after.careful.consideration... and your advice.

[kstyle13]

I have been doing search on lights and what I can afford. Now I want opinions.... I just purchased 3 t5 actinic lights. I will he overdriving each of them 2times. Giving them a boost to about 1.7 being .7 more output than normal. It does notaffect tempurature but it does increase intensity. I will also be running 10 10k t8s. With the supplemented actinic bulbs this will give me a good base to start outnwith correct? I plan on running them the width of the tank starting in one side and running all the way down the tank. Three 10k bulbs then a actinic then two 10k. Then another actinic two more 10 k bulbs followed by an actinic then another three 10k bulbs. Giving me a total of 13 flourescent lights. By overdriving each light it should give me the intensity of having around 20 lights. And having the actinic will give me the effect of having 15k bulbs. Plus they are t5 bulbs so they will already be stronger than the t8 10k bulbs. I am also going to run 2 black light bulbs lengthwise behind the other flourescent bulbs. They operate around 420nm meaning they aren't doing as much for photosynthesis but they do add a glowing effect that's pretty... this is my suggested plan. Does it sound like it will be effecient to start with? Keep in mind I have mo intentions of adding fish or coral for at least 3 months minimum. I have to finish my build first. Opinions please. Btw. I am wiring all of my own lights so I'm saving around 200 bucks. Which is a number I'm ok with. I found true actinic bulbs for 10 bucks a pop. They are coral life I believe. I also have a cooling fan I have integrated on each side of my lighting unit to keep the lights from cracking and or overheating... they will be 6 inches abouce water level. The tank is 23.75 inches deep. With the lowest coral going at around 20 inches because I want a 3 inch sand bed.

Edit: Oh and the tank is 72 inches long and 18.5 inches wide. I'm going with all 18 inch bulbs. Just to throw that out there. I have no quarrels about buying another ballast and integrating more lights if need be. I also am going to set each of light on its own timer so theleft side of the tank lights up first followed by the middle then the right side. Then the left sidled will start turning off followed by the middle then the right. I would like to stimulate the suns rise and set. As one side is near the morning sun window and the other is by the sunset window I will set them accordingly with the natural light. Also making sure each light is on for a minimum or 9 hours and a maximum of 12.

 

[skriz]

This sounds like a very inefficient idea. Also, coralife lamps are a waste..go with quality lamps. You get what you pay for here.

 

[kstyle13]

Ok if this is insufficient then I'm confused. Because looking at the research the range in which coral needs for optimum Color is between 415nm and 450nm. With 420nm being the best. Then as far as growth 6500k will give the most growth while 20000k gives minimal growth and superior Color. The Color being due to the fact that it has more of 420nm in color. If corallife bulbs are low as far as intensity then overdriving them fixes that
Then since I'm going around 10k adding the actknic gives me the blue spectrum that promotes optimum Color. I looked ul all the charts and data on each brand of bulb and the actinic t5 bulbs I ordered were amount the best. Being they hold the spectrum for longer running times. After about 5 minutes your standard bulbs looses a bit of it spectrum. So. I don't know where else to go since everything ive read suggests that the set up I chose is great... but now your saying its not????

 

[dball711]

Going with 18" bulbs will limit your choices. There has been a lot of data on PAR readings from the various bulb brands and color spectrums available and Corallife is never at the top of the list. I would not overdrive the bulbs, this will shorten the life and lead to costly replacements on a more frequent basis. You don't mention if these are HO or standard output, also know that individuaal reflectors are what make these bulbs effective.

One thing to be aware of is PAR, having the right spectrum is part of the equation but you also will want it to effectively light a 24" deep tank. When selecting T-5 HO bulbs, Cheaper is never better...I am sure more folks will chime in but do some more research and listen to folks that have some experience.

 

[kstyle13]

They are ho. I did leave that out. I did need to ask about reflectors. that was also key in the decisions I made. I don't know what to you as reflectors... will mirrors work or do I need a specific metal?

