MH Pros - GTHIH - Need Advice on Lighting Combo

naterealbig · Sep 3, 2020

Hey there - I'm looking for some pro advice, so I only have to make my purchase once.....

I have 4 x Sunlight Supply halide setups, and 4 x Orphek Blue+ LED bars. I want my tank to look like the below pic: what halide (SE) bulb and wattage am I going to be using for this?

(Tank credit: Paolo Piccinell - Italy)

A. grandis · Sep 3, 2020

10K
Link for the tank specs?
Edit: I'm not a pro!

A. grandis · Sep 3, 2020

Found it!

Reefkeeping Magazine - December 2013 Tank of the Month

Reefkeeping ...an online magazine for the marine aquarist.

reefkeeping.com

• Lighting: Homemade with Lumenark III reflectors x3 - 10 watt royal blue LED x12 (4 LED bars)
• Bulbs: 10,000K Reefline 400W x3

Very nice tank!

You can try Hamilton 10K, Ushio 10K or Giesemann Megachrome Marine 12500K.

Told ya!

naterealbig · Sep 3, 2020

A. grandis said:
10K
Link for the tank specs?
Edit: I'm not a pro!

My tank specs, or the pic?

***edit - didn't read far down enough!

naterealbig · Sep 3, 2020

A. grandis said:
Found it!

Reefkeeping Magazine - December 2013 Tank of the Month

Reefkeeping ...an online magazine for the marine aquarist.

reefkeeping.com

• Lighting: Homemade with Lumenark III reflectors x3 - 10 watt royal blue LED x12 (4 LED bars)
• Bulbs: 10,000K Reefline 400W x3

Very nice tank!

You can try Hamilton 10K, Ushio 10K or Giesemann Megachrome Marine 12500K.

Told ya!

Ya, it may be my favorite illumination of all time...

I've used Ushio 250w 10k, and it was puke yellow. Do you think the 400w version will be a little whiter? Or, do I want the puke yellow in this instance, but balanced out with my Orphek bars?

A. grandis · Sep 3, 2020

naterealbig said:
Ya, it may be my favorite illumination of all time...

I've used Ushio 250w 10k, and it was puke yellow. Do you think the 400w version will be a little whiter? Or, do I want the puke yellow in this instance, but balanced out with my Orphek bars?

I only tried 250W Ushio 14K and 20K.
You can try the Hamilton 10K or the Giesemann then.
You need to take in consideration that's only a picture and it doesn't necessarily reproduce exact what the real life shows. Also the combination of the MH/T5/LED makes always a huge difference to the eyes and you will need to play with your LEDs to achieve what you want. They will make a difference. No one will give you a straight answer. But basically that is a 10K... and the text confirmed.

Let's wait and see what others will post...

A. grandis · Sep 3, 2020

Here:
This is what 400W Ushio 10K with VHO actinics look like.
Really nice!

Bpb · Sep 3, 2020

The bright blue background does a lot for that tanks aesthetic. It would look a lot different with a black background

naterealbig · Sep 3, 2020

A. grandis said:
Here:
This is what 400W Ushio 10K with VHO actinics look like.
Really nice!

Yes, almost exactly the look I am going for. Check below for some interesting info I found.... Exciting! Thank you for sharing @A. grandis ! I have not seen this video.

naterealbig · Sep 3, 2020

Bpb said:
The bright blue background does a lot for that tanks aesthetic. It would look a lot different with a black background

Hey there - I considered this also - it definitely adds to the brightness. For this system, it will be a up against a wall, which will be painted a caribbean-ish blue. I want the bright look, but don't want the 'flat' look looming behind the corals. Thanks @Bpb!

mitch91175 · Sep 3, 2020

A. grandis said:
Here:
This is what 400W Ushio 10K with VHO actinics look like.
Really nice!

Thing you notice about MH is most the bottom of coral is healthy. Almost no white areas. Very healthy coral.

naterealbig · Sep 3, 2020

400w Reefline 10k (in Paolo's pic) vs 400w Usio 10k

400w Reefline 10k (in Paolo's pic) vs 400w Hamilton 10k

naterealbig · Sep 3, 2020

Even more interesting......

400w Hamilton 10k vs (the "holy grail") XM 10k.... Hammy actually beats it out on PAR, and I like the higher 400/420 peak...

naterealbig · Sep 3, 2020

I likely will go with the Hamilton. Assuming the DIY RB LEDs Paolo used to supplement, look like a few XHO actinic strips, AND assuming the XHO Actinic Bar and the Orphek Blue+ Bar share similar peak intensity, I should be pretty close to what I am aiming for. (Using the Hammy 400w 10K halide + my 4 x 48" Orphek Blue+ Bars.....

My mind can rest easy now.....

XHO Actinic Bar

Bpb · Sep 3, 2020

naterealbig said:
Hey there - I considered this also - it definitely adds to the brightness. For this system, it will be a up against a wall, which will be painted a caribbean-ish blue. I want the bright look, but don't want the 'flat' look looming behind the corals. Thanks @Bpb!

That’ll look sharp.

A. grandis · Sep 3, 2020

naterealbig said:
400w Reefline 10k (in Paolo's pic) vs 400w Usio 10k

400w Reefline 10k (in Paolo's pic) vs 400w Hamilton 10k

Where did you get those charts from? Nice!

naterealbig · Sep 3, 2020

A. grandis said:
Where did you get those charts from? Nice!

@A. grandis - you can make a payment directly to my PayPal account. PM for my handle. Good night.

naterealbig · Sep 3, 2020

Sanjay's Lighting Guide

www.manhattanreefs.com

It was one of a handful of different links that all stopped working a while back.... I was messing around on my computer, and for shots and giggles just tried it again. It worked! The page has been updated it looks like.... Except the blue on blue graph is crappy.....