I viewed your article, I could use your assistance on my lighting problem

[OldManOfTheSea]

Reefscape , your article is great, so being your within the knowledge for lighting for reef tanks, you might be able to solve my problem in drawing up a full lighting specs for my 240 gal (8'x2'x2') SPS tank. Im planning on a 4" to 4.5" DSB. Im looking towards 4x250 watt DE MH with I think eight T5 bulbs. Im not as yet lucky to draw up this plan with the help of others as yet. And I wish to be settled on what my lighting will or should be, before I order the new stand and canopy.


Also, I would need links down to the sockets, as well I like to have the best quality in equipment for the ballasts and icecaps, etc. I also learn that by having DE MH bulbs, I would require protective glass shielding for the reflectors, and please, I wish for the best in this lighting equipment. Im asking for the links to each equipment because im still new and learning about lighting for a SPS tank. Could/Can you assist me in this? Also, I will have a 125 gal tank for my new sump as well.

Buddy

 

[Reefscape]

Buddy...

You lighting plans sound like a great setup, in my opinion...With regards too lighting, unfortunatly, as i'm in the UK, my prefered lighting links wont be of any use too you as what we have available here, is not the same as you in the US..

Some DE bulbs do require the shielding..I found this out the hard way a long while ago when i broke the glass on a 250w halide unit, and went through quite a few pieces of glass before i realised it was special shielded glass....ultimatly, i felt like i had shares in a local glass company...lol...Some Bulbs do come with this shield built into them now, however, i do know that some still dont. The glass used on a MH unit is borosilicate..this is what i never realised..

 

[Miss my puffer]

Buddy,
I am not an expert in lighting, but I can at least share where I look at when I am looking for lighting products (you probably already know many of them, but I will post them anyways).

http://www.marinedepot.com/lighting__index-ap.html They have lots of different lighting items and some good articles (like http://www.marinedepot.com/lighting_metal_halide_bulbs_information-ap.html ).

http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/index.php?cPath=71_7_10&page=2 These lights are not the top of the line, but I have a 6x80 on my 150gal and my friend has a 6 bulb on his 90gal and both of tanks are doing really well (we both have a mixture of corals, from softies to acans, to plates and beyond and the are all growing well). The bulbs are lacking if you know what I mean.

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/ they have good pricing on their bulbs and alot of the people on the reef central forum swear by them (I haven't ordered from them yet, but I will when I get ready to replace bulbs). I don't know how their lighting systems compare to other companys for price, but they do sell some of the upper end light systems (ATI, Icecap, and Sunlight Supply).

http://www.petsolutions.com/Hydor-Koralia-Magnum-Pumps+I41400542+C42.aspx Their light selection is bad, but I found this deal on Koralia Magnums and didn't know if you had your powerheads all set yet. A Magnum 8 on sale for $100 sounds like a good deal to me (might not be, but I just thought I would throw it in).

Hope this helps get you started, I'm sure people with more lighting knowledge than me will chime in.

P.S. I liked your article as well Reefscape, nicely done.

 

[Amphiprion]

Reefscape , your article is great, so being your within the knowledge for lighting for reef tanks, you might be able to solve my problem in drawing up a full lighting specs for my 240 gal (8'x2'x2') SPS tank. Im planning on a 4" to 4.5" DSB. Im looking towards 4x250 watt DE MH with I think eight T5 bulbs. Im not as yet lucky to draw up this plan with the help of others as yet. And I wish to be settled on what my lighting will or should be, before I order the new stand and canopy.


Also, I would need links down to the sockets, as well I like to have the best quality in equipment for the ballasts and icecaps, etc. I also learn that by having DE MH bulbs, I would require protective glass shielding for the reflectors, and please, I wish for the best in this lighting equipment. Im asking for the links to each equipment because im still new and learning about lighting for a SPS tank. Could/Can you assist me in this? Also, I will have a 125 gal tank for my new sump as well.

Buddy

I may be able to help. As far as bulb choice is concerned, this should boil down to two basic premises--color temperature and intensity. My recommendation for the former is to take a look at many people's tanks and see which color spectrum you prefer. Do you like bluer or whiter lamps? Also, keep in mind that whiter lamps will usually (though there are plenty of notable exceptions) more intense.

