lighting combo

AquaWave523 · 07/17/2009, 04:11 PM

Are we suppose to keep both actinic and sunlight on at the same time? or is actinic used for night time?

thegrun · 07/17/2009, 04:46 PM

I keep both on during the "daytime mode" and use actinics only during the dawn and dusk modes. Actinics during the day help bring out more colors in your fish and corals.

der_wille_zur_macht · 07/17/2009, 05:29 PM

Both on all day. If you have separate power cords for each, you can put them on timers. Most people time the actinics to come on before the daylight, and turn off after - this gives a dawn and dusk effect.

So, you might have the following schedule:

9 AM: actinics on
10 AM: daylight on
8 PM: daylight off
9 PM actinic off

For night time, most people leave their tanks dark. Some fixtures have a small number of LEDs built in to simulate moonlight. If your fixture has that, you can just leave them on 24/7, or put them on a third timer to come on only at night.

AquaWave523 · 07/18/2009, 03:24 PM

Just found out one of the lights dont work due to some mishandling from the person that handed this down to us. Grrr....so we only have two 96 Watt 10,000k lights (Compact Coralife)...would this be ok to have corals? or do i need four? and actinics too?

Kakabub · 07/18/2009, 04:18 PM

What is wrong with the light that isn't working? If the ballast is ok, which I'm guessing it is since the other bulbs are lighting, it could be a pretty easy/cheap fix. Either a new bulb or new end cap.

dawaterboy · 07/18/2009, 08:51 PM

I have 2 96w pc's on my 46g and is works great for just about anything. If your lighting a 90 your going to be a little short on light for a lot of corals.

AquaWave523 · 07/19/2009, 05:30 AM

I have two 96w pc's both are 10,000k, do I need Actinics too? ....i know i wont be able to get all the corals i want but i just want to have simple corals. A few will do, it doesn't have to a lot.

07/17/2009, 04:11 PM	#1
AquaWave523 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 911	lighting combo Are we suppose to keep both actinic and sunlight on at the same time? or is actinic used for night time?

07/17/2009, 05:29 PM	#3
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	Both on all day. If you have separate power cords for each, you can put them on timers. Most people time the actinics to come on before the daylight, and turn off after - this gives a dawn and dusk effect. So, you might have the following schedule: 9 AM: actinics on 10 AM: daylight on 8 PM: daylight off 9 PM actinic off For night time, most people leave their tanks dark. Some fixtures have a small number of LEDs built in to simulate moonlight. If your fixture has that, you can just leave them on 24/7, or put them on a third timer to come on only at night. __________________ Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)

07/18/2009, 03:24 PM	#4
AquaWave523 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 911	Just found out one of the lights dont work due to some mishandling from the person that handed this down to us. Grrr....so we only have two 96 Watt 10,000k lights (Compact Coralife)...would this be ok to have corals? or do i need four? and actinics too? __________________ "Take your time...going slow always works out best. There's no rush in this hobby" Yes that is a memo Current Tank Info: 175 gal Oceanic bowfront w/ 55 gal sump refugium, MSX 200 protein skimmer,Digital Aquatics Controller, Coralife Aqualight (three 250 watt Metal Halides, dual 96 watt cf, triple moon leds)

07/19/2009, 05:30 AM	#7
AquaWave523 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 911	I have two 96w pc's both are 10,000k, do I need Actinics too? ....i know i wont be able to get all the corals i want but i just want to have simple corals. A few will do, it doesn't have to a lot. __________________ "Take your time...going slow always works out best. There's no rush in this hobby" Yes that is a memo Current Tank Info: 175 gal Oceanic bowfront w/ 55 gal sump refugium, MSX 200 protein skimmer,Digital Aquatics Controller, Coralife Aqualight (three 250 watt Metal Halides, dual 96 watt cf, triple moon leds)

07/17/2009, 04:46 PM	#2
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	I keep both on during the "daytime mode" and use actinics only during the dawn and dusk modes. Actinics during the day help bring out more colors in your fish and corals.

07/18/2009, 04:18 PM	#5
Kakabub Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: SF/Sactown Posts: 220	What is wrong with the light that isn't working? If the ballast is ok, which I'm guessing it is since the other bulbs are lighting, it could be a pretty easy/cheap fix. Either a new bulb or new end cap.

07/18/2009, 08:51 PM	#6
dawaterboy Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: waterford, mi Posts: 214	I have 2 96w pc's on my 46g and is works great for just about anything. If your lighting a 90 your going to be a little short on light for a lot of corals.