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  #1  
Old 10/11/2006, 10:01 PM
fishnut321 fishnut321 is offline
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has anyone tried using pc spotlights on a frag tank??

assuming i can find a 6500 or 10000 k 20 watt pc spotlight, would they be powerfull enough to grow soft corals???
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  #2  
Old 10/12/2006, 06:33 AM
jake levi jake levi is offline
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I do it a whole lot cheaper, hardware store spots, that clamp on the tank with compact flos of 26 watts(100 watt incandescent comparable). I do have a couple bigger up to 120watts incan. These do soft corals just fine, also one montipora that was a gift.

Not too far away the hoods on the 29s will come off replaced by glass tops with two spots hanging over each tank. Not sure the spectrum range, havent found that yet but all corals are doing well and the mexican caulerpa is coming on nicely. I am comparing against two 48" lamps, one actinic one blue moon, that might get a spot on each end, still looking at that,

bottom line soft corals are quite modest in their needs. Under this lighting my mushrooms are 4" + and growing, and others are following suit. Right now I am just scaling growth per month on all frags as they develop into colonys. So far so good.
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  #3  
Old 10/12/2006, 04:08 PM
fishnut321 fishnut321 is offline
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well, ive seen the 26 watt spotlight next to a halide, and it seems like the spotlight is almost or as intense as the halide. I hope someone who is more lighting knoledgeable will chime in!
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  #4  
Old 10/12/2006, 08:12 PM
xxxbadfishxxx xxxbadfishxxx is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by jake levi
I do it a whole lot cheaper, hardware store spots, that clamp on the tank with compact flos of 26 watts(100 watt incandescent comparable). I do have a couple bigger up to 120watts incan. These do soft corals just fine, also one montipora that was a gift.

Not too far away the hoods on the 29s will come off replaced by glass tops with two spots hanging over each tank. Not sure the spectrum range, havent found that yet but all corals are doing well and the mexican caulerpa is coming on nicely. I am comparing against two 48" lamps, one actinic one blue moon, that might get a spot on each end, still looking at that,

bottom line soft corals are quite modest in their needs. Under this lighting my mushrooms are 4" + and growing, and others are following suit. Right now I am just scaling growth per month on all frags as they develop into colonys. So far so good.
can you get some pics of your setup? i never heard of anyone using spotlights for frag tanks, i guess a lot of people use them on their fuge. If thats the case, it is a really affordable way to set up a small frag tank for soft corals.
  #5  
Old 10/12/2006, 10:10 PM
fishnut321 fishnut321 is offline
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i would like to know more technical stuff like par etc, i think it would work, its just a matter of getting hte right color temp.
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  #6  
Old 10/13/2006, 05:28 AM
jake levi jake levi is offline
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The 'spots' are plain old hardware store spots with clamp-ons.

The flos are called 'mini-twisters', they use 26 watts and are rated to equal a 100 Watt incandescent. They say they put out 1600 lumens, which already I see is more then mushrooms need as two nice red ones turned brown from the internal xoanthellae. I also have a couple on other tanks that are brighter and comparable to a 120 Watt. The rated life for these is 6,000 hrs. The Kenya trees seem to do well under them as do stars, anthelia, and leathers, but I am putting the mushrooms back under lower light. Or no.

I will use them on a sump when I get that far along.

The only colors that are relevent for corals are blue and white.
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  #7  
Old 10/13/2006, 09:53 AM
fishnut321 fishnut321 is offline
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where can you get those spotlights? do you know what the color temp is?
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  #8  
Old 10/13/2006, 10:59 AM
jake levi jake levi is offline
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You can buy the clamp spots at any harware, walmart or home depot, the bulbs too, check them out.

Dont know the color temp, should be available from the mfg. There are a couple brands on the market now. I have used them almost a month, so far so good. One montipora appears to be doing well with them.
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  #9  
Old 10/13/2006, 11:20 AM
fishnut321 fishnut321 is offline
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awesome, i wil def. have to check that out.
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