What kind of lighting are you using?

[kwirky]

What kind of lighting are you using? Not what you think is the "best" but what kind is in use at the moment.

Also, comment on why you're using what you are, and if there are any changes you feel need to be done about it (changes back, or a new type).

[christyf5]

I've always used 250W MH. Mostly because when I set up the tank I did some research which indicated that 250W was the way to go if I went metal halides. I wasn't sure what I was going to do but found a smokin deal in the buy and sell in Vancouver. The setup I bought consisted of a DIY hood with H37 ballasts which only run Iwasaki bulbs. As I hadn't had a lot of experience with halides, the "pee yellow" was fine with me :razz: I stuck with those bulbs for 4 years and only had to change them out a couple of times during those 4 years (I think I got worried at about 18 months or so). I supplemented them with 2x40W NO actinics at the time. Eventually I switched out the NO actinics to an Icecap VHO ballast and ran 2x110W with the Iwasakis because I was getting tired of the yellow but not enough to get new ballasts (DIY electrical scares me sometimes).

Last year I switched over to M59 ballasts (I sucked it up on the electrical issue, it was easier than I thought!) as they could run pretty much any bulb I wanted. I immediately bought a set of ushio bulbs which looked the best to me when compared with a few other types of bulbs. So far I've tried the Reeflux 10K bulb (made my tank look pink, it was weird) and XM 10K bulbs (more yellowy than the ushio) and have stuck with the Ushio for now (until I try something else or something else goes on sale :wink:).

Pretty happy with my setup, only thing I would change at this point is to go with 250W HQI ballasts if I managed to find a good deal on them, then I'd probably think about going DE someday.

[mark]

Have 2-250W 14k Hamiltons with 2-40W NO (one Daylight, one actinic).

Been thinking for a while to replace the NO's with 2- T5 actinics but like the light I get from the NO's for dawn/dusk.

[andresont]

How about LED's? many people use these. Also PC +T5 compbo is very common.

[cprowler]

I have 1-400w & 1-250w MH, VHO & T5 so I didn’t know what to vote for. :mrgreen:

I have a 250w 10K XM above the coral wall side and a 400w 10K XM abouve the Anemone, both driven by magnetic ballasts.

I also have 3 x 48" 110w and 1 x 36" 95w VHO Super Actinics run off a Ice cap 660

& 2 x 54w T5 (1-10k & 1-actinic) by Tek



I did it this way because I wanted the best of all worlds, I'm greedy that way.:mrgreen: I had read how people liked the different colors they were getting from their respective methods and I figured I would have them all since I don't know what I'm doing. :biggrin:

If I were to do it again and I may do it anyway is, replace it all with HQI DE pendants with 14k or 20k bulbs, but I havn't looked into it yet. I'm fairly happy with it now so...



I have pics in my tank thread.

[Chaloupa]

in my 150g-2x400w plus T5's and adding in LED moonlights this weekend, bought so I would never have to "upgrade to better lighting"

in my 120g-1x250w plus actinics and moonlights, bought to keep easier corals and not have to worry about lighting

in my 65g hex-1x150w plus PC's and moonlights, bought as an all in one unit as I was a newbie and didn't really know much, this was available and easy to use...but in a deep tank it sucks!

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Currently using a 6' Aqualight Pro 150w version with 13000k Geisemann bulbs which are good for punching through the 29" depth of the 220g reef tank. I am in the process of switching over to a 250w version with 14000k AquaConnect bulbs so I can bring home more of my sps corals that are currently in Chin's & Marie's tanks:redface: :biggrin:

Been very happy with the results produced with the Geisemanns even on this deep tank, because I'm softies/lps heavy.

Hopefully the upgrade won't blow my breakers. Wanting to go 250w DE because I can then add glass tops over the tank without worrying about light loss, which was a real concern with just 150w over 29". Hopefully everything will work out this week & I'll be able to reduce my evaporation rate & room humidity.

On my frag tank, I have a dual 65w PC unit with 9375w GE bulbs that have been very good for colour & growth.

Anthony

[Raven2k]

Power compacts for me right now. one 10,000K 65 watt and one 50/50 65 watt.
Its only a 25 gallon long tank, so its not too deep and MH might run a bit hot.

Im in the process of gathering equipment for a new 90 gallon and thats probably going to be 25 watt MH.

[Sushiman]

How about LED's? many people use these. Also PC +T5 compbo is very common.

I love my Solaris 20K.

[Doug]

Using HO, T-5 bulbs currently. My sps corals seems to be doing fine so far. However my new cube is designed to be lit by a single halide and I figure on a 250w. Thinking about HQI pendant, {cough,cough}, but may just go with the normal 250w PFO ballast from JL and a 250w SA 10K bulb. It had the highest rating behind Iwasaki, in recent tests and I,ve already used their 14K bulbs.

[0sprey]

None of the above... I have the new Solaris LED fixture. Started out with it (no point in wasting money on intermediate fixtures, I knew I'd want to upgrade), but haven't progressed to the more demanding corals yet... that will come with time. The tank is only six months old.

[Der_Iron_Chef]

I use Power Compacts (2x96W+2 LED Moonlights) over my 20" tall 55G tank. All softies and LPS right now, so it seems ok.

What I don't like about it is...well, obviously it limits me as to what I can keep. And the bulbs are hella expensive if you buy them from the LFS. So, instead of spending $100 on a MH bulb every year, I'm spending $160 on PC bulbs.

Obviously, aesthetics play a huge part in why and how we keep our aquariums. Power Compacts aren't, in my opinion, as aesthetically pleasing as either MH or T5 (I've never seen the Solaris in action).

[Les Davis]

I'm using 6 48" HO T5's. Four 10,000K, and two Actinic. I plan on adding a 150 watt Metal Halide (which I have) soon. The lights are all on timers to come on in sequence to simulate sunrise to sunset.

[bv_reefer]

-i'm using 2x70-watt metal halides, 20 k's so already quite blue without any actinics, but want to upgrade to one 250-watt hqi in the next year, but with my current lighting i can have softies,lps, and sps, clams and anemones so i'm quite impressed with their penetration..

[Gordon H]

I am using PFO Solaris H4 LED. It does not appear to be on your list of available lights.