Lights LED's or MH now WHAT THE HECK
 

Hey all Happy New year.

Ok Im currently looking for some input to light the new 96'er was thinking of 175-250-250-175
Or go 250-250-250-250
Or 250-400-400-250

What would you all recommend
I will use all the same brand bulbs and K rating too/

I know with some bulbs (Radiums) that the 400 and the 250 are completely different color. I would use 4 identical bulbs across the entire span.

So like the 250's completely across that is what Doug's has told me too. now just need to find someone to trade me 250's for my 400's and now i need another pair

I always go heavy on lighting, so minimum for me would be 250w, but it depends on what you like, and what you want to keep.

My 150 and 250 radiums were close but looked a bit different. Brightness might even influence what our eyes see the colour as I have no clue. I'd go with all 250s myself.

What happened to LED you crazy guy?

Next week you'll be asking about ideal diets for lighting your tank with ignited flatulence !

oops 250's sorry typo

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Brett you big turkey AH Shucks :drinking:

I never said run 150,s all the way. I said the same as Brad, which ever you choose, use the same for all 4. IMO, four 400,s is over kill, unless the tank was 30in. deep or something and/or you run a high "K" bulb.

My vote is still for running 4- 250w fixtures. I would also guess your pair of 400,s would also been enough for some situations, depending on how much coral, for the 8ft. or if the length increase is more for the fish. I wonder if one did the ends of the tank with little or no rock so the corals are lower and the light can reach them and only have corals that can handle lower intensity out there.

The running the pair of 400,s may work. I dont know. It covers 5ft. no problem now, correct. If you go to three 400,s to get more coverage, then its 1200w so thus I would then go to the four 250 bulbs @ 1000w.

Even four 175w Iwasaki bulbs is 700w plus some good actinics to give it some colour, so I would just stick with the 250w. Once a year get a good boxing day sale on 4 bulbs. :D Again, I would only go with a 4 bulb coverage if that 8ft. tank is going to be end to end corals. Which it likely is. :lol:

I think I told you that about 4 months ago :mrgreen:

Steve

Oh you just nevermind Stevo :biggrin:

WAY TO GO BRETT lol, Well i have been looking around for the led's and they are quite nice. DO I or Dont I.
G2 MAX

MAXSPECT G2-230 LED Aquarium Lighting Dimensions: 32" x 7.25" x 2.5"

Includes:

• 4 30w 16000k 30w LED's
• 15 3W 12000k LED's
• 15 3w Royal Blue LED's (445-460nm)
• 8 3w Violet(403nm)
• 4 .1w Moonlight LED's

• 4 Channel Lighting Timer

• Lamp-Temp indicator

• Over-Temp Protection

• Hanging Kit

• Tank Mount Kit
• I would need 2 of these I believe they are around the $950 mark.

Vertex
TO MUCH $$$FOR ME :sad:

Ecoxotic Panorama 23.5" LED System w/Stand Mount Accessory Pack

Ecoxotic Panorama LED Fixture
Say hello to LED lighting technology and say goodbye to the headaches of supporting your tank. Imagine lighting so bright it supports your reef tank, but without the heat.

It’s a simple idea: get rid of the heat and get rid of the cooling fans and other unsightly components sitting around your tank. All that’s left is a sleek fixture, floating beautifully above your tank.

Tank Stand Mount and all hardware included.
Create a custom fit for virtually any tank. The Panorama is available in two sizes, 17.5" and 23.5", and is designed to install individually or in multiples for total flexibility while maintaining the super sleek appearance. Use the pull down menu below to find the fixture set up that’s right for you. All aluminum construction- recyclable and will not damage in shipping
Specs

• Cooling Fans 0
• dB Noise Level 0
• Heat transfer to aquarium 0
• Patents pending

Included

• Panorama Fixture
• Stand Mount including hardware
• UL GFCI grounded cord
• 453nm Stunner LED Strip Light
• 24V Stunner Transformer and 3-way splitter
• EcoCham cleaning cloth
• ON SALE FOR 599.00 so I would need 4 of these.

Mike you were thinkin' DIY LED earlier. So you've got your eye on something entirely new yet again man =)

I was joking about the flatulence thing but hey...you could pave the way!

lol lighting has always been a pain in the butt

I say go for 4x250w halides.

I think the LEDs are just too new to the market yet, and I personally would not drop the big bucks on them until they have been proven over a decent amount of time (5+ years?). Look at the PFO Solaris all they did was burn everyone's pocketbook, call me a bit leary after that one! The technology has been there for awhile, but time have given us better design. I still think they have a way to go. Besides, I think the price will drop significantly in the next 3 years.

I wouldn't DIY the LEDs either. That's not a backyard Joe DIY project, you need to know what you're doing with the soldering iron or you're just making yourself a big mess.

I totally agree with Myka on the LED thing. It's all good to have novelties like lightning storms and cloud effects but in the end you are looking for useful light. Metal halides will give you the light you need at a fraction of the cost of LED. Lighting technology is changing so quickly that the poor guy paying thousands of dollars for the latest Vertex fixture is going to be left with something they are going to have to practically give away to get rid of when they want to upgrade because every new generation of fixture is going to offer more for less. Yes they are more energy efficient but look how much extra you have to pay up front, that's a heck of a lot of electric bills to make up the difference. LED is can be justified on a nano tank where the cost is not as insane and the benefit of less heat makes a huge difference, but on your tank heat certainly won't be an issue. Spare yourself the headache buddy, don't spend $4K to $5K on something that you'll be lucky to get a thousand bucks for a year from now.

true just getting opinions here and trying to find another set of 250 ballasts to buy and reflectors

Psssst.. LEDs are the way :mrgreen:


Steve

You've probably taken a look already, but check out
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/jb/index.php

They tested almost every MH combo with 250W bulbs and took pics even. Shows par ratings, etc. good for seeing what you're getting into before buying $400 worth of bulbs