Supplement Advice for 250w HQI Light

[david1980]

Hi Guys

I'm going to revamp my aquarium and get rid of the LED and replace it with HQI.

Aquarium:
LxWxH 27x27x23 inches

Planning to replace existing contents with:
Anemone(s) at the bottom
Softies at the bottom (maybe)
SPS in the middle / the top

Lighting:
Giesemann Spectra 250W with 4x T5 bulbs, standard ballast (i.e. the one that it came with)

The look I'm aiming for: not too blue, prefer brighter and crisp colors, although fluorescence is nice.

HQI SE I'm planning to get: CoralVue Reeflux 10k bulb on the above mentioned ballast

NOTE: I'm from Switzerland so I can basically only get CoralVue, BLV, AquaConnect and Giesemann HQI SE bulbs

My question is now, which ATI T5s should I get to supplement the HQI? Again, not going for ultra blue, more crisp

What do you guys think in general of the setup?

Looking forward to your expert advice! :)

Cheers
David

 

[jda]

That 10K is not too yellow, but you will need a bit of blue to balance it out. I might suggest a pair of 03 of some sort and a pair of BP.

Can you not order 20K Radium from Amazon, or something? You could just run that without any T5s on a tank that size. It can last two years too. They are made in Germany.

 

[david1980]

Thanks, what are o3? I've read that the 20Ks arent that good with par. If I can get awesome growth on the SPSs I plan on keeping, that would be great too... :)

 

[jda]

Actinic 03... sorry. 20K Radiums are not as much PAR as a 10k, but they are quite impressive on HQI ballasts. They are not as blue as most 20K bulbs, IMO... more in the 14-15K range. 20K Radiums are a gold-standard acropora light... along with a few others.

 

[aabjones888]

I'd get 4 blue+ to supplement, I run 2 250w Phoenix 14k halides with 4 blue +'s and I believe it's perfect. It's always hard to judge because what u like someone else might not. But with all the lights on it's right at a 14k look to me.

 

[david1980]

Ok, thanks guys for your input. 250w + the 4 t5s should be enough for decent par to the bottom of my tank?

 

[david1980]

oh yeah and from the available choices in the opening thread, is the CoralVue Reeflux the best choice?

 

[aabjones888]

I'd use a geisemann bulb and yes thats way more than enough to grow anything. It's the 2' light?

 

[david1980]

I'd use a geisemann bulb and yes thats way more than enough to grow anything. It's the 2' light?

Why the Giesemann bulb? Yes, it's the 2' light.

 

[jda]

IMO, the 250 alone is enough. I would only use the T5s to adjust the color of the MH bulb. I let the T5s in my fixtures stay dark since I like the Radiums and Phoenix bulbs all by themselves.

That is an awesome fixture.

 

[david1980]

IMO, the 250 alone is enough. I would only use the T5s to adjust the color of the MH bulb. I let the T5s in my fixtures stay dark since I like the Radiums and Phoenix bulbs all by themselves.

That is an awesome fixture.

Thanks, yeah I know it's an awesome fixture, hence the reason I will be using it... :) So I could get a Reeflux 10k and supplement with some ATI Blue+ or Actinics to add a little more blue to the 10k. Thoughts? :)

 

[jda]

You might really love that. If I was not running so many MH, I would be using 10K and supplementing with T5s or VHO to blue-up just a bit, but I am looking at 14-16 more bulbs, so the electricity and replacement cost can become a problem. On a smaller tank, this is not that much power and will be awesome.

 

[david1980]

You might really love that. If I was not running so many MH, I would be using 10K and supplementing with T5s or VHO to blue-up just a bit, but I am looking at 14-16 more bulbs, so the electricity and replacement cost can become a problem. On a smaller tank, this is not that much power and will be awesome.

Cool thanks, hope the heat or spill-over wont be an issue. But I guess I'll see...

 

[A. grandis]

10 - 14K halides with Blue Plus T5 bulbs.
But the taste is yours.

Grandis.