Newbie Lighting confusion...

[sourmug76]

I currently have a 55g tank that is plumbed and has live rock curing in. Now I am research lighting choices for it. I do not have a canopy for it so I am looking at some type of fixture.

Here is where the confusion sets in....
I can get either a VHO setup with 4 110 watt bulbs for a total of 440 watts or...

I can get a PC fixture that has 6 - 65w bulbs for a total of 390 watts or...

I can get a T5 fixture that has 6- 54 watt bulbs for a total of 324 watts or...

I can get 2-175w MH fixtures for a total of 350 watts

I know that to grow most softies and anemones, it is recommended to have 8-10 watts per gallon. I eventually would like to have the option to raise these if I choose. Now I am confused... Is 1 watt of VHO the same as 1 watt of PC or T5 or MH? I have read the newbie guide waterkeeper wrote but still am confused. I understand the pattern of light that each bulb type produces and that reflectors play an important part of the amount of light that reaches the tank. But according to wattage... Does a 440 watt VHO system produce more light than a 350 watt MH system?

[sourmug76]

^bump for evening crew

[AZDesertRat]

VHO, T5 and PC lighting are different from MH lighting. MH is called a point source light, meaning it originates from one central point or location which is what gives your tank the shimmer look everyone desires. MH will be much brighter even though others may have higher wattages. VHO is a solid workhorse and is still a good choice, especially for actinic supplementation to MH. Nothing flouoresces like URI Super Actinics. Colors just jump out at you.
PC is fine for smaller tanks but does not penetrate down to the depths like MH nor does it have as good a color output as VHO.
T5 is pretty new and does a good job but depends entirely on the reflectors to get good penetration. I have yet to see an actinic as good as VHO though but they may be coming in the future, it is being said URI may produce T5 bulbs soon.

If it were me and I had a limited budget I would opt for MH today with the intention of adding VHO actinics later. If you have the resources to build a canopy or a friend that could help you, www.hellolights.com has retrofit systems which include ballast, socket, reflector ,wiring and XM brand bulb for $120 to $130 each.

Look here:
http://www.hellolights.com/magbalsys.html

Scroll down to ARO kits and choose bulbs and you will see the XM bulbs are a free option right now. With a 15k or 20k bulb you wouldn't need actinic supplementation now but 10k bulbs penetrate better and might be a better choice in the long run.

[usafa93]

Another option is to get a decent T5 system. New Wave makes one with individual reflectors that is relatively inexpensive. If it's not bright enough, you can always upgrade the ballast to an IceCap. The IceCap will overdrive the lamps, particularly the shorter ones, and you will get plenty of light to grow corals (too much for some corals).

Agree on the VHO actinics - the best.
PC - wouldn't even seriously consider it.

Metal Halide - be prepared to deal with the heat. Also, if you decide the Metal Halide route (my second favorite next to T5), you may wish to consider DE (also known as HQI). A single 250 DE will give you an amazing amount of light. If you run it on a magnetic ballast, versus the quiter/cheaper-to-operate electronic, you will get even greater PAR.

BTW: 8-10 watts/gallon is extremely high.

[AZDesertRat]

8-10 watts per gallon is the minimum recommended for most SPS corals. Watts per gallon is not really a good judge of light output though, it really depends on a lot of other factors like reflectors, ballasts, height above the water and such.

[usafa93]

"Watts per gallon is not really a good judge of light output though, it really depends on a lot of other factors like reflectors, ballasts, height above the water and such."

I totally agree.

As you noted, not all watts are created equal, at least not when translating to PAR.

As an example, a set of overdriven 6x24 inch HO T5s is only 144 watts. Put that against a 250 watt mogul metal halide driven by an electronic ballast and check the readings. You'll see that the efficient T5s are creating far more light than heat, and the requirement of 8-10 watts per gallon has dropped. The example becomes ridiculously clear when you compare the T5s to PCs.

