulbs used ( PC, T5, MH ), the reflectors used, the color temps of the bulbs. In addition it leaves out the shape/depth of the tank.

8BALL_99 · 12/03/2008, 01:09 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Toddrtrex
I feel that it is meaningless. It doesn't take into account the type of bulbs used ( PC, T5, MH ), the reflectors used, the color temps of the bulbs. In addition it leaves out the shape/depth of the tank.

Exactly my thoughts on it.. As far as how much light for the ones you listed. Lighting only really matters on Reef tanks. For FO and FOWLR almost anything will work.

ryshark · 12/03/2008, 02:11 AM

But in what circumstance would 1/2 watt (of any lighting) per gallon be suffice for a reef tank? So I wouldn't say the question is totally meaningless. There is just a lot more to it than just wpg.

1DeR9_3Hy · 12/03/2008, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ryshark
But in what circumstance would 1/2 watt (of any lighting) per gallon be suffice for a reef tank? So I wouldn't say the question is totally meaningless. There is just a lot more to it than just wpg.

You could probably do some shrooms near the middle/top with that number. They would not be the greatest, but i am sure it would keep them alive.

8BALL_99 · 12/03/2008, 01:36 PM

I've seen a 10 gallon nano with just a 9 watt CF over it with shrooms and cheato in it.. Thats less then 1 watt per gallon. With that logic you could say 1 watt per gallon can work. But really 99% of the time it wouldn't so again its pretty much meaningless..

James77 · 12/03/2008, 01:42 PM

There are way too many variables to give a general statement of watts per gallon. Type of lighting, tank sizes, reflectors, bulbs, ballasts, water clarity, types of coral,etc all affect that.

GSMguy · 12/03/2008, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ryshark
But in what circumstance would 1/2 watt (of any lighting) per gallon be suffice for a reef tank? So I wouldn't say the question is totally meaningless. There is just a lot more to it than just wpg.

if you want to you could have a 500G tank with a single 400W halide, that would allow you to grow SPS with less than 1 WPG....

thats why its meaningless.

kretzkiller · 12/03/2008, 03:33 PM

^
agreed

snorvich · 12/03/2008, 04:09 PM

Ok, lets try this. First decide what you want to keep. Next decide the depth of the tank you are setting up. You can then figure out how many watts are required to keep what you want at the depth you are planning. Finally, the SPREAD of the lights will determine how many gallons you can have. Or, listen to GSMguy. Watts per gallon is MEANINGLESS.

stpauli914 · 12/03/2008, 05:00 PM

OK so I have a lot to learn about lighting. Well lets start with this.... I am setting up a 125 gallon 72" long 18" deep and 22" tall. I have a 3X150 HQI Hamilton fixture with 14K bulbs. I was also going to put a pair of 55w T-5 48" Actinics in it as well.

How would you rate this lighing on a scale of 1-10 for a reef setup with 150lbs LR, Softies and some LPS?

I just want to make sure I have good lighting before I set it up.

Sorry to be so much of a newbie, but I really appreciate and respect everyones help.

Still wondering how far off the water the HQI's should be as well.

Aaron

therealfatman · 12/03/2008, 10:26 PM

A more appropriate method of calculating wattage needed is to consider the amount of power that the sun is transmitting to the earthâ€™s surface in the form of light energy over the coral reefs. The average amount is around a constant 1000 watts per square meter during the average 8 hours of peak sunshine each day. If we choose to mimic that we can assume with halide and T-5 lighting that we are receiving in the form of usable light 100 percent efficiency as the reef lights typically put out over 100 percent (in relation to the suns spectrums) of the specific wave lengths we assume we need for best coral growth.

