Before I Buy Lights ......

[RAYRAY]

IF ANYONE COULD HELP HERE IT WOULD BE GREAT. I HAVE AS SOME OF YOU KNOW A 35 GALLON HEX TANK (6 SIDES) SO FROM ONE FLAT SIDE TO ANOTHER IT IS ABOUT 22' INCHES. THE TANK IS 24 INCHES DEEP. I WANT TO SPEND AROUND 200.00 AND WAS THINKING ABOUT THE NOVA EXTREME 4x24 T5'S.
I ONLY INTEND TO HAVE A FEW DIFFERENT CORALS. SOME MUSHROOMS, ZOOS MAYBE A FROGSPAWN AND A Red Open Brain , Trachyphyllia geoffroyi
NOW MY QUESTION IS SOMEONE MENTIONED HALIDES, WOULD THIS LIGHTING BE TOO MUCH AND HEAT MY TANK UP? AND I ALSO NEED TO KNOW IF ANTINIC LAMPS ARE MANDATORY ???? I LIKE THE LOOKS OF THE 420 ANTINIC AND 10,000K BULDS TOGETHER WHICH IS MAKING LEAN TOWARD THE T5'S I RUN THEM NOW WITH JUST 15W FLOURECENT BULBS ON TIMERS WITH THE 420'S GOING ON FIRST AND THE 10,000 COMMING ON AN HALF HOUR LATER AND REVERSE AT NIGHT. ANY OPINIONS OR HELP PLEASE !!

 

[Bifferwine]

Halides would heat your tank up and would be more expensive than your budget. T5s would do fine, I think. Especially for the corals that you are looking to keep, which don't require high light.

 

[RAYRAY]

Thanks Sarah, I Was Thinking The Same Thing ! How Do You Schedule Your Lights ???

 

[Doc]

the actynic lights are for beauty and bringing out the colors of your corals and fish. I highly recommend them. T-5 lighting will be perfect for you, just place your soft corals near the bottom so the LPS can get the light they need in the middle and top of your tank. T-5 lights lose their intensity the farther down the light goes in the water. Max benefit for LPS is about 18-20 inches.

As for lighting schedules, they vary for what people want. Your corals only need about 5 hours of light a day to survive. The rest of the light is for you to look at your animals. I run my actynics for 12 hours and I have the white lights come on an hour after the blue and shut off an hour before, so for 10 hours.

-Doc

 

[yote]

My vote goes for T-5s too.
As for the shedule.My actinics come on first,4 hours later the 10Ks kick on and run for 4.Then the actinice go off 4 hours the 10Ks turn off for a grand total of 12 hours.

 

[Bifferwine]

I don't have my lights on a timer, so both daylights and actinics stay on for around 12 hours a day.

 

[RAYRAY]

ok thanks everyone..... my actinics come on at 11:30am and then my 10k comes on at 12:00pm they both stay on until my 10k turns off at 9:30pm and the actinics turn off at 10:30pm. then every other night I run a led moon light over night.
nova extreme it is, thanks reeffreak for the suggestion. I like them and they are right in my price range !!

 

[RAYRAY]

should the actincs turn off before the 10k does ?????

 

[Bifferwine]

No, actinics should turn on before and turn off after the daylights.

 

[daugherty]

i have my lights set to atinics on at 9am 10k pc on at 10:30 MH on at 11:30 an MH off at 5:30 10k pcs off at 9:30 and atinics off at 11:00pm

 

[UnderwaterWorld]

I have a 150 halide on my 150 solana, it's build for it though so it probably would heat yours up more, I would go T5s also and keep lights on 10 hrs

 

[reeffreak]

I'm sort of on the fence with this one Ray.Most of the time,I recommend T5 for that size tank but since the shape is round and deep.I think a MH pendent in a 14k-20k hung from the ceiling with no actinic supplements would look much nicer.

 

[RAYRAY]

Man Oh Man !!!! What To Do Now !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[RAYRAY]

REEF, WHAT ABOUT THIS ONE .... ???

Hamilton Technology ReefStar Metal Halide Pendants, 1X150W 20K HQI
Our Price: $239.95
Stock Status: In Stock
Availability: Usually Ships in 1 to 2 Business Days
Product Code: RHTA1E3 Qty:
Description

Hamilton Technology ReefStar Metal Halide Lighting Pendant Fixtures are for reef aquariums. They can be be easily hung from the ceiling.

Features:

One 150 Watt 20K HQI Metal Halide Bulb
Dimensions: 16.5" X 10.25" X 3.5"

Tempered glass lens

Highly reflective hammertone reflector

Hanging wires included

 

[UnderwaterWorld]

that sounds like a great light to be, I have heard good things about Hamilton, I have a 150 w halide over my tank and it works very well, I will just be getting a bluer bulb when I change it

 

[hotimportknight]

I was wondering why everyone was saying go with the T5's, My vote is for the MH pendant hung a little higher over your tank. With a tank thats only 22" across and 25" deep T5's wouldnt work very well, especially ones in the 20 some watt range with out individual reflectors. I vote hanging MH pendant and maybe a little fixture across the back of the tank with just 420nm or actinics in it... depends on how the MH makes it look, if that looks good enough for you, then skip the actinics.

 

[daugherty]

run a 14k MH it is a cool blue color i have one on my 50 and love it. when i get more money i am going to change my othe lights to 14k MH's

 

[Bifferwine]

Hex tanks are hard to find lights for. I recommended T5s because he said he planned on sticking with easier, lower light corals. I also think that MH would really heat a tank that size up pretty badly.

 

[RAYRAY]

What If I Hang It About 10 To 15 Inches Above The Tank ??????

 

[Doc]

you can vary your lighting schedule to being less if there are algae or cyano problems. Don't be afraid to cut back on lighting or feeding if you find that you are having some problems.

-Doc