I have a nova extreme 4x39w set up. It has 2 actinic and 2 10,000K bulbs. I am trying to keep all types of coral, and the tank is 24" deep. Is there a K temp that would be better to trade out for one of the 10,000K bulbs that might penetrate the water deeper. What i have in there now seems to be doing fine but I think it might do better with some better lighting. Any ideas? I dont mind going a little bluer.
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One more lighting question
- Thread starter ckwatson
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Ya, The lower the K the better it is going to penetrate in the tank. So 6500K is better for that then lets say a 20,000K. Keep in mind though the lower the K the more yellow the light is going to be. If it were me (and I just did this on my tank) I would go with 1 10K bulb and 3 Actinic + bulbs. The Actinic + bulbs have about as much par as a 10K and but give you enough blue to cut through any yellow. The color come out like a very bright white with a blue hue. You could see if you have the same effect with a 6500K bulb.
These both seem like good ideas but seem a little off to me I would think if i replace one of the actinic bulbs it (which helps with the color of corals, right?) it would not have what it needs to color the corals and if I replaces one of the daylight bulbs with an actinic I would think it would not get the daylight they need to really grow well. If this is wrong, which it may be I am still trying to figure out this whole lighting thing. So how do you think just replacing one of the daylights with a lower K would work or is there a single bulb T5 fixture. which if the money is right on that it may be best because i could put a low K bulb in there and have more watts per gallon.
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Well one rule that you need to get out of your mind is that more watts per gal = more PAR. The old thinking, years ago when PC bulbs were new, was Wattage = usable light strength. That is simply not true to modern lighting fixtures like T5 and Halide. As we understand more about lighting we realize that PAR = intensity of light and wattage = electricty use and the two are not directly related all the times. It is this misunderstanding that lead to PC bulbs only coming in two really common types.... 10 K and "actinic". Modern lights come in much more flavors and for good reason, they all have different effects. The general rule of thumb is the lower the K the higher the par. This is not always the case as bulbs vary but it is a general rule. You also have two standards for Actinic... 420 nm and 450nm. One of the misconceptions is that the more purple the bulb the more "color" the coral develops. As far as I understand it, this is just not true. Yes, the color YOU see will be different, but the coral is the same color. I have also experienced lately that the more yellow (lower K) the bulb, the harder it is to wash it out. The wonderful thing about an True Actinic Plus bulb is it give you a great color balance to wash out the yellow/white of a 10 K with a nice blue without being too purple. Add that to the fact that the true actinic + does all this without much in the way of a drop in PAR and you have the reason most people choose these bulbs. I run two tanks, one with a halide + T5 and one with only T5s. On the halide tank, the XM 10K halide bulbs were REALLY yellow (almost like a 6500K) so I went with one Actinic + bulb and one Pure Actinic (purple) bulb. I needed this combo to wash out any yellow and it works. But my tank is really purple now and I like it that way. In my 40 gallon with T5s I tested every bulb from a 6500K to a pure actinic and everything in between. I settled on 3 actinic + bulbs and 1 10K. the color is white with a nice blue tint to it. I like the color and the corals look nice. I have not tested the PAR yet but it is very bright and I expect good growth in this tank. In the end it is all about what you are keeping in the tank vs. what looks good to your eyes.
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Aquabuys has prob the best prices on bulbs locally. Lucky for you I love about a mile from Aquabuys so if you want to see the colors first hand before you buy, you can just stop on by.
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Cam, Mike, Raj, Lee... Anyone find this data? (They are much better about finding that type of stuff then I am) I know it exists for Halide lights, I am not sure if it exists for T5 lights.