Therefore it is a simple matter of converting the surface measurement of the tank from square inches to square meters. Then calculating the lighting needed. Example: 120 gallon tank @ 24â€ x 48â€ = 1152 square inches. A square meter is equal to 1549.21 square inches. Therefore a 120 gallon tankâ€™s surface area is: 1152/1549.21 = 0.744 square meters. Which means 1000 watts/square meter x 0.744 square meter = 744 watts. Also we must take into account that few corals reside as close to the surface as the corals do in our aquariums. The calculations shown here will give the approximate light at the waters surface not at the corals depth. Most corals in mixed reef tanks are from depths of 10 to 30 meters. Few SPS corals in nature even receive the lighting intensity at Par values any where near those of the light at the waters surface.

I use about 93 percent of that lighting in high intensity lighting in a SPS display tank (630 watts). 100 percent of that figure with SPS propagation tanks (actually 750 watts or 1.008 percent). I would recommend dropping down to 50 percent (372 watts) or 60 percent (446 watts) of that for just soft corals and 65 (484 watts) to 75 percent (558 watts) of that figure for a mixed reef.

JPSKI25 · 12/03/2008, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 1DeR9_3Hy
You could probably do some shrooms

Perfect solution to any problem!!!!
(sorry for the hijack I couldn't resist!)

12/02/2008, 09:21 PM	#1
stpauli914 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Clearwater/Dunedin Posts: 1,990	Watts per gallon???? I remember reading somewhere some starting points in watts per gallon of lighting for different types of tanks(FO, FOWLR, Reef, etc.) Does anyone have any general ideas for minimum/medium/maximum lighing for these different setups? Thanks, Aaron __________________ Thanks Reef Central!!! Current Tank Info: 240 Gallon Mixed Reef Miracles Custom 72x30x25 Starfire, COR20 RD3 80W, BK Alpha 200, MP40QD's, Radion G4 Pros * 80 Gallon Deep Blue Rimless SPS Dominant 48x24x16 Starfire, RD5 ECO, BK Mini 160, MP40QD's, Radion Gen4 Pros* Apex Controlled

12/02/2008, 09:47 PM	#2
snorvich Team RC member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Outlander Posts: 40,953 Blog Entries: 46	Watts per gallon is meaningless. __________________ Warmest regards, ~Steve~

12/02/2008, 09:54 PM	#3
1DeR9_3Hy Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 2,575	Well you have only scratched the surface with the lighting question, but like snorvich said...watts per gallon means nothing. You need to research what PAR values are, and understand the powercompacts, VHO, T5's and Metal Halides will all have different PAR values at the same watts per gallon. __________________ I hope it never catches on, I like having the oldest tank on here and I don't have to worry about calcification, bio pellets, Vodka dosing, DSBs, Chaetomorpha (I don't even know what that is) Carbonite hardness and all of these other things many people worry about. If I had to think about all of that stuff I would get a stroke. My test kit came in a wooden box and the directions say to keep in a cool chariott. I throw some food in the tank, wave hello to the fish and go out with my wife and have a nice glass of merlot with dinner. Have a great day but most of all, have fun. -PaulB Current Tank Info: 27 Gallon DAS softy/fish reef

12/02/2008, 09:57 PM	#4
stpauli914 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Clearwater/Dunedin Posts: 1,990	Sorry, I'll research PAR values. Didn't mean to ask a "meaningless" question. Aaron __________________ Thanks Reef Central!!! Current Tank Info: 240 Gallon Mixed Reef Miracles Custom 72x30x25 Starfire, COR20 RD3 80W, BK Alpha 200, MP40QD's, Radion G4 Pros * 80 Gallon Deep Blue Rimless SPS Dominant 48x24x16 Starfire, RD5 ECO, BK Mini 160, MP40QD's, Radion Gen4 Pros* Apex Controlled

12/02/2008, 10:03 PM	#5
1DeR9_3Hy Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 2,575	Its not meaningless, some people just get tired of answering this question. I have not been here that long, so i dont mind...yet lol. Ill try to find the write up that explains reef lighting....I remember seeing it in the newb forum somewhere. __________________ I hope it never catches on, I like having the oldest tank on here and I don't have to worry about calcification, bio pellets, Vodka dosing, DSBs, Chaetomorpha (I don't even know what that is) Carbonite hardness and all of these other things many people worry about. If I had to think about all of that stuff I would get a stroke. My test kit came in a wooden box and the directions say to keep in a cool chariott. I throw some food in the tank, wave hello to the fish and go out with my wife and have a nice glass of merlot with dinner. Have a great day but most of all, have fun. -PaulB Current Tank Info: 27 Gallon DAS softy/fish reef

