Brand New 8 gallon bio cube
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Why-Me
Been going against the grain since I was a sapling
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Lighting Cost Calculator
Find out what that light costs you to operate and find out if you could save by switching to another type of lighting.
www.darkskysociety.org
JoshH
Tank Status: Wet...ish, growing things....
In my humble opinion - the perfect reef light is metal halide. Not the coolest. Not the most expensive. Not the most energy efficient. No controller needed. No programmimg needed. Simple on and off. Fantastic shimmer and grows coral like crazy. There, I said it.
Are MH good for lower light corals as well?
Musovski
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if placed on the bottom.. lol. Its all about PAR
Fin
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I am not the lighting expert, but i know what i was using when my tanks were really doing well - MH & VHO and later I switched out the VHO bulbs for T5s.
Is your tank 24x24x24? If so, I would say I would use one 250W fixture (or retrofit components - ballast, socket, reflector) and mix it with 4 24" T5s. I had two on my 75, but it was 48"x18". You would probably only need about 4-6 hours of full light from all the bulbs. You could set one pair of the T5s to come on first, then the second set a little later. Then turn on the MH for around the middle of the day. Then start ramping them down the same order they came on. I just used timers on my 75. I used the old IceCap timers (shown below) and wish they still made them. (Yes, that is a very large wet/dry filter on the tank with a ton of bio-balls. A holdover from my fish only days, before I discovered they were very good at creating nitrates! That was quickly removed.)
This was my initial light set up on my 140. I used the exact same lights as I had on the 75.
Those are VHO bulbs and not T5s.
Is your tank 24x24x24? If so, I would say I would use one 250W fixture (or retrofit components - ballast, socket, reflector) and mix it with 4 24" T5s. I had two on my 75, but it was 48"x18". You would probably only need about 4-6 hours of full light from all the bulbs. You could set one pair of the T5s to come on first, then the second set a little later. Then turn on the MH for around the middle of the day. Then start ramping them down the same order they came on. I just used timers on my 75. I used the old IceCap timers (shown below) and wish they still made them. (Yes, that is a very large wet/dry filter on the tank with a ton of bio-balls. A holdover from my fish only days, before I discovered they were very good at creating nitrates! That was quickly removed.)
This was my initial light set up on my 140. I used the exact same lights as I had on the 75.
Those are VHO bulbs and not T5s.
Fin
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JoshH
Tank Status: Wet...ish, growing things....
My tank is only 17" deep though so not much depth to hide from the light
Do you think a pair of 150s would work on a 60" w 30" x 17" Deep tank?
NY_Caveman
likes words, fish and arbitrary statistics
My LED apparently uses one tree per year. I can live with that. Maybe I will plant one.
Fin
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Some better pictures
I don't have any experience with 150s. I would use the 250s and just raise the light a little. Keep in mind, a lot of those softies in these pics were not on the bottom of my 24" tank. Some were right under the lights.My tank is only 17" deep though so not much depth to hide from the light
Do you think a pair of 150s would work on a 60" w 30" x 17" Deep tank?
I am enjoying going back through my old pictures.
NY_Caveman
likes words, fish and arbitrary statistics
I used Metal Halide on a standard 55 gallon. It had anemones, but other than that, mostly mushrooms, polyps and other soft corals. They were all quite happy and grew like mad.
Hemmdog
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Incredible. Professor Joshi would be in awe.Some better pictures
I don't have any experience with 150s. I would use the 250s and just raise the light a little. Keep in mind, a lot of those softies in these pics were not on the bottom of my 24" tank. Some were right under the lights.
I am enjoying going back through my old pictures.
JoshH
Tank Status: Wet...ish, growing things....
Some better pictures
I don't have any experience with 150s. I would use the 250s and just raise the light a little. Keep in mind, a lot of those softies in these pics were not on the bottom of my 24" tank. Some were right under the lights.
I am enjoying going back through my old pictures.
I'm enjoying you going through your old pictures as well, beautiful tank!
Was it just MH or did you have a mix of T5?
Fin
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Looking at these pics, I realize that these were taken in 2005ish with an old Olympus digital camera. I need to dig that old thing out again!
NY_Caveman
likes words, fish and arbitrary statistics
It was Metal Halide only. This was in 1990.
