LFS lighting chart......????

[ahayes13]

okay so today i was in one of the lfs and they have a sign posted on their wll about lighting choices. it was listed in 4 steps

step 1 fluroscents

step 2 t5's

step 3 power compacts

step 4 mh


the way it was stating is saying that power compacts are better than t5's which doesnt seem to be anything that i have heard. i currently have pcs and think they are crap. i was looking to change to t5s because they seem to have better light and better for coral growth. this is correct isnt it?????

-----amanda

 

[revhtree]

T-5's are way better than CF IMO. I use MH and VHO's, but would like to try some T-5's soon myself.

 

[oceanparadise1]

NO NO NO lol, that is far from correct! The par rating on some T5hos with teh individual reflectors, some times beats out the MHs! This chart is far from the thruth! What size tank do you have and what are you looking to keep?

 

[ahayes13]

thats funny thats what i thought also but i saw their chart thing and figured it was incorrect.
anyways yeah i had another thread here on the t5s. im just trying to decide now how many bulbs and which ones to choose. most people have said to do maybe 6 bulbs. but my question is if i get the 8 bulb setup can i do 3 daylight, 3 atinics and then 2 moon lights??? are there seperate switches to operate the moon lights seperatley from the others??

 

[oceanparadise1]

What size tank do you have?

 

[ahayes13]

i have a 90 gallon. i have zoos, gorgonia, sponges, sea fans, and would like to have some lps soon.
the problem is when looking at the t5's i dont have a clue about the bulbs... like this...
Giesemann Powerchrome

• AquaBlue +
• Actinic +
• Pure Actinic
• Midday 6k
• Daylight 6.5k(GE)
• 3000k (GE)

UV Lighting:

• Super Actinic 420nm
• Actinic White 12k
• AquaSun 10k
• 75.25 14k 460nm

no clue. lol.

i would like increased color in my zoos and growth.

amanda

 

[oceanparadise1]

I would do this then

One daylight 6.k
midday 6k
Aqua blue+
Pure actinic
10000k
Pure actinic


the 6000 range is great for growth and the others are great for color

 

[oceanparadise1]

actually change the midday 6k to aquasun 10k

 

[ahayes13]

okay are so any of those bulbs for the night time light?

and also is 6 bulbs plenty or should i do the eight fixture?

 

[oceanparadise1]

o one last thing lol make sure the 6k is near the middle

 

[ahayes13]

gosh im glad someone has some understand of the lighting and bulbs.

 

[oceanparadise1]

If you can afford the 8 do it, BUT make sure they have the individual reflectors, and you would keep the blue ones on for an hour before the rest and an hour after

 

[ahayes13]

okay like i said lighting idiot here. when you say blue ones which ones do you mean???

 

[ahayes13]

do you mean the moon lights? if so those i turn on around 8 and then off in the morning when all the regular lights come on.

 

[ahayes13]

or do you mean the aqua blue + on that you listed?

 

[oceanparadise1]

No i ment the actinic ones np i was a light moron till about 3 months ago so dont worry about it! Tell you what tell me what fixture your going to buy and ill explain the rest

 

[oceanparadise1]

Yes the aqua blue and actinics are the blue ones
they simulate deep water colors

 

[ahayes13]

okay well i dont know which fixture really. i have heard about the tek, nova, and some other one. i just dont know which one is any better than another one.
my tank is 90 gallon though and 48"

 

[ahayes13]

i think my lfs has the nova extreme 8 bulb in the store now. so that could be a possibility if that is a good lighting fixture to have?

 

[oceanparadise1]

Make sure it has single light reflectors,if not either make sure you buy some(24.95 each) or buy a unit like the move extreme pro or a unit that does have them. The pro is better bc it basically has SLRs built in, while the regular one does not.