 

[dball711]

Do a search on the subject, there is much out there. In a nutshell, the reflector should be reflective like a mirror but to be most effective it should follow the contour of the bulb. I have read that a really good reflector can more than double the light output for each bulb. Take a look at ATI units and you'll see what I mean.

By the way, I don't think your bulb configuration is the most efficient but I do give you some points for creativity. I think its a great idea to supplement some light when needed. I am using 2 18" bulbs, one actinic and one 10K to supplement a 24" unit i have over a 40" display. It makes for some interesting sunrise/sunset conditions as light moves from one side to the other, low tech but cool. You can't beat the controllers on some of the LED units that simulate storm and lightening, now that stuff is way cool.

 

[kstyle13]

Ok I just looked up what par means and that's what I was referring to when I said the spectral wavelength. The 420 nm was the par value I was talking about. I know that over driving bulbs shorten their life span. I plan on changing them out every 6 months anyway. Over driving them will shorten the life span of a bulb over the period of a year. Therefore theoretically changing them every 6 months makes that problem null and void. Because I'm replacing them before the decrease takes effect. And over driving them actually makes the ballasts last longer as they run cooler than normal because 2 bulbs draw more current than one bulb operating at 1.7 capacity. So I get more from my bulbs over the 6 month period than they normally put out. Also the bulbs are rated at a certain wattage but are capable of withstanding up to 10 times the rated amount. So over driving them does shorten their suggested lifespan but it also gives you more bang for your buck if you plan on only using them for a 6 month period.

 

[kstyle13]

Ok. I gotcha. About the reflectors. I do a lot of work with glass and mirrors. I am going to fabricate a reflector for each bulb in my unit. And another point of over driving I forgot to mention was the use of magnetic instant start or rapid start ballasts. Magnetic ballasts can't be overdriven. While rapid and instant start can. I am using instant start as they are the easiest to overdrive they also hold the par values much longer than the rapid start. I was also looking at charts that gave true readings for any application not just aquarium use. I know what experts say and with any form of fish keeping being fresh or salt after many years people become bias to their way... not putting anyone down just throwing that out there. I am the same way with freahwater. The difference being if you looking into the factual evidence and scientific notation of every bulb out there you can see that some things are merely advertising and mark up are always there for a bulb that does the same thing as it household counterpart. Now I do want to hear experts opinions because j like to combine what experts say again the facts. This gives me a good base as to what will work and what is merely advertising. By taking suggestions and experience of people whom have been doing this for years I can put together and formulate the exact same thing as a 400 dollar light system while saving myself 200. Yes I will replace bulbs more often. In six months my aquarium will be cycled and I will warrant the extra expense of better quality bulbs. However if I get amazing results from the system I have set up then why fix something that isn't broke. Does any of that make sense. Everyone continues to say do more research. Well honestly I've done research and now I want expert opinions on things so I can come to my own conclusions. So please if you have an opinion let me know. I'm not asking because I don't know anything. I'm asking because I want suggestions based on your experience.

Dball711... Thank you. This is the kind of information I was seeking. Very informative and generally great advise. Thank you

 

[skriz]

kstyle13;932179 wrote: Ok if this is insufficient then I'm confused. Because looking at the research the range in which coral needs for optimum Color is between 415nm and 450nm. With 420nm being the best. Then as far as growth 6500k will give the most growth while 20000k gives minimal growth and superior Color. The Color being due to the fact that it has more of 420nm in color. If corallife bulbs are low as far as intensity then overdriving them fixes that
Then since I'm going around 10k adding the actknic gives me the blue spectrum that promotes optimum Color. I looked ul all the charts and data on each brand of bulb and the actinic t5 bulbs I ordered were amount the best. Being they hold the spectrum for longer running times. After about 5 minutes your standard bulbs looses a bit of it spectrum. So. I don't know where else to go since everything ive read suggests that the set up I chose is great... but now your saying its not????

If data is showing you that coralife is the best, you've found junk data. Chinese bulbs will never outperform a German lamp. Feel free to use them, just know that you're buying the bottom of the barrel.

