Question on Cabo Sun Mini retro kit

[KJAhp098]

I bought the Cabo Sun Mini reflector that fits the SE 250w halide bulb, but after measuring the par it looks like it's not enough for my system.

I use the Lumatek select a watt ballast that can switch from 250w to 400w. Can I replace the old 250w bulb for a 400w bulb or will it be too big for this reflector?

 

[jda]

400w will fit.

How big of an area are you trying to cover? 250w with a good bulb usually produce a great amount of PAR.

 

[KJAhp098]

I have a 250 Marineland DD, so it's 60"x36"x27". I have 2 of the Cabo Mini units plus 8 48" T5 bulbs (4 on each side of the halides). I thought it would be enough too, but my PAR meter is reading 450 @ 1" below the surface, 200 @ 16" below, and 130 @ 22" below.

My halide bulbs (Hamilton 14k) are about 13" from the water.

 

[jda]

That is a tough tank to light. You might consider a 10k MH bulb for more PAR and then use more blue T5. Hammy 10k has a nice look and outstanding output.

 

[KJAhp098]

That is a tough tank to light. You might consider a 10k MH bulb for more PAR and then use more blue T5. Hammy 10k has a nice look and outstanding output.

Maybe I'll give that a shot. Thanks.

 

[vanpire]

@jda what par do feel is best for acros? I use MH and my par is between 300-350 for most of my acros using Radiums. They grow well but wonder if I can do better. I also use Hammys 10k for one section of the tank and I didn’t see much better growth.

KJ: I hope this is not hijacking your thread.

 

[jda]

If you can supply most of the acropora with 300-350, then that is really good. Keep in mind that is more than 300-350 from a LED because the MH will have more blue/violet and UV that a PAR meter will not pick up and a LED does not have this spectrum in droves. There is also red and IR over 650nm to consider as well. It is a pure guess, but a MH could have as much as 15-20% more output (depending on the bulb) than a LED that reads with the same number on a PAR meter. You can give some of them more and they will respond, but they do not need it. You can also do a lot less for some of the smoothies like Echinata, dragons and the like.

If you are going to be 12-13 inches off of the water, then 400 might be the way to go. There is no easy way to light that tank and 800w for the heavy lifting is actually pretty good where you could clock in at the same wattage with 6x Radions at 125-150 watts (might even need 8) and still use the T5s.

The last time that I lit a 36" tank, it was with the 20x20 reflectors and 250w Radiums on HQI - these are more like 330w, so they are in the middle of 250s and 400w for output. I have a 10x3x3 that I am setting up soon and 3x 400w on the 20x20s about 4 inches from the water is going to be my choice. With the larger reflectors, you can have them closer to the surface since they spread so well already. 30x36 is no joke to light with a single fixture.

 

[KJAhp098]

@jda what par do feel is best for acros? I use MH and my par is between 300-350 for most of my acros using Radiums. They grow well but wonder if I can do better. I also use Hammys 10k for one section of the tank and I didn’t see much better growth.

KJ: I hope this is not hijacking your thread.

You're good. I'm interested as well.

 

[KJAhp098]

If you can supply most of the acropora with 300-350, then that is really good. Keep in mind that is more than 300-350 from a LED because the MH will have more blue/violet and UV that a PAR meter will not pick up and a LED does not have this spectrum in droves. There is also red and IR over 650nm to consider as well. It is a pure guess, but a MH could have as much as 15-20% more output (depending on the bulb) than a LED that reads with the same number on a PAR meter. You can give some of them more and they will respond, but they do not need it. You can also do a lot less for some of the smoothies like Echinata, dragons and the like.

If you are going to be 12-13 inches off of the water, then 400 might be the way to go. There is no easy way to light that tank and 800w for the heavy lifting is actually pretty good where you could clock in at the same wattage with 6x Radions at 125-150 watts (might even need 8) and still use the T5s.

The last time that I lit a 36" tank, it was with the 20x20 reflectors and 250w Radiums on HQI - these are more like 330w, so they are in the middle of 250s and 400w for output. I have a 10x3x3 that I am setting up soon and 3x 400w on the 20x20s about 4 inches from the water is going to be my choice. With the larger reflectors, you can have them closer to the surface since they spread so well already. 30x36 is no joke to light with a single fixture.

Thanks a bunch for all the info. If I went with 400 watters, which bulb would you go with my Lumatek ballasts? I would say my T5s give a 12k-14k look.

 

[vanpire]

I had a 36” wide x 60” long tank. I used 2 lumenarc reflectors with XM bulbs. It worked really well. Those XMs could put out a lot of par. I was so sad to see that they discontinued the XMs.