As far as intensity goes, I would look at this site: http://www.manhattanreefs.com/lighting

This will allow you to use lamp and ballast combinations that you chose for color and also compare them for intensity. You'll be looking for the PPFD value, which is photosynthetic photon flux density.

Edit: One last thing that can make a huge difference that I failed to mention was a reflector. A good quality reflector for metal halide, much like a T5, can make or break a lighting setup. Depending upon the amount of room you have in your canopy, I would suggest Lumenarc, Lumenbright, or Lumenmax reflectors. Give those a quick look and see if the dimensions are manageable. Keep in mind that these reflectors will allow you to light a 3x3 foot area, possibly cutting down on the number of lamps and fixtures you would have previously needed and making it a bit cheaper. These reflectors aren't a requirement, but I think you'd be getting more bang for your buck with them, by far.

 

[OldManOfTheSea]

Im sorry Reefscape, that you couldn't be of any help here, and Miss puffer and Amphiprion, speaking terms when trying to tell me of any certain type of lighting here for the ideal SPS reef system, you need to take into account that this is the very first in all my years doing a SPS, the very first time that im looking to have something as MH and T5 lighting. So the bottom line here is, im no idea of the equipment or what to look for.
　
Other then the fact be is I know I require some excellent lighting setup here, and I been well aware for many years that the MH works well if you go by the ruling of 2'x2'. But still im not idea what to pick out myself. This lighting setup is to have a dawn and dusk lighting period,as well all what is in between those periods.
　
the other thing being im asking for links to the equipment in question to use, so that I would know what im looking at. It shouldn't be so hard to understand that, but I found for the most part, many will not understand it.
　
There are two lighting specs I collected through the forums, one is this one, which to what im told, it not offers me enough blue at dawn and dusk.


After I post this, i will read over better your comments, Thanks
　
The specs are as follows:

4x250w MH.
Two Reefoptic 3 on Icecaps with 14K Phoenix.
Two Aquamedic pendants with 14k Phoenix.
8x54w T5 on Icecaps
4 total Blueplus
2 Aquable specials
2 6500
It went 2 Bluepluses in the front
Then the MHs
1x blue plus
1x6500
1x blue plus
1xAquablue

It drew about 1200 watts at the MH ballasts
And 800 or so watts for the T5s
So around 2000 watts total for 1600 watts of light.


　
Now I believe to prefer DE bulbs, rather then SE, as well there be not enough blue>
　
Now this other specs, i gotten from a TOTM at RC, and im no idea if its anything better or enough blue as well, those specs are as follows:


Lighting - All main tank lighting is contained within the DIY aluminum light box that measures 8" tall X 15" deep X 8' long. Four Hamilton 250-watt Double Ended 14k Kelvin metal halide bulbs in four PFO mini-pendant fixtures and driven by four IceCap 250 electronic ballasts. Eight 46.5" super-actinic URI VHO bulbs on two circuits drive by two IceCap 660 electronic ballasts, one controlled by a Niche Engineering 500 Dimmer to simulate dawn/dusk. Three 25-watt incandescent blue "party" lights as moonlights. One each 150-watt Iwasaki 6500 Kelvin metal halide bulb on both the sump/refugium and grow-out tank, both driven by IceCap 150 electronic ballasts.
　
　
Both those specs are on the same size tank as my own, or I could be suggested something other then what you see here. Note this, the tank is 8'x2'x2' and I will have a 4" to 4.5" DSB. I will have a 125 gal tank for my sump, it was just agreed by James my aquarium guy.

Buddy

 

[Amphiprion]

It really depends on who you ask and what their perception of color is. I have used a similar T5 combo and I can tell you that that is a lot of blue--at least for me. Ace's tank features the phoenix lamps and again, to me, the photos are quite blue. The ones I've seen in person are less blue, but still a lot of blue. The ballasts can also make a difference. My tank only has 2 Blue + lamps and it still seems really blue to me, heh. Again, it all depends upon who you ask. In any case, the first setup specs seem more up your alley to me, as you can very easily customize the types of T5 lamps in that mix to make the dawn/dusk cycle as blue as you want. You can easily do this by simply substituting more Blue + or even an actinic or two.