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#12
02-10-2012, 03:45 AM
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yeah if you like the look I'm all for it, I love the blue. sorry to mess up your thread there are some people on here that choose to be rude. its unfortunate cause Im new too and dont know a heck of a lot, but only what I am told, and its pretty discouraging to have people bash you for it. but hey the world needs people like that I suppose.
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I'm not 'fallow' you must be talking about my tank! 
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#14
02-10-2012, 06:10 AM
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What you 'need' depends on what you 'want'. I like the saturation of colors u get from the actinics. I run dual Phoenix 14k 250w hqi on my frag tanks + actinics, dual 250w 14k Hamilton moguls + actinics on my show tank, geissemen 10k 150w mogul + x4 T5 actinic (454) and daylight mix on my grow tank and XM 15k 175w (no actinics) on my qt tank. If u look up the color spectrum on the bulb u have/want to buy, you can see where the peaks are (i.e. 454nm vs 420nm) and compare that to actinics to see of they will fill a gap in your bulb's color spectrum. The bulb you have has a good balance between color and growth, which is why it is such a popular bulb. Generally 20k bulbs are heavy on color and lighter on growth while 10k are opposite, with a balance in the middle in 14k or 15k bulbs. I add the actinics and run them +1hr on either side of my halides 'cause it looks cool', that is, after all, why I have my tanks
 essentially, everyones comments are opinions, you just need to find out what you like. Take a look at a few tanks in shops to see the difference and determine if that is where you want to spend your hard earned cash. Good luck,Dan
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Link to my Tank Upgrade Thread Dan Leus, Marine Biologist 20+ Years Marine Aquarium Experience Save the Reef, Buy a Frag!
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#15
02-10-2012, 06:23 AM
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There is a thorough article here:
http://www.americanaquariumproducts...._Lighting.html that goes into detail on the various aspects of light. It claims, and I agree, that PAR runs from 400nm to 700nm, and of particular importance is the 400-550 range, and in the actinic range, the highest PAR is found in the 465-485nm range. Dan
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Link to my Tank Upgrade Thread Dan Leus, Marine Biologist 20+ Years Marine Aquarium Experience Save the Reef, Buy a Frag!
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#16
02-10-2012, 07:42 AM
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When I ran Phoenix 14000k over my reef tanks, never turned on the Actinics except when the MH were off.
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If you see it, can take care of it, better get it or put it on hold. Otherwise, it'll be gone & you'll regret it!
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#17
02-10-2012, 01:44 PM
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The spectrum of Actincs ARE in the photosynthetic range of your corals, and broaden the spectrum of the "Peak" that Metal Halides put out. The issue is that most people use low watt Actinics, that won't show a noticable help with your coral growing. But as for flat out "They don't help" That is wrong, they do, just not as much as the MH. I turn mine on as a dawn/dusk for my tank for an hour before/after the halides, all my coral wakes up, and has incredible polyp extension during these times. When i was turning them on at the same time as my halides i would not get this coral feeding time.
refer to : http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2009/3/review 
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