candy canes

[tgoeujon]

i recently changed from T-5 lighting to PC and it might be coincidence but my candy canes are losing there color. they are still eating well and are fat but have gone from pink to bright white. would it be the lights? any thoughts how to fix things

[Myka]

They are losing their color because you went to a lesser light. Can you give more information about the wattage of the T5s you were using, and how many vs the PCs you're now using?

[bv_reefer]

couldn't it just be a color morph from a change of K in the pc's from the t5's, if the pc's are more white than wouldn't you get less green fluorescence from green corals?

[Myka]

Ya, but he said they are losing color. So I assume he means that the color loss is progressing. My guess is that the PCs aren't strong enough for the Candy Canes to thrive.

[tgoeujon]

im going to try adding a T5 set up to my PC and see if that helps. hopefully ill have something good to report soon

[bv_reefer]

what wattage were the t5's? consider a couple other things, did you change anything other than lighting? flow, tank placement, ?

[Myka]

Why did you change from T5 to PC anyway? That's like going from a BMW to a Toyota.

[tgoeujon]

the T5s were only lasting me 3 months at a time and i kept having to replace the whole unit, so one of the lfs in kamloops suggested the PCs. i wanted halides but couldnt find anything to fit my tank ( only 12 in. by 4 ft). im starting to think the store was just trying to make a quick sale though

[Myka]

Is that a 55g you have? What T5 unit did you have? I've had my cheap Hagen Glo unit for a year and a half now, and it's going strong. I replace bulbs every 8 months like you're supposed to; due to normal changes in color spectrum.

[tgoeujon]

they were coralife and if i just had to replace bulbs that would have been great but replacing everything all the time was getting frustrating. especially since its just about 2 hours drive to anywhere that has anything to do with saltwater tanks

[Myka]

Coralife is a POS if you ask me. Try the Hagen ones. They aren't snazzy or anything, but they're better than the Coralife's. The Coralife's are also NO (normal output), the Hagens are HO (high output). You'll get 2x 54w T5s with the Hagen. If you really want a good light that will give halides a decent run for the money, go for a Tek T5 fixture, and stuff 4 bulbs over your tank. :D

[bv_reefer]

ya thats not right at all, at 8-10 months it's normal to get a shift in color spectrum, but 3 months no way, 3 months is a relatively new bulb.

[tgoeujon]

thanks for all the advice. any idea where i could find a tek t5 set up and any rough idea on cost

[bv_reefer]

ocean aquatics carrys them i'm pretty sure, call wendell and check to see whats in stock, i'm guessing you got the long narrow 48'' 55 gallon right?

http://oceanaquatics.com/store/product/237/Tek-T-5-48%22-4-Bulb-Fixture/
did you ever consider metal halide though, they can be made to look great if you're into some dyi, they can be made into some very decent fixtures.

[tgoeujon]

lol good guess. worst investment so far. cant really change tanks till after house renos are done though. waiting impatiently to start a 210 gallon

[spreerider]

if multiple units have failed in the same way i would suspect something is wrong with your setup, is water splashing on your fixture?
Is your supply power ok, if the voltage is low it can cause ballasts to burn out prematurly.

[Myka]

Here's Tek lights at J&L. Their shipping is really cheap.

http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/category-info.php?category_ID=171

[bv_reefer]

ya the tek lights look wicked, i know alot of people on this board use these and other t5's with great results in sps, good luck with the tank