why cant i use sodium vapor or halogen lights for my reef? are they the wrong spectrum of light or what? i cant figure it out, me and my dad argue about it all day.
lighting
- Thread starter fatsolomon
- Start date
nope cant use them spectrum its way off HPS produce a lower spectrum of light metal halides are more versital and can produce a range of spectrums and for a reef i would recomend a 20,000K bulb. hope this helps
Nic
Nic
Three to five watts per gallon for reef. Some folks say only spectrum matters. Some folks only say wattage matters. However they are both vital. To get an idea of how light can differ, go to the florescent bulbs at walmart and you will see what some of the spectrums are best for.
There are a lot of variances with MH bulbs. Yes, some people go with K rating, others with wattage. To your fish, they don't care about the lighting as much. Corals on the other hand do. They require the highest light possible(sps with the highest requirements). When it comes to corals, most that I know will look at the PAR level the light produces.
PAR=Photosynthetic available radiation-which is the amount of light available to a coral depending on how deep the coral is in your tank.
This should give you guys something to debate
http://www.personal.psu.edu/sbj4/aquarium/articles/MetalHalideLamps1.htm
PAR=Photosynthetic available radiation-which is the amount of light available to a coral depending on how deep the coral is in your tank.
This should give you guys something to debate
http://www.personal.psu.edu/sbj4/aquarium/articles/MetalHalideLamps1.htm
You can use it for your reef, but will it provide the right par level and wattage, and k rating all at the same time? I say no. There are others who have used them, and have had success with some softies and easier to keep lps.
nothing. the spectrum is wrong. at least for salt water. you might be able to keep some house plants if you put the bulb up high enough. Basically, what I'm saying is that you really should use lighting designed for reef aquariums to have corals live. It's that simple.