I have two major constraints on my tank that drive my decisions. (1) Space. Since I have a hex tank, I have only a small area to pack the light into on the top of my tank. I need the brightest, most efficient solution. (2) Heat. Again stemming from the hex shape, which has a lower surface-area to volume ratio. Metal halides can really heat-up your tank.

Finally, not the paramount concern, but one nonetheless, Cash. T5s are cheaper to buy and operate. Combined with their flexibility (multiple lamp colors, different ballast for extra or lower power, different ballasts with different lamps) they are the clear choice for me.

BTW, If you check the threads on T5s, you'll note that folks were growing all sorts of SPS with these little tubes well below the 10-8w/gallon assumption.

[Silencer]

As the other people pointed out, wattage doesn't really mean all that much. You decide which lights are right for you based on the needs of your tank and then pick the appropriate wattage at the end. I think metal haldie, vho/t5 or a combination of both would all work good for your tank. Which one is best depends on heat, budget and of course personal taste.

Metal halide is probably the ideal choice, but only if your situation allows. It will provide the best light and will support anything you want but they do get hot and for a tank your size this can be a significant issue. If your system can handle the heat than it's mainly a question of what size do you get. 175w would be fine for your tank but 250w is basically the same cost and is a better long-term investment because it will work well on larger tanks if you ever upgraded. It would use more heat and power though so it isn't without drawbacks.

The other option is either VHO or T5. 440w of VHO would work well for your tank and an equivilent T5 setup would probably be good too, though I don't know much about T5 so I can't really comment on specifics.

I would not consider PC at all. They are nice for small shallow tanks (in my opinion this is mostly because they come in smaller sizes and VHO don't physically fit over many small tanks) but for a tank your size they just don't have the penetration or effectiveness of the other setups.

In the end the real question is this. What is your heating and cooling situation. Do you have any heat issues with the tank now? Do you have a chiller? How hot does your house get?

[sourmug76]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I live in Colorado and the tank is in a basement. So temps are stable if not on the cooler side consistently. I run three heaters on the tank (one as a backup). So I believe heat would not be an issue. I will check into MH so I can have the flexability for later as well as a comparable t-5 setup.

Thanks all again

[dadonoflaw]

i have a 125 gallon tank and i am also requesting advice. one guy said a half and half of MH's and PC's to avoid a chiller. i am really trying to avoid a chiller. also i will have a 50 gal sump/fuge. but i would like to keep some sps corals. the guy suggested 2x 400watt MH's. he suggests 20000 k's. any comments suggestions appreciated

[MCary]

Don't like 20k. Too blue. I like 10K but would like to see the 14k's.

[AZDesertRat]

PC bulbs get much hotter than VHO. I can grab and hold my VHOs not sweat but PCs will burn you. I agree that the 20k is pretty blue and therefore probably wouldn't need actinic supplementation. I have seen lots of combinations but still like the 10k MH, URI Super Actinic VHO combo best.
I have not seen them myself yet but am hearing rave reviews on the Phoenix DE HQI bulbs in the 14k or 15k range, I am told you don't need actinics with these.

[dadonoflaw]

i have heard about the phoenix 14k's as well so i guess if someone could compare the average 20000k output in terms of color and temperature if that is a factor to the phoenix 14k's. with ballasts preferences.

[Silencer]

Originally posted by dadonoflaw
i have a 125 gallon tank and i am also requesting advice. one guy said a half and half of MH's and PC's to avoid a chiller. i am really trying to avoid a chiller. also i will have a 50 gal sump/fuge. but i would like to keep some sps corals. the guy suggested 2x 400watt MH's. he suggests 20000 k's. any comments suggestions appreciated

I don't really like this advice. 400w halides are the least efficient and hottest of the halide bulbs and you don't need them over a 125g to begin with. You'd be much better off with 3x 250w running higher off the tank and a fan blowing between. You'd get more light, more coverage, use less power and likely create less heat too. Unfortunately there isn't any easy way to figure out how hot it will be until you do it, so you never really know until you try :(