12/02/2008, 10:06 PM	#6
1DeR9_3Hy Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 2,575	Here, look on this page. It has just about every answer you might need. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1031074 Specifically, here is the lighting thread. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=550860 __________________ I hope it never catches on, I like having the oldest tank on here and I don't have to worry about calcification, bio pellets, Vodka dosing, DSBs, Chaetomorpha (I don't even know what that is) Carbonite hardness and all of these other things many people worry about. If I had to think about all of that stuff I would get a stroke. My test kit came in a wooden box and the directions say to keep in a cool chariott. I throw some food in the tank, wave hello to the fish and go out with my wife and have a nice glass of merlot with dinner. Have a great day but most of all, have fun. -PaulB Current Tank Info: 27 Gallon DAS softy/fish reef

12/02/2008, 10:32 PM	#7
stpauli914 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Clearwater/Dunedin Posts: 1,990	Thanks 1DeR. I'll study up. Aaron __________________ Thanks Reef Central!!! Current Tank Info: 240 Gallon Mixed Reef Miracles Custom 72x30x25 Starfire, COR20 RD3 80W, BK Alpha 200, MP40QD's, Radion G4 Pros * 80 Gallon Deep Blue Rimless SPS Dominant 48x24x16 Starfire, RD5 ECO, BK Mini 160, MP40QD's, Radion Gen4 Pros* Apex Controlled

12/03/2008, 12:00 AM	#8
1DeR9_3Hy Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 2,575	No problem HTH __________________ I hope it never catches on, I like having the oldest tank on here and I don't have to worry about calcification, bio pellets, Vodka dosing, DSBs, Chaetomorpha (I don't even know what that is) Carbonite hardness and all of these other things many people worry about. If I had to think about all of that stuff I would get a stroke. My test kit came in a wooden box and the directions say to keep in a cool chariott. I throw some food in the tank, wave hello to the fish and go out with my wife and have a nice glass of merlot with dinner. Have a great day but most of all, have fun. -PaulB Current Tank Info: 27 Gallon DAS softy/fish reef

12/03/2008, 12:41 AM	#9
mg426 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: maryland Posts: 6,923	It would (almost) adjust the watts / gallon to watts / depth. __________________ I found a way to make a small fortune running a reef tank. Start with a large fortune. Unofficial President of the SEACLONE haters club Current Tank Info: 125 mixed reef 110 lbs LR, 1x250watt XM 20K MH 2x175watt XM 20K MH on Magetics 2X96 watt actinic PC, 220 watt VHO actinic, 30 gallon refugium, closed loop system powered by Sequence Dart MSX 200 skimmer 38 gallon sump, Oceansmotions squirt

12/03/2008, 12:47 AM	#10
Toddrtrex Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 23,162	I feel that it is meaningless. It doesn't take into account the type of bulbs used ( PC, T5, MH ), the reflectors used, the color temps of the bulbs. In addition it leaves out the shape/depth of the tank. __________________ Click my name and then "visit toddrtrex's homepage" for tank pictures Current Tank Info: 210g reef and 65g reef

12/03/2008, 02:11 AM	#12
ryshark Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: So. Cal. Posts: 2,169	But in what circumstance would 1/2 watt (of any lighting) per gallon be suffice for a reef tank? So I wouldn't say the question is totally meaningless. There is just a lot more to it than just wpg.

