Which is weaker?

8x54w TEK is the fixture so 8 bulbs and how blue well I am a new reefer so not sure how to gauge how much blue is but i would say...hold on let me get a picture of blue.
Something like this



or maybe more like this



In the middle of those two if you can if not the 2nd one would be best probably.


*EDIT*
Does the 8x54w TEK fixture have any moon lights?

 

Nope, the Tek is devoid of moon lights. You have to outfit your tank on your own. I am in the process of doing that myself. Trying to figure out what is best.....I do like the moonlights. Don't make that a deal breaker on your fixture choice. Easily done separately for pretty cheap. Here is a link to my build thread on a post I did doing a light comparison with different numbers of bulbs as well as different kelvin ratings.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-off-your-fish-tanks/pharmrjohns-90g-thread-52614-47.html#post618142

 

Its not a deal break I just wish it came with some moonlights what do you think the best way going about adding moonlights is? Okay I like how your tank looks in this picture.


Is this very accurate in person?

You have it under this set up
4x UVL Superactinics (two new, two six months old)
2x UVL Actinic White (12000K---new bulbs)
2x UVL 75/25 (14000K---new bulbs)

Would you change any of those bulbs? Cause I think if that is how it looks in person I want mine to have that kind of a tint not the extreme blue that you see a lot but still blue.
If I do get that setup would it be in the fixture like this...?

FRONT
UVL Superactinics
UVL Superactinics
UVL Actinc White
UVL 75/25
UVL Actinc White
UVL 75/25
UVL Superactinics
UVL Superactinics

Thinks for your input hopefully you get back to me before I have to go to work so I can order everything in the morning and get it shipped today. ;D I am getting excited!

P.S. The Micky mouse on top of the light is a very very nice touch!

 

I just turned everything back on and took a good look at it. In real life, it looks a little whiter. My camera is seeing more blue than there is in this pic. To get the blue you want, I have a feeling you would need to outfit with 75/25 x4. But here is the kicker.....corals grow better with the whiter light. I, like you, prefer the blue look. I love it. But I am resigning myself to the fact that if I want a tank that will maximize coral health (both growth and feeding) I am looking at something on the whiter side.

Hold off for a bit. I will take a pic. Upload the unedited photo. And compare. I also want to see my tank in the daylight hours and compare to the pic. With total darkness surrounding, the absorption spectrum is a tad different I suspect. So let's hold off till tomorrow. We have plenty of time. Let's try to do this right the first time. What I have in there right now in order are:

Back
Actinic White
75/25
Superactinic
Superactinic
Superactinic
Superactinic
75/25
Actinic White
Front

I am actually going to switch out the 75/25s for Actinic Whites and run 4 and 4. Like I said, I love the blue, but the growth will be better with 4 and 4 I suspect. I'll get a friend of mine to look at the thread also. Thanks.......John.

 

8x54 I would go 3 ATI aquablues, and 5 ATI blue +. That is a simple setup that can be tweaked any way you want.

The options are quite crazy if you look at all the bulbs and then come up with variations for each spot on the fixture.

As long as you hide the aquablues or whiter spectrum bulbs int he middle it should get you the desired look.

 

Agreed, more bang for your buck with ATI

 

Okay I will wait for John to get another opinion after all its just one day and it would be nice to have just one more. I like all the input so far not disregarding it at all just want to hear what someone else has to say.

 

I hear ya!

I can say that I have been using t5's for like 5-6 years. There are not many folks that can say that. My first reef tank I had was lit solely by t5ho.

 

I am really glad I waited cause I emailed reef geek asking if I can use any combination of the bulbs they sell with the 8x54w TEK w/bulbs and they said yes and gave me a recommendation of which bulbs to use with it. Also it is cheaper to buy it with bulbs then to buy it without and buy bulbs and buy bulbs separately. They recommend these bulbs.
4 -- ATI Blue Plus
2 -- UV Lighting 75-25
1 -- ATI 12000K Aquablue
1 -- GE 65000K Dayligh

 

I have the Tek 8 as well, due largely to the bad influence of PharmerJohn and Dr Frag.

Here is a recent photo running only six bulbs - 3 UVL superactinics, 2 ATI blue+ (a very sweet bulb) and one 10,000K. I need a better camera, but you get the idea.





I guess I also need to lower the fixture and turn off the TV in the background.