Which is weaker?

That would be hard to tell, there are a ton of variables, including water clarity.

Your exact PAR really could only be found with a PAR meter. But I am pretty sure that that combo would be aesthetically pleasing, and would allow you to keep whatever you would want.

 

The link Doc posted is ingrained into my head.

 

It is now ingrained into my favorites menu!;D

 

OK, first of all, it's not all about PAR. We have to recognize this. Sure, it is a variable, but that's it....just one variable. There is PUR also (Photosynthetically Usable Radiation).

PUR, a quality of PAR, measures how much of that PAR is actually usable by the photopigments found in the zooanthellae. Photopigments will respond to violets, blues, some greens and most reds. Looking at the PAR of the Actinic White vs. the Superactinic (UVL), you find the PAR of the AW is much higher than the SA. However, the PUR of the SA beats the AW hands down.

Now, that is just one small part of the equation.

Also there is the color spectrum of the bulb and how much red, blue, violet, green, etc. is measured in the output. Not only how much, but in what percentage. PAR is nice to look at to guage strength, but if the spectrum is not where it needs to be, it will not perform well. Period. This is where bulb combinations become key. Actinics to handle the feeding and the daylight to provide some greens and, more importantly, reds to cause not only the growth of the coral itself, but help in the multiplication of that which is necessary to sustain coral grown, the zooanthellae.

Now. You are thinking SPS. SPS can be kept under T5s, and you will get some color. But MH is the way to go with SPS. Myself, I got the T5s to keep clams and LPS/Softies. I chose the UVLs because they are a great bulb with excellent spectral characteristics. LPSs and softies respond very well under their glare. Eventually I will get an SPS tank, but that is going to be MH all the way. And I don't like MH. Too much heat.

So, my recommendation for you is to scrap the T5 idea if you are going to keep SPS and go for MH. I would still use a few UVL Superactinics to suppliment. There are combinations of MH/PC and MH/T5 out there. Given the choice, with a tank your size, I would go MH/T5. T5 will penetrate much better than PC.

Maristar is a good place to start concerning MH fixtures. Reefgeek has these as well. A product of Sunlight Supply, they are not junk. Good quality units. And yes, expensive.

I am soooooo glad we are in this hobby at this point in time. It is expensive, but at least great products are available to those of us who are willing to spend the money.

Later dude.......Peace and Rock on.......John.

 

John I value your opinion but its a lot of money for a t5/MH setup I would love to get one trust me I would I thought about this before I started this hobby but from the one that I am looking at it is more then what I have spent on everything so far.
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/Me...W_MH_&_2x54W_T5_HO_(Black)_by_Sunlight_Supply
I understand what you are saying about the PAR and the PUR which was very helpful to me. Okay so I have dropped the mainly SPS idea and I am moving on to just a very very few SPS that would be at the top of the tank and going with the TEK fixture. Okay so now that we are pas the SPS issue what kind of bulbs do you think John? I know I just can not get off this subject I am sorry....

4 -- ATI Blue Plus
2 -- UV Lighting 75-25
1 -- ATI 12000K Aquablue
1 -- GE 65000K Daylight

I like that one a lot but still not sure about it. Like Horkn said it would be hard to tell no matter what bulb combonation of what the par will in the end be with out a PAR meter and I can tell you right now I do not have one and nor do I know anyone that has one.

 

You got that right!!!! Combinations, unless tested individually, are difficult to predict. Well, that pic is a little blue even in the day. Looks a little more purple in the day and a little whiter at night. In the end, it will be a balancing act ITO coral health and asthetics. I tend to recommend what I like.....what I find successful. There are lots of other combos out there, some with better results, .....and some not so good. The bulbs I have now are

2x UVL 75/25, 2x Actinic White and 4x Superactinics.
The overall look is a whitish blue. I am satisfied with the color but just barely. I like a bluer tank.

4x Actinic White and 4x Superactinics
This is what I am going to do. I am going 1:1. The overall effect is going to be a little whiter than I like, but more percentage in the red (an eighth), half of the spectrum purple and a quarter blue.

5x Superactinic and 3x Actinic White.
This is what I think you would like asthetically. The feeding would be great. However, coral growth would be retarded a bit.

4x 75/25 and 4x Superactinic.
A little bluer than what I have. I think this would be my favorite combination. But, IMO, not enough in the red and green. Thus, I would sacrifice growth for looks.

All of these are UVL combinations. I have not dealt with ATI and Giesemann but in listening to posts, have heard more good things along the