14K Owners: Actinic Question

[maveri9720]

Hi all, I just finished my canopy that houses 2 x 250w 14k Hamiltons. I love the look of the bulbs, but I don't have any corals in the tank, minus a brown toadstool leather, so I don't have any color in there to see how the corals look w/o actinic lighting.

I want to put actinics in my canopy, but I am stuck trying to decide between supplementing the MH's or just having them turn on an hour or so before the MH's and turn off an hour or so after the MH's. This will determine how much power I need and what type of bulbs and how many I buy.

So, I am asking for opinions from people who are running 14k's or who have ran them before, what their actinic set-up was like and if they ran them with the MH's or not.

I have an Icecap 660 begging to be installed, but I am at a crossroads as to what to hook up to it.

Thanks in advance.

 

[george]

I have a 250w 15K bulb over my tank (brand new) and it looks great. I don't see a need for actinic supplements unless you really want a glow.

I don't have a canopy, though, so adding actinic lighting would be a chore.

 

[xyzpdq0121]

I say add them and have them turn on a bit before the halides. This saves light shock for any corals and fish you keep in the future. Imagine you were locked in a dim lit room and then I turn on a Halide in your eyes, it would suck. Now if I did that day after day it would really suck. You already have the Icecap 660 so I say install it.

ANy other opinion is going to be a personal choice of how much "Blue" you like in your tank. I personally like a bit more blue then not enough.

 

[george]

The startup on a DE halide isn't quite as shocking as you'd think. Though "sunrise" is a process of about 15 seconds to max, it's still not totally as abrupt as many fluorescent lighting systems are.

I also have my photo period offset into the evening so I can enjoy my tank when I'm primarily there. It runs from about 2pm until 10pm, so they get a gradual sunrise from ambient lighting as well. Sunset is pretty abrupt.

 

[maveri9720]

Yea, I don't have the shock of immediate light from darkness, b/c my tank is in my living room and the blinds get opened up before sunrise, so the tank gets indirect lighting throughout the morning. In the evening though, I'm sure it might be more of a shock, but this weekend I am hoping to install a moonlight set-up.

I guess what I want to know is:

- If I go the road of supplementing my MH's with blue actinic, to make it alittle more blue and have the corals stand out more, what should I get?

- And if I decide to not supplement the MH's and just have the actinics on before and after the MH's, what should I get to make the corals look nice and fluorescent?

Remember, I will running an Icecap 660 for these lights.

Thanks.

 

[george]

I'd recommend T5's, but I don't know if a 660 will power them. I know you can do regular NO/HO/VHO (T8? or are they T12?) lights, but you can also wire an Icecap 660 to do PC bulbs as well. It's a bit of a conceptual leap on the wiring diagram, but it does work just fine.

Then again, VHO bulbs come in longer sizes than PC bulbs. What's the length of your tank?

 

[maveri9720]

It's a 120, 4 x 2 x 2.

I think I am going to get some 2 x 110w VHO URI Super Actinics.

I'll try that and see what happens.

Thanks for the help all.

 

[broreefr]

I run three 400 watt 14K's with the Actinics for the sunrise / sunset effect, and moonlights. You will be very happy when you add them. Plus the added lights time give you more viewing time with your tank.

 

[family reefer]

I run 3-250 watt 14K MH and 2- 72" VHO actinics and FishBowl enterprises moon lights on a Lunar cycler. I have my act. come on at 11 am , MH come on at 2 pm, MH off at 9 PM and actinic off at 10:30. Lunars on all time. Actinics run on Icecap 440. I like.

 

[family reefer]

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