12/03/2008, 01:36 PM	#14
8BALL_99 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Toney, AL Posts: 3,724	I've seen a 10 gallon nano with just a 9 watt CF over it with shrooms and cheato in it.. Thats less then 1 watt per gallon. With that logic you could say 1 watt per gallon can work. But really 99% of the time it wouldn't so again its pretty much meaningless.. __________________ The problem with political jokes is they get elected. OK, so what's the speed of dark? Why do we drive on the parkway and park in the driveway? Isn't is it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do "practice"? Current Tank Info: Custom Starfire 300,92Gallon,35 Gallon Hex,Two 40Gallons,125Gallon,

12/03/2008, 01:42 PM	#15
James77 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 8,158	There are way too many variables to give a general statement of watts per gallon. Type of lighting, tank sizes, reflectors, bulbs, ballasts, water clarity, types of coral,etc all affect that. __________________ Jim Current Tank Info: 120g Mixed Reef and 75g Freshwater

12/03/2008, 03:33 PM	#17
kretzkiller Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: KC Posts: 599	^ agreed

12/03/2008, 04:09 PM	#18
snorvich Team RC member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Outlander Posts: 40,953 Blog Entries: 46	Ok, lets try this. First decide what you want to keep. Next decide the depth of the tank you are setting up. You can then figure out how many watts are required to keep what you want at the depth you are planning. Finally, the SPREAD of the lights will determine how many gallons you can have. Or, listen to GSMguy. Watts per gallon is MEANINGLESS. __________________ Warmest regards, ~Steve~

12/03/2008, 05:00 PM	#19
stpauli914 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Clearwater/Dunedin Posts: 1,990	OK so I have a lot to learn about lighting. Well lets start with this.... I am setting up a 125 gallon 72" long 18" deep and 22" tall. I have a 3X150 HQI Hamilton fixture with 14K bulbs. I was also going to put a pair of 55w T-5 48" Actinics in it as well. How would you rate this lighing on a scale of 1-10 for a reef setup with 150lbs LR, Softies and some LPS? I just want to make sure I have good lighting before I set it up. Sorry to be so much of a newbie, but I really appreciate and respect everyones help. Still wondering how far off the water the HQI's should be as well. Aaron __________________ Thanks Reef Central!!! Current Tank Info: 240 Gallon Mixed Reef Miracles Custom 72x30x25 Starfire, COR20 RD3 80W, BK Alpha 200, MP40QD's, Radion G4 Pros * 80 Gallon Deep Blue Rimless SPS Dominant 48x24x16 Starfire, RD5 ECO, BK Mini 160, MP40QD's, Radion Gen4 Pros* Apex Controlled

12/03/2008, 10:26 PM	#20
therealfatman Moved On Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 1,471	A more appropriate method of calculating wattage needed is to consider the amount of power that the sun is transmitting to the earthâ€™s surface in the form of light energy over the coral reefs. The average amount is around a constant 1000 watts per square meter during the average 8 hours of peak sunshine each day. If we choose to mimic that we can assume with halide and T-5 lighting that we are receiving in the form of usable light 100 percent efficiency as the reef lights typically put out over 100 percent (in relation to the suns spectrums) of the specific wave lengths we assume we need for best coral growth. Therefore it is a simple matter of converting the surface measurement of the tank from square inches to square meters. Then calculating the lighting needed. Example: 120 gallon tank @ 24â€ x 48â€ = 1152 square inches. A square meter is equal to 1549.21 square inches. Therefore a 120 gallon tankâ€™s surface area is: 1152/1549.21 = 0.744 square meters. Which means 1000 watts/square meter x 0.744 square meter = 744 watts. Also we must take into account that few corals reside as close to the surface as the corals do in our aquariums. The calculations shown here will give the approximate light at the waters surface not at the corals depth. Most corals in mixed reef tanks are from depths of 10 to 30 meters. Few SPS corals in nature even receive the lighting intensity at Par values any where near those of the light at the waters surface. I use about 93 percent of that lighting in high intensity lighting in a SPS display tank (630 watts). 100 percent of that figure with SPS propagation tanks (actually 750 watts or 1.008 percent). I would recommend dropping down to 50 percent (372 watts) or 60 percent (446 watts) of that for just soft corals and 65 (484 watts) to 75 percent (558 watts) of that figure for a mixed reef. Last edited by therealfatman; 12/03/2008 at 10:42 PM.