theory - actinics & halides - which first?

[benny z]

curious what your thoughts are on using actinics + halides, and the order of firing them.

it's been widely practed, generally speaking ime, that most folks turn on their actinics (vho or t5) prior to turning on their halides to achieve a "dawn/dusk" effect.

alternatively, a friend of mine practices the opposite based on his findings that corals and fish are more sensitive to the blue spectrum of actinics.

i'm curious as to what you all practice, and your thoughts on the theory behind it.

should make for an interesting topic!

please vote!

cheers!
- ben

 

[Blackhawk Fan]

I only use halides.

 

[benny z]

please vote - i created an option for that.

 

[EliteReefs]

halides only for us as well. with radium bulbs i have never seen any need for actinics nor any negative effects by not using them. its all about stability IMO. keep your lighting constant and on a strict schedule and the corals will follow your lead

 

[Paul_N]

I fire actinics first then halides. I just use them for dawn to dusk effect. The (2) 250w Phoenix wash the (2) 54w T5 out so I turn them off when the halides are on. The actinics go back on right before the halides go off.

 

[scrapz]

t5, blue+ & kz purple on first. Stimulates a sunrise/sunset look, very natural looking

 

[SDguy]

I use powerbrite LED's one hour before and one hour after MH are on. It's really more for me, than for the fish/corals. The past 3+ years it was just MH on/off.

 

[DCG1286]

LED's: ON=8am OFF=2am (the LED's on my fixture are too bright to be night lights.)
PC's (2x96W): ON=10am OFF=12pm - ON=7PM OFF=9pm (I don't run the actinics with the halides)
MH (2x250W): ON=12PM OFF=7pm

I have thought about firing one halide on at a time ... I know a few people that do this ... not 100% if it will make a difference, at least to me ... but I do want to give it a try. So let's say one fires on at 12 ... then the next at 1 ... 1:30 ... first one off at 7 ... the other 8-8:30.

 

[LegoZ81]

Mine:
If Time > 15:00 Then Ha3 ON
If Time > 15:15 Then Ha2 ON
If Time > 15:30 Then Ha1 ON
If Time > 17:00 Then VHO ON
If Time > 21:45 Then VHO OFF
If Time > 22:00 Then Ha3 OFF
If Time > 22:15 Then Ha2 OFF
If Time > 22:30 Then Ha1 OFF

Yeah advertising retoric but seems logical to me:

"Actinic bulbs have been used to simulate dawn and dusk in the aquarium, coming on an hour before the main lights and staying on an hour after the main lights go out. The human eye does not perceive blue light very well so the actinics appear dim to us. On the other hand, coral and fish see the blue light quite differently. Blue is the color they have adapted to as it penetrates furthest into the ocean depths. To a marine organism, the actinics are actually a very bright light. This sudden transition from darkness to light can create an unnatural and stressful environment."
from: BlueLine Products - Reef Aquarium Lighting & Pumps

Halides may fire up to be brighter to us once fully warm but do so more gradually (warm-up) then the Actinic bulbs popping on at close to full brightness. I further this by staging the start-up of the halides (currently backwards, oops) in 15 minute increments.

I have electronic MH ballasts, the bulbs take a bit to reach full brightness, and on Mags it takes even longer.

 

[makingbubbles]

I use compact florescent only (to simulate a cloudy over cast day)

 

[brdracing]

My VHO's come on 1 hour before my MH and stay on 1hour longer then the MH

 

[drxdragon]

i normally turn my MH on before my actinics roughly 30-45 mins before halide bulb

 

[cloakerpoked]

I use only halides now, but didn't always, and when I had actinics, I fired them 1 hour before the halides and kept them on until 1 hour after. I did this to gain more viewable time of the tank, but have also heard that it's less shock to the inhabitants. Having a halide only now, I obviously don't really believe it but figured the practice wouldn't hurt anything.

 

[110reef]

I use compact florescent only (to simulate a cloudy over cast day)

:snicker:

 

[mr_X]

right now i use just halides, but when i had actinics installed, i would use them before and after to simulate dusk and dawn, but that as for me and the fish. the corals don't care either way. i do think the fish are less stressed with a gradual day/evening transition.

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

This is something that Ive given a lot of thought to. Although I just have halides on my tank, I always wanted the atinics to add a little color, because my tank runs 10k atinics. I believe that the dawn/dusk effect might be good for the corals and other animals, but does anyone here thing that the atinics do anthing other than that and looks? Everything Ive read says that corals (and most other underwater creatures) do not need light from the blue end of the spectrum. Input

 

[makingbubbles]

:snicker:

finally some one gets one of my jokes.

 

[cloakerpoked]

This is something that Ive given a lot of thought to. Although I just have halides on my tank, I always wanted the atinics to add a little color, because my tank runs 10k atinics. I believe that the dawn/dusk effect might be good for the corals and other animals, but does anyone here thing that the atinics do anthing other than that and looks? Everything Ive read says that corals (and most other underwater creatures) do not need light from the blue end of the spectrum. Input

PAR readings when clouds move in front of the sun routinely swing in very severe ways, so I personally don't buy that using lights in a dawn to dusk fashion really helps much.

 

[kingfisherfleshy]

PAR readings when clouds move in front of the sun routinely swing in very severe ways, so I personally don't buy that using lights in a dawn to dusk fashion really helps much.

I was more reffering to whether or not the atinics did anything for coral growth, or if they are merely for looks.

 

[Troylee]

i turn my vho actinics on 1 hour before the metal halides come on then they run all day with the halides then go off a hour after wards.....i run xm10ks overdriven on mag ballast with vho super actinics.....i really wanna try the new blue vho the 454 but can't seem to find it anywhere.....