SPS questions

No Prob HL14 just wanted to ensure people reading after us get the same benifit from the site we are getting.

Watts/G is a good rule of thumb but is not the only measure of light.  It's a very touchy subject.  Some say Colour Temp make a difference other say it dosen't.  Some Say PAR rateing is the true measure of light.  But I would have to say in a 55G (what is the hight?) 2X250W should be plenty.  How high off the water are you hanging them?  What colour temp bulbs are you getting and finally what name brand bulbs?  It's HQI right?

J

 

Jason,

Without wanting to seem disrespectful, I think that watts per gallon is a bad rule of thumb.  It has no relationship to light intensity and that is what is important, not how much electricity is consumed to create that light

John

 

Oh you caught me. My questions about the kind of light was to lead HL14 to the link that has the PAR ratings. But I wanted to ensure the bulbs he was buying were in the link. I'm even more confused about lighting now that we are seeing amazing SPS Tanks under T5s. As well I have a buddy that is running an SPS tank using NOs. He has great coral colouration and growth. So I'm no expert but the industry rates bulbs in Watts and the Hobbiests have adapted it.

J

 

Jason,

Sorry mate, I wasn't trying to 'catch' you It is a confusing issue and the reason it's confusing IMO is the need for rules of thumb.

Your NO example is a good one, you can keep SPS under NO lighting, no problems as long as the light source is very close to the tubes or you have a lot of tubes, it's really the amount of light energy that reaches the coral that is important.

That's the main reson that HID lighting like MH works so well because the light is emitted from a single point and is very intense, unlike NO lighting where the light is emitted over the whole tube

John

 

my 55 gal. is like 13" high. I'm gonna hang them 9" off the water. I'm getting 14K bulbs. There made by Coralvue. Yes they are HQI. Does HQI make a big difference in lighting.

 

i know that PAR ratings are the true measure of light but i dont have a PAR meter. i want one though.

 

Check this link out it has a very good comparison

cnidarianreef

Take a look at the whole page but at the bottom is a chart of bulb ratings on different Ballasts. The PAR is always much higher on the HQI

J

 

Good stuff Jason!

 

sorry auctually my tank is 18" high.

 

can brown algae like diatoms grow on sps corals.