New Tank Pic

[Samw]

Dec 2004

Lighting: 250W AB 10K Mogul + 55W GE 9325K


http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/508/77img_7035_std.jpg

Dec 2003

Lighting: 250W AB 10K DE + 96W Actinic + 95W 50/50


http://www.canreef.com/photopost/data/508/77152-5293_img_std.jpg

[IslandReefer]

Looks way better with the DE. Is that also your rBTA bubbling? not present in the first shot?

[Samw]

That's actually normal for my RBTA even when it was under the DE. They tend to bubble up at night but during the day, they reach for the light.

Here is a pic with DE MH only. MH-only produces very washed out pictures. Actinics add too much blue.


http://www.hyperdream.com/~samw/reef/FullTank/200403/img_5832_std.jpg

Here's what I like better about the first pic. The first pic seems to have better contrast. This is easy to see on the Frogspawn (you can see the brown) and Yellow Leather in the first pic. The green Zoos are green. The blue stays blue (Tang and clams stay blue). The red stays red. The coraline on the rocks and glass show up so much better too. The water is clearer instead of blue or white.

In the MH w/ actinic pic, the red gorgonian looks blue. In the new pic, the red gorg is behind the rocks so its not visible. But if it was in the front, you'd see a red gorg that is RED.

[StirCrazy]

Looks way better with the DE.

its got nothing to do with the DE or SE look at the actinic lighting he has in the second photo and not in the first.

Looks good Sam

Steve

[AJ_77]

Kind of getting back to your roots with that look, Sam... and is it me, or is your center "stripe" less obvious now?

Almost sounds like you made the change so your pics would turn out better. :mrgreen:

[Samw]

Hi AJ.

Yeah, Actinics didn't contribute anything for me in terms of coral coloration nor photosynthesis (IE. Turning on the Actinics did not contribute much of an increase in Dissolved Oxygen in my tank). Some people like it to make their corals glow. But the 95W light was too much for me and wasn't worth the electricity to run it. :lol:

I truly think my reef animals will prefer the new lighting setup (I had relatively good success with those GE's-Only in the early beginnings) in addition to it being more pleasing to my eyes. I think maybe a couple of 9W or maybe 28W Actinics mounted perpendicularly on the left and right sides of the tank could add some blue back without making it too blue.

Yes, I'm glad you noticed that the center brace shadow was lessened. That was another reason for switching to the mogul bulb. However, I am still considering replacing the black brace with an acrylic one. But that'll have to wait til I finish my refugium.