Efficiency: Using 13 lamps is not an efficient way of doing this. You'd be much better served going with fewer, but longer lamps (60"). You won't get the left to right sunrise effect, though. I'm betting 4 of the 60" lamps will end up being less expensive than 13 of the 18" lamps (not to mention a lot less hardware).

Reflectors: mirrors are one of the worst things to use as the light has to pass through glass twice. You want highly polished German aluminum reflectors. Look up the retrofit kits; they're cheap and better than anything you can DIY. If that's too expensive for you, go with a plain white surface; data shows that it's a pretty good reflector.

Best growth will be achieved with full spectrum lamps. The beauty of t5 is you can mix and match lamps to get the exact look and colour you like. After all, there's really no point in a fast growing coral if the tank doesn't look good to YOU.

 

[kstyle13]

I agree. Now I do have white reflectors everywhere from other projects. I will just use those as I already have them. I figured that about mirrors so I am glad you pointed that out.

 

[skriz]

How much is your DIY fixture going to cost?

You'll also need fans if you're going to overdrive the lamps, so don't forget them.

 

[kstyle13]

I have everything I need and I have spend a grand total of 60 bucks

 

[skriz]

Not too shabby!

 

[kstyle13]

I had a ton of equipment laying around so I used what I already had. I just had to buy the actinic bulbs. I even have four fans. One of each end and two in the back so it reaches all of the bulbs.

 

[kstyle13]

Ok awesome news. My 18 inch actinic bulbs were upgraded to 24 inch bulbs. I'm pretty excited... only downfall is now I get to rewire my whole system because the 24 inch bulbs won't fit how I planned them too. Lol

 

[jdavid]

I don't know if you guys noticed (or maybe I missed something) but in the OP it is stated that the daylights would be T8, not T5.

Doesn't seem like a good idea to me.

 

[KrisDeitz]

JDavid;932976 wrote: I don't know if you guys noticed (or maybe I missed something) but in the OP it is stated that the daylights would be T8, not T5.

Doesn't seem like a good idea to me.

I agree. T8 is worthless for coral.

 

[kstyle13]

I'm lost.... why are the t8 bulbs not good? It's putting out the same color temp as the T5 and they are 4x overdriven. Making them a bit more intense than the T5 high output.... When supplemented with the T5 ho actinic it statistically is great.... what am I missing?

 

[jdavid]

I don't know the numbers involved with T5 vs T8, but I do know that nobody uses T8's to grow coral. Everyone uses T5's. There's probably a pretty good reason why. Also I believe that you will be shortening the life of your bulbs by overdriving them so much. I would think that if you could get away with T8s everyone would do it because the bulbs are cheaper.

Are the end caps the same for T5 and T8?? If so I would return the T8 bulbs and go with the option that is proven to work.

 

[kstyle13]

No the end caps are different. T8 bulbs use a medium bi pin cap. While T5 bulbs use a mini bi pin end cap. Before T5 bulbs became popular people used t8 bulbs to do the same thing. Yes over driving bulbs does shorten the life span but not to the point of effecting the bulb since I will have them changed out before it effects them. T5 bulbs are more compact than t8 bulbs giving them a better application when installing above aquariums. Also T5 bulbs have been engineered to output a more intense quantity of light than your standard t8 light bulbs. When it comes to superior lighting in small spaces T5 bulbs are great. But you can achieve the same par values from a t8 by over driving them. Yes it shortens the life span of the bulbs from 3 years to about 1 year and half. However fluorescents decrease the amount of light they put out over time anyways. Thus the reason for changing bulbs every 6 months. So by over driving my t8 bulbs and supplementing with actinic lighting I am achieving identical llighting to a standard T5 ho system. With very little damage to my wallet. Now over time I will phase the t8 bulbs out and switch to T5 ballasts and lights. But for now I can't afford a nice pre made huge system so I used what I have. Did some research and made what I can afford work for now. It's like a bandaid. It serves the purpose and acts as skin. Over time you can remove the bandaid and the skin is replaced. Does this make sense? I hope so.....