Lighting question

[msc86]

Ok, so I decided that I am going to convert my 75gal fresh water to a saltwater tank. I have been looking around for a light for a couple weeks and yesterday I found a good deal off someone and bought it. It is a 48" Coralife Marine Lunar Aqualight and I bought it for $75. So I was pretty pumped until I realized that compact florescent lights seem to be old news lol. None the less, it was a major upgrade from the light I had. It has two 96w 10,000k bulbs and two 96w actinics in it. When i turn on both sets, It really seems too yellowish. Is this the optimal light set up for a tank? Is there something I can do to get that more whitish blue? The tank is going to be a Fowlr set up if that helps any. Thanks for any response.

 

[HovaRockz]

Well I have the same exact light tucked away in my closet but maybe you should get new bulbs the problem with that light is bulb replacement becomes a constant problem which I was tired of dealing with so I decided to go with a more efficient t5 lighting system

 

[msc86]

New bulbs in a lower wattage for the 10,000k's? Or just new bulbs all the way around?

 

[HovaRockz]

You should change them all the way around because the person you bought it from must have been using them for a very long time

 

[HovaRockz]

Do not lower wattage you will need all the power you can get as your addiction to the saltwater hobby consumes you

 

[msc86]

Thanks for the help, do you think this light will be sufficient or should I try and resell to get some t5's?

 

[msc86]

I started looking at my tank better and the white rocks themselves seem to have a yellowish tint to them, I'm now wondering if the white light isnt projecting a yellow hue because of the rocks.

 

[HovaRockz]

How old is your tank? And are you sure it isn't diatom on your rock

 

[msc86]

My tank has been up and running for over a year now, but its about to get tore down so I can start up a saltwater tank. I'm not really sure what it is to be honest with you. It's not very thick, just like a slight layer of yellowish brown. I just assumed it was normal growth. Here's a picture of the tank (if I did it right).

 

[HovaRockz]

Has to be diatom are you over feeding? Either way you are going to do a conversion so you'll be fine

 

[Gregcoyote]

10K bulbs can look kind of yellow especially with the atinics on. But if you're starting at ground zero, consider LEDs. Even the cheap ones on Ebay (Taotronics) outperform T5's and are cheaper to run.

 

[HovaRockz]

I don't use LEDs but in my opinion LEDs look soooo much better

 

[msc86]

If i decide to keep this light, it appears my bulb choices are very limited. If i got two 50/50 bulbs to replace the 10ks and give me more of a blue look, would that in turn limit the amount of growth I would get? Also, when is the fan supposed to kick on, during the blues or whites?

 

[erichm20]

I don't know about PCs but T5s should be replaced every 12-18 months so I'm sure you're due for new ones. Fowlr doesn't require any lighting so u could save the $ on the bulbs to put toward ur next light.

LEDs are the way most serious aquarists are going nowadays.

I currently have t5ho but plan to upgrade to LEDs eventually so I can grow sps corals.

u have time to do some research and consider your options since you want to wait 8-12 months for your tank to be more established anyway.

If you're thinking reef (which you most likely will after seeing all the awesome corals at your lfs every week) the light is probably your most important purchase.

 

[Qube]

I would definitely go ahead with replacing the bulbs. PCs should be replaced every 6 months or so. I changed my T5s every 6 mons as well when I had them and I could really tell the difference. You should be alright with the 50/50s to start out with, and it will give you a more of a blue hue.

I agree with going FOWL for the first bit to save up for the light you decide you need. For example, if you decide SPS isn't for you, you won't need a light that harnesses the power of the sun and you can get something that suits your needs better.

 

[msc86]

Say I go with two 96w actinics and two 96x 50/50 bulbs, would anything grow on the live rock? What about two 96w actinics and two 10ks? Thanks for all of your responses btw, I really do appreciate it.

 

[erichm20]

That's over 5 watts / gallon so you would def be able to grow a lot of diff types of coral. But I am not a lighting expert so I'll let others chime in on this one.

First thing I would do is get your cycle going.

 

[Gregcoyote]

That's a bit of overkill at 5 watts per gallon. I would worry about too much heat from the fixture warming the water. When I grow SPS corals in my frag tank, I have an intense focused LED that travels on a rail system so no coral gets more than 5 minutes of exposure every half hour. I have a PAR level of 1300 when this light hits the coral. But it is moving, so bleaching isn't an issue. At 4 watts per gallon, even clams are happy if the coloration of the light is proper.

 

[msc86]

Alright so I found a guy who's selling a t5 fixture that is 8 months old with 3 10ks and 3 actinics in it for $100 bucks. I don't know what the brand is yet or if it's ho or not, but should I dump the PC's and pick this up?

 

[Gregcoyote]

Alright so I found a guy who's selling a t5 fixture that is 8 months old with 3 10ks and 3 actinics in it for $100 bucks. I don't know what the brand is yet or if it's ho or not, but should I dump the PC's and pick this up?

T5 is much superior to PC's, but don't buy more wattage for your tank than you need.