UPGRADED!!! What can I do???

[raisedonnintendo]

Ok so I upgraded my lights. I have a standard 48 inch long 55g. I have a 4 bulb t5 over it. I added two 150 watt mh with 14k phoenix bulbs. What kind of corals can I handle now? Is a rbta gonna b ok? Is there n e thing I still don't have enough light for?

 

[acroholic]

Your RBTA should be fine...I have two under a 250 watt halide and they love it. The Nem will hide if the intensity is too much , then slowly work its way out.

I'd say you are good for almost any coral.......maybe not SPS on the bottom, but SPS anywhere else, and maybe even on the bottom. A lot depends on the reflectors you are using, I think. What kind are they?

 

[raisedonnintendo]

Ghetto. I have two 150 watt vipers with 14k phoenix bulbs. But I have two radium 20k coming n on Tuesday. Vipers r those clamp on 1's. My 4 bulb t5 r geisman 2 r attincs. Do u think I'm making at least a 100 par at the bottom?

 

[acroholic]

RaisedOnNintendo;582036 wrote: Ghetto. I have two 150 watt vipers with 14k phoenix bulbs. But I have two radium 20k coming n on Tuesday. Vipers r those clamp on 1's. My 4 bulb t5 r geisman 2 r attincs. Do u think I'm making at least a 100 par at the bottom?

With the T5s you may be OK. Not sure about the quality of the reflectors in the Viper. My guess is that you are on the edge of being/not being OK with sps on the bottom, as a 55 gallon is not that deep, so you should get decent penetration of the halides/T5s. Maybe put a less valuable SPS frag on the bottom as a test coral before placing more valuable ones there.

But I do think you'd be getting 100 par at at the bottom with the halide/T5s in place.

 

[raisedonnintendo]

I haven't got 1 yet. Wanted to make sure it would b good enough first. Just picked it up this weekend

 

[jonboyb]

Like I was saying yesterday....those Vipers are going to be very concentrated spread. You can probably keep anything near the centerpoint of the fixture, but PAR will fall quickly as you move away from the Viper.

 

[acroholic]

Phoenix bulbs are really nice as well.