Proper Lighting

[cdhollan]

I have a thirty gallon tank that has been established for several years, predominately of lps and softies. Slowly I am converting to SPS and I was wondering what would be the best MH bulb to help give me the vibrant colors. Right now i have a 250 MH with a no-name bulb and i think it is 10K. Also have actinics. Any help or comments on how to keep the colors on SPS whether it be lighting, or water chemistry would be apperciated. Thanks.

PS the SPS frags I have have okay color just nothing spectacular.

[FitoPharmer]

well, this is what i think of the lighting situation your in. A single 250W 10k will grow the stuff the fastest, but look pretty dull (normal daylight), and going higher up the K scale it will look better (13k-good 15k-better 20K-best) IMO, most corals look better with the blues and greens really popping, but again its kinda personal preference. However the higher in the K scale you go, the slower the corals will grow. so i think your best option would be a 250W-HQI 10k with two 24w T5 actinic if you can afford it, i think afterward you will be happy with the little bit extra spent on the actinics.

[mseepman]

I agree with FitoPharmer above that when you increase the K on your bulbs, the corals will look better visually, but will grow slower. You mention that you have actinics...in what form? Do you have PC's or T5's or T5HO's...the difference between these can make a lot of impact on how your corals will grow and how they will color.

I'm only a beginner in the SPS side of things, but I think if you are looking for colors to improve, you might want to look at some other things than just light...maybe what they feed on, how good your water is, your flow, etc.

[FitoPharmer]

really happy sps like: 25-45x water turnover, high light, stable water parameters low on everything accept a little bit of nitrate( up to 10ppm otherwise), RO/DI water, routine water changes, good filter system, lots of small food and live phyto, and supplements i find really help colors (lots on the market).

[cdhollan]

Thanks for your help, and yeah I was thinking of switching to like a 14k bulb or 15k bulb, is there one you would reccommend? And if I do this should I also switch the actinics, right now they are in the form of PCs. My flow is really high, parameters are stable, only thing is I dont have any form of filtration besides the live rock. I have never had the need to get a skimmer or anything. Is this part of the problem?

[FitoPharmer]

how often do you test your important perameters: salinity, ph, alk, calc? and what are they? if you have a sump, adding filter socks to the sump, a protein skimmer, or going macro algae will all help out. also how often and how much water do you change? as for the best bulb, try and get the brand that matches your ballast if you can. if not you can look for bulb recommendations for your ballast. its really hard to say. the same bulb will burn different depending on your ballast. sometime you just have to try if you cant find any recommendations and you have a non standard type ballast. they will always be around the color temperature they are supposed to, if your not sure go a little high to be safe i.e. 15k instead of 14k. and yes, if you can t5 actinics will look better then pc's but is not needed.

[cdhollan]

I am not sure what type of ballast I have or even how I would find out what type I have. It was just a no- name metal halide fixture. I do not have a sump either on my tank so it really limits me to the type of filtration I can have. I do water changes weekly and will have to retest my parameters because I am not sure off hand. I know my nitrates and nitrates and ammonia are all 0. Do you know a brand name bulb that makes a 15k halide?

[mseepman]

Pheonix makes a 14k bulb that is very popular. If you do switch, your supplimental lighting will become more important...PC's don't put out as much light as T5HO and cost more to replace bulbs. Color choices are also a little less varied in PC. If you plan to keep them and move to a higher k MH, then just make sure you regularly replace the PC's.

[cdhollan]

what type of bulb or color should i get with the T5HO, just looking at some websites and there is so many to choice from. I would like a bluer looking one.

[wickedfrags]

If you want vibrant colour, I would recommend a 20K bulb. I have used XM and Radium with good results. A 250W halide on a 30G would provide ample light.

Also remember many people feel water quality is number one when in comes to SPS colour, closely followed by lighting and then water movement. Stability is very important, and ofter times difficult to acheive in such a small system. I would try and do your best to avoid temperature fluctuation as well, perhaps see if you can get a used temperature controller for your heater(s).

[cdhollan]

Alright thanks for your help, so is the XM or radium T5HO bulbs? or are those MH bulbs?

[FitoPharmer]

it all depends on what you want again... a 20k will look niceest. a 10k will make everything grow fastest. 14-15k is a nice balance. phoenix, Xm, radium are all good brands for metal hallide. and the bulbs are sold pre-rating. sometimes you just have to try one and see how it looks. for your T5HO get actinic which is above 20K, it dosent have a number just a name.

[cdhollan]

Alright thanks for everyones help