Help: New lighting fixture (Update: another option)

There isn't anything in there right now besides a CUC. My nitrates are at about 15 ppm. I'm not adding anything until they lower further. I set up my tank last year and cycled it, but only recently turned the lights back on (3 months ago).

 

oo lol just curiose post pics when you get the light in good luck

 

Thanks, will do. It might be 3-4 weeks.

 

I also want to ask this:

What light bulbs should I use for proper coral growth? I've read that a balance is preferred. The 4-bulb unit comes with 2 actinics (24 watts each) and 2 12,000 K bulbs (24 watts each).

I have a brand new 10,000 K (14 watt) and actinic (14 watt) in my current fixture. Is 6,700 K a desired temperature (and subsequent spectrum) for coral growth?

How would a 12,000 K, 10,000 K, 6,700 K and actinic combination work?

 

It really depends on what you find appealing. 12K,10K, 6700K and an actinic would basically look YELLOW! The high the kelvin rating the bluer the bulb looks. The lower the kelvin the more yellow the bulb looks but the better growth you will get from your coral. Depending on the coral you want to keep just a single 10K for an actual grower bulb will be enough. for the most part most reef keepers go for the bluey/purple look. Blue bring out greens and blues more and a more purple bulb brings out the reds, pinks etc. So a fixture that has a mixture of both is most desireable for the colors in the corals. In my fixture I have this bulb combination:
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Purple Plus
Blue LED strip
Blue LED strip
10,000K
Actinic
And here is a pic of how the spectrum looks to the eye. But a picture never does it juctice. It looks much better than in the pic and the corals pop more than that.

You want to have at least an equal amount of actinic to the amount of full spectrum bulbs you have. So, if you have two 10K then you want to have at least 2 actinic to balance out the color. 6700K bulbs are very yellow but you get great growth! 10000K is mostly white to the eye and you get good growth. 12000K is white with a tiny hint of blue and you get ok growth and as the K rating goes up the bluer it looks with less growing power. The highest K rating suggested is usually a 20K bulb but are usually used with HIGH wattage metal Halides. With a 4 bulb T5 fixture I would use a 10K as your full spectrum bulb because that still has a really good growing rate but isn't YELLOW! Then you can suppliment the 10K with actinics or other colored bulbs of your choice. I have a single 10K with my blue plus, purple plus, actinic and blue leds and I have high light required Acros that seem to be doing well! I have just got the fixture though, so I am still watching the Acros for improvment in color and growth. But so far so good. there are also bulbs out there that are a combination. Like the ATI Aqublue Special is a combonation of a full spectrum bulb and an actinic and it alone looks good AND can grow coral. So, if you need something like two 10K to keep, just say, an anemone alive... some ppl will replace the second 10K with an aquablue special instead so the tank looks more blue. It doesn't give off quite as much PAR as a 10K but it still has the ability to grow coral as good as just say a 12K bulb but look more like a 15K bulb to the eye. There are a bunch of combos you can do and a bunch of different bulbs out there to choose from! Sometimes it can be difficult to get the combo you like lol.

 

Personally, I just want what ever would promote the best growth (of anything ranging from of soft to hard and to anemones). The color is of least importance to me.

I realize that it's not easy to accomplish as corals live at different depths and have different lighting needs because of this (For instance, gregorians and plate corals require very little light, relatively). But I feel that if I cover as much of the photosynthetic range of electromagnetic spectrum as possible, the more suitable my tank will be to a range of corals.

 

Yes, intensity is important to keep in mind BUT you can always acclimate almost any coral to any intensity to an extent. Take star polyps for example. They require low-moderate lighting. I have them under my INTENSE lighting with no problems because acclimation is very important. Also... color (spectrum) of light is actually very important! MOST coral need a blue type of spectrum of some kind to grow properly. They are not like macro algea or freshwater plants that can grow directly under yellow lighting. Most corals NEED that blue/purple spectrum to even survive let alone grow. So having a 6700K, 10000K and 12000K with an actinic will be waaay too yellow and most LPS and SPS will most likely die. Soft corals may be fine under that light. Also having all of those full spectrum bulbs and only one actinic will be VERY intense and probably too bright and will cause your corals to bleach. If you don't care about look but want the best growth I suggest two 10K and two actinic then. This gives you a high PAR to grown anything you want but also gives you a blueish spectrum for all types of coral. Anymore than 2 full spectrum bulbs risks too many problems.

 

Thanks. Right now I have 1 actinic and 1 10,000 K in my 2-bulb unit. What makes the 4-bulb unit better with the same 50-50 combination and more capable of housing SPS and anemones?

The 4-bulb comes with 2 12,000 K and 2 actinic bulbs, what are your thoughts on that?

 

I run no actinic personally, never have. I have a 4 lamp unit. All ATI 1 aquablue special 12k-1 coral plus and 2x blue plus. Anything can be kept under this combo. As you can see, awesome colors!!

 

nice!!!