Supplement Advice for 250w HQI Light

[david1980]

Hi Guys

I'm going to revamp my aquarium and get rid of the LED and replace it with HQI.

Aquarium:
LxWxH 27x27x23 inches

Planning to replace existing contents with:
Anemone(s) at the bottom
Softies at the bottom (maybe)
SPS in the middle / the top

Lighting:
Giesemann Spectra 250W with 4x T5 bulbs, standard ballast (i.e. the one that it came with)

The look I'm aiming for: not too blue, prefer brighter and crisp colors, although fluorescence is nice.

HQI SE I'm planning to get: CoralVue Reeflux 10k bulb on the above mentioned ballast

NOTE: I'm from Switzerland so I can basically only get CoralVue, BLV, AquaConnect and Giesemann HQI SE bulbs

My question is now, which ATI T5s should I get to supplement the HQI? Again, not going for ultra blue, more crisp

What do you guys think in general of the setup?

Looking forward to your expert advice!

Cheers
David

 

[jda]

That 10K is not too yellow, but you will need a bit of blue to balance it out. I might suggest a pair of 03 of some sort and a pair of BP.

Can you not order 20K Radium from Amazon, or something? You could just run that without any T5s on a tank that size. It can last two years too. They are made in Germany.

 

[david1980]

Thanks, what are o3? I've read that the 20Ks arent that good with par. If I can get awesome growth on the SPSs I plan on keeping, that would be great too...

 

[jda]

Actinic 03... sorry. 20K Radiums are not as much PAR as a 10k, but they are quite impressive on HQI ballasts. They are not as blue as most 20K bulbs, IMO... more in the 14-15K range. 20K Radiums are a gold-standard acropora light... along with a few others.

 

[aabjones888]

I'd get 4 blue+ to supplement, I run 2 250w Phoenix 14k halides with 4 blue +'s and I believe it's perfect. It's always hard to judge because what u like someone else might not. But with all the lights on it's right at a 14k look to me.

 

[david1980]

Ok, thanks guys for your input. 250w + the 4 t5s should be enough for decent par to the bottom of my tank?

 

[david1980]

oh yeah and from the available choices in the opening thread, is the CoralVue Reeflux the best choice?

 

[aabjones888]

I'd use a geisemann bulb and yes thats way more than enough to grow anything. It's the 2' light?

 

[david1980]

I'd use a geisemann bulb and yes thats way more than enough to grow anything. It's the 2' light?

Why the Giesemann bulb? Yes, it's the 2' light.

 

[jda]

IMO, the 250 alone is enough. I would only use the T5s to adjust the color of the MH bulb. I let the T5s in my fixtures stay dark since I like the Radiums and Phoenix bulbs all by themselves.

That is an awesome fixture.

 

[david1980]

IMO, the 250 alone is enough. I would only use the T5s to adjust the color of the MH bulb. I let the T5s in my fixtures stay dark since I like the Radiums and Phoenix bulbs all by themselves.

That is an awesome fixture.

Thanks, yeah I know it's an awesome fixture, hence the reason I will be using it... So I could get a Reeflux 10k and supplement with some ATI Blue+ or Actinics to add a little more blue to the 10k. Thoughts?

 

[jda]

You might really love that. If I was not running so many MH, I would be using 10K and supplementing with T5s or VHO to blue-up just a bit, but I am looking at 14-16 more bulbs, so the electricity and replacement cost can become a problem. On a smaller tank, this is not that much power and will be awesome.

 

[david1980]

You might really love that. If I was not running so many MH, I would be using 10K and supplementing with T5s or VHO to blue-up just a bit, but I am looking at 14-16 more bulbs, so the electricity and replacement cost can become a problem. On a smaller tank, this is not that much power and will be awesome.

Cool thanks, hope the heat or spill-over wont be an issue. But I guess I'll see...

 

[A. grandis]

10 - 14K halides with Blue Plus T5 bulbs.
But the taste is yours.

Grandis.