If You're Serious About Lighting, Know This

[Newb73]

@Dana Riddle

If you are ever in Augusta drop by with your gear.

I've got two Kessil A360ws, two Kessil A360We, 3 Hydra 52s, Two Kessil A150s and some T5s.

Be happy to let you take some measurements and check out what's growing well under what

 

[Dana Riddle]

Is this Fish Connection?

 

[underwaterworld]

Great write up! I second on making it a sticky.

 

[YumaMan]

Thanks for this glossary of lighting terms, Dana. Now I can talk to my teenager intelligently.

 

[Greenstreet.1]

Thank you for the info. Following.

2x hydra 52’s mixed with 4x54w ati.

 

[cajunreef985]

THANK YOU!

 

[Sarah24!]

Just curious I have a 240 gallon tank now and I have had it for 6 months. Before that I had a 125 and I had two fluval marine 2.0. Every one made fun of me and said ohh you need hydras or ecotech yet my coral grew faster and better than theirs did with fancy lights. Now I have two of the current marine pros (not the marine ic pros that worknw the loop system, ones right before it. Plus I run the same fluvals but have three of the shorter ones instead of the two longer ones. Anyway on my new tank I tried hydras and ecotech to see the difference. Honestly I don’t see what the big hype is? What am I missing? I choose the currents and fluvaks over the hydras and ecotechs. My tank has amazing color and growth. Here are pics of my 6 month old 240, and 80% of my coral is new. Long story on what happened to all my old coral.

 

[Cliffsreef]

Just curious I have a 240 gallon tank now and I have had it for 6 months. Before that I had a 125 and I had two fluval marine 2.0. Every one made fun of me and said ohh you need hydras or ecotech yet my coral grew faster and better than theirs did with fancy lights. Now I have two of the current marine pros (not the marine ic pros that worknw the loop system, ones right before it. Plus I run the same fluvals but have three of the shorter ones instead of the two longer ones. Anyway on my new tank I tried hydras and ecotech to see the difference. Honestly I don’t see what the big hype is? What am I missing? I choose the currents and fluvaks over the hydras and ecotechs. My tank has amazing color and growth. Here are pics of my 6 month old 240, and 80% of my coral is new. Long story on what happened to all my old coral.

I use t5 and radions.. I have great growth!!

 

[cwk84]

Way too complicated and even knowing all of this will not get you closer to a natural reef environment. The best lighting option is still T5 in my opinion. LED's have too much wiggle room and MH's suck up electricity like nothing else.

 

[Jay Norris]

Way too complicated and even knowing all of this will not get you closer to a natural reef environment. The best lighting option is still T5 in my opinion. LED's have too much wiggle room and MH's suck up electricity like nothing else.

Hi, I am changing out my M/H VHO combo to LED's, as I don't want the A/C to run so much to cool down my fish room and I love the ramp up, and ramp down of the LED's . I am looking at both the Radions and Mitra 7206 lights. I am leaning toward the Mitra's due to the larger and better light spread, and the ease of programing over the Radions. There seems less write up of the Mitra's on this websiteas compared to the Radions, am I missing something, or are the Radions just that much better?

 

[Brew12]

Hi, I am changing out my M/H VHO combo to LED's, as I don't want the A/C to run so much to cool down my fish room and I love the ramp up, and ramp down of the LED's . I am looking at both the Radions and Mitra 7206 lights. I am leaning toward the Mitra's due to the larger and better light spread, and the ease of programing over the Radions. There seems less write up of the Mitra's on this websiteas compared to the Radions, am I missing something, or are the Radions just that much better?

My impression is that if you like making your corals pop under the heavy blue lighting you would prefer the Radions. If you would rather have your tank look more naturally lit, and don't mind that the corals won't pop the same way, the Mitras would be better. I use the Mitras and love them. I feel you will get more vivid coral colors under the Radions.

 

[Mark Gray]

Hi, I am changing out my M/H VHO combo to LED's, as I don't want the A/C to run so much to cool down my fish room and I love the ramp up, and ramp down of the LED's . I am looking at both the Radions and Mitra 7206 lights. I am leaning toward the Mitra's due to the larger and better light spread, and the ease of programing over the Radions. There seems less write up of the Mitra's on this websiteas compared to the Radions, am I missing something, or are the Radions just that much better?

You might check out Orhpek they have a really good sale right now

 

[Jay Norris]

My impression is that if you like making your corals pop under the heavy blue lighting you would prefer the Radions. If you would rather have your tank look more naturally lit, and don't mind that the corals won't pop the same way, the Mitras would be better. I use the Mitras and love them. I feel you will get more vivid coral colors under the Radions.

Thanks, I thought you could adjust the spectrum to get a more blue look and have the corals pop like the Radions, also don't the Mitra's have more color channels then the Radions to play with?

 

[Brew12]

Thanks, I thought you could adjust the spectrum to get a more blue look and have the corals pop like the Radions, also don't the Mitra's have more color channels then the Radions to play with?

The Mitras are very versatile in the spectrum they can put out, so you can get the same blue look. The issue is that with so many channels you don't get the PAR output at that bluer spectrum with the Mitras that you get with the Radions. It doesn't have as many blue LED's so if you want higher PAR you need to up the white channels to compensate.

 

[Jay Norris]

The Mitras are very versatile in the spectrum they can put out, so you can get the same blue look. The issue is that with so many channels you don't get the PAR output at that bluer spectrum with the Mitras that you get with the Radions. It doesn't have as many blue LED's so if you want higher PAR you need to up the white channels to compensate.

Ok, thanks, I will have to find someone where I live so I can see the Mitra's in person.

 

[Jay Norris]

You might check out Orhpek they have a really good sale right now

How do you like the lights and their customer service? I heard a few things from one of my LFS that was on the negative side, and from what I have read on a few websites they seem like a so, so light. I really do like the light spread, ease of operation, and price, as I will not need as many Orphex's as the Mitra's.

 

[Mark Gray]

How do you like the lights and their customer service? I heard a few things from one of my LFS that was on the negative side, and from what I have read on a few websites they seem like a so, so light. I really do like the light spread, ease of operation, and price, as I will not need as many Orphex's as the Mitra's.

Well I can't tell you yet how I like it I just bought it on the black Friday sale thing. Customer service is great they responded on Saturday and Sunday shipped on Monday I will receive it tomorrow

 

[reefmutt]

Hi Dana, this is a very interesting and informative right up- although I will admit some of it has gone over my head!
Being an old school reefer- getting started in the hobby when GE Daylight and actinic 03 T12 bulbs were THE lighting to use, what you said about useful par being in the range of 400-700 nm- with a small amount of photosynthesis happening just below 400 has got me questioning the usefulness of using pure actinic bulbs.
This bulb produces so much light below 400nm I am wondering if it really serves any useful purpose when compared to the ‘blue plus’ or ‘actinic plus’ bulbs that are so popular.
Clearly the more blue ‘plus’ bulbs produce way more useable radiation (in the 400-700 nm range) than the actinic bulb does. And if I’m not mistaken they do produce some light below 400 nm as well..
The ‘look’ aside, speaking only from the coral’s perspective (I’m talking acropora here) is there any real usefulness for using true actinic bulbs, or do the blue plus bulbs supply everything required at the low end of the coral’s spectral needs?

 

[Crimsonphoenix]

Thanks for the summary!

 

[vetteguy53081]