Actinics supplement Halides?

J

jdizzle1000

AC Members
Sep 10, 2005
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Hey,
I have chosen metal halide lights (Aqualight), and it is a 175 watt HQI and the color intensity is 6500K.
How many watts of actinic fluorescents do I need to make my (future) corals look great, keeping in mind that I like a sort of blueish tint...
Also, would I need less actinic wattage if the metal halide was 10000K? How much less

THANK YOU!
 
Tank size is 20 gallons?

Smallest I have heard of with MH lighting. Anyhow, yeah, just add one actinic. I happen to like my 10k bulbs, I find the light is more natural looking and gives off a great spectrum, though we all have our opinions.
 
um... 6500k is pretty yellow, you'd have to work with a few bule tinted florecents to make a blue look in your tank. That should be a nice light for a 20gallon! You'll get alot of growth with that bulb, but it might not be the best if you want a blue look. 14k and 20k bulbs will have a blue tint so you dont need to supplement them.
 
Well, I suppose I am going to get a 10000K bulb. How many watts of actinic would you suggest for that? One tube might be correct, but how many watts (one standard fluorescent has 15 watts, PC has 65 watts, etc.).
Right now I have a 24" Aqualight T-5 with two T-5 actinic bulbs in it, but the bulbs are only 14 watts each. Is 28 watts enough to supplement a 10000K halide?
Thanks
 
Actinics are only there for our viewing pleasure. And since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it's really up to you how much blue you want notwithstanding any issues with coral growth.

That said, different MH bulbs of the same kelvin rating will actually give off different looks. Placement and combinations with VHO/PC/T5 will also affect appearances.

Here's a good place to start to compare MH bulbs:

http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe.com/
 
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