Shifting to overdrive

[Firemedic1081]

I purchased an entire tank setup and I'm slowly upgrading it. Today I'm adding lights. It is a 75 gallon reef with a 30 gallon sump. 75 lbs of live rock. It currently has a 48 inch T12 10,000 K and a 48 inch T12 50/50 actinic. I only have enough room to add 2 more bulbs so I am going to overdrive them. I have 2 more bulbs exactly like the 2 that I already have. The question is, which 2 do I overdrive? Both actinic? Both 10,000K? Or 1 of each.

 

[mr_X]

are these normal output or VHO lamps? if they are VHO, you should get by with 4 of them for a lot of corals.
if you want to overdrive them, i would overdrive them all.

 

[Firemedic1081]

Well that's the fun part. Some are VHO and some are not. I have a VHO actinic a VHO 10,000 K and the other 2 don't really say what they are. They are a Coralife 50/50 and Coralife 10,000 K. The Coralife say "high-intensity". All are 40 watts.

 

[Firemedic1081]

I decided to OD the 10,000 K and the 50/50. My math works out to 2:1 white to actinic. I'm not sure if that's the best way or even if my math is right but the rank looks good.

 

[mr_X]

even the daylight bulbs are full spectrum so supplemental actinic light is just for aesthetic purposes.

 

[Firemedic1081]

Oh ok thanks. So it's probably better to overdrive both 10,000 K bulbs and not the actinic?

 

[mr_X]

i think the daylight lamps put out more PAR than the actinics, but again, i would overdrive all of the lamps.
so, you have a 75 gallon tank that has a 4 x 40 watt VHO setup on it?
what are you over driving them to? what do you intend to keep?

 

[Firemedic1081]

When I got the tank it had 2 4ft coralife flourescent lights. I don't know if they are VHO or not. They say "high intensity". I added 2 more 4 ft flourescents that are VHO. I have a 4 light ballast so I am going to x2 overdrive them. I don't plan on changing the first ballast because I am changing over to a 125 gal tank with all new lights in a few months. So overdriving those 2 is probably out. The goal is to start adding some more corals. It currently has some button polyps, some mushrooms and a Haitian Condy that I know were not getting enough light.

 

[mr_X]

how long have the corals and anemone been in the tank? has the anemone moved up to the top of the rock yet?
i have a green bubble that prefers to be about 8" from a 250 watt halide.
naturally, every increase in lighting is helpful.

 

[Gti_Leo]

i've been considering overdriving a 4 lamp T5 system i just don't know which ballasts to use and i've been looking at wiring diagrams to do so and on;y find ones for T8/T12s. i only have the space for a 4x24" so i'm hoping i'll be able to pump out as much wattage as a 6 lamp would

 

[Firemedic1081]

I put the anemone on the substrate to allow it to find its own home but it attatched to the front glass right at the substrate. That really didn't work for me. I moved it up onto a rock towards the top. It moved about 6 inches to the left and stuck it's foot in a crack in the rock. It hasn't moved since. It seems pretty happy there. It's eating the food that I offer it.

 

[mr_X]

you have a 75 gallon tank. i would use 6 or even 8 t-5 lamps (the 48" ones that are 54 watts).

 

[Firemedic1081]

Ok. Thanks. What about when I move to the 125? What would you recommend for that one?

 

[Gti_Leo]

8x 6foot or 16 3 footers

 

[mr_X]

yep. something like that would be ideal. or 3 x 250 watt halides, or quality LED fixtures.