diy reef lighting

[hayden]

hello, i want to set up my sw tank as a reef. i was wondering if i can use a shop light fixtures and put a VHO bulb in it. also what size bulbs does the avrage shop light tank? like t-8 or t12?

[hayden]

okay i looked it up and after about an hour of looking i have found that standard shop lights are t12 bulbs, so why cant i get a 24 inch shop light and put two 75 watt bulbs in it? any reason why i have to get a 300 dollar system to get corals?

[Mystix212]

Small Polyp Stoneys (SPS) are of the most light dependent corals. They need incredibly high lighting, no less then 4 watts per gallon. 5-6 watts per gallon will suffice.

Most corals need very high lighting so invest in some Metal Halides. If you havent got SPS lighting around the 3-4 watt per gallon area will do.

[sumpthingfishy]

You need a special ballast to run VHO lights. They have a higher wattage output so a standard ballast just wouldn't cut it. Unfortunately, good reef lighting = $$$$

See VHO bulbs at http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=202

[Mystix212]

Metal Halides which is the ideal light (Apart from actinic's) are extremely expensive to run. Using on average 150-250 watts per MH, they arent cheap. So running a reef tank is far more with corals.

[hayden]

the good guys at rc helped my find these
http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1349

hello also has some pretty cheap mh retro fits that i was thinking about getting also now that i have a steady job.

[sumpthingfishy]

I have kept a reef tanks now for the past 8 years (wow time flies) and have used standard fluorescent, power compacts and metal halides. All of which I have been able to keep corals. However, the trick is your coral selection with regards to your lighting. Some corals require very little lighting (need to feed these in most cases) and others do require the strong lighting like metal halides (SPS for example as mystix pointed out). I do also have some friends that sucessfully keep reefs with VHO and T5 systems. What it really boils down to is the choice of corals you plan on keeping. However, I really don't recommend standard fluorescents. VHO,T5 and power compacts can be used to keep most soft corals and some hard corals as well. SPS and clams however require the metal halides. Do your homework on the types of corals you would like to keep then chose your type of lighting. Another thing not all corals do well under very strong lighting! Low light corals are found at greater depths on the reef. These coral can be kept in high light systems but need to be in shaded areas in the lower part of your aquarium (bleaching can occur if placed in direct strong lighting). Choosing lighting for a reef tank is not an easy decision do your homework. Furthermore, reef tank owners all have their prefered lighting systems and swear by it. Funny thing not everyone has the same opinion so I guess you need to find the system or combination of systems that works best for you.

Good luck

[Atarax]

some SPS will do well under PC lighting. montipora capricornis and montipora digitata are two of the better ones under that lighting.

[sumpthingfishy]

Personally I have not kept any SPS under PC lighting so I can't comment on it. But Atarax demonstrates that with good homework on the corals you would like to keep, you can have a nice reef tank without metal halides.

[hayden]

can some one tell me what kelvin number is good and what number is bad for soft corals?

[sumpthingfishy]

It is hard to recommend a good kelvin number without knowing what type of lighting you will be running. Many reefs have combined lights. I would not go below 6500K for sure. 6500K would be best run with actinic bulbs as well (I beleive few aquarist go this route). Many aquarist combine 10 000K with actinics. You can go as high as 20 000K which usually don't need to have to run actinics. Many different combinations are used to achieve the desired look (color in aquarium). 6500K is more yellowish, 10 000K is whiter and 20 000k is more blue. So there really is no clear cut answer to your question. I could give you suggestions if I knew what lighting system you will be running.

[Nic]

I would skip MH lights as the heat they produce will require a chiller.... get good T-5HO lights and they will allow you to grow SPS LPS mushrooms etc.... they put out the lumens wich is key here not watts and don't heat the water... if you shop arround you can get retro kits for cheap as far as bulbs go I recommend geismans

[Mystix212]

MH's are a very good idea for larger tanks were you need high lighting. (75G+) For cooling, just aim a computer fan to blow wind accross the surface of the tank water.

[Atarax]

or....u can always drop a couple grand on the new LED lights they have recently put out. ive heard rave reviews. Although i dont know anyone persoanlly that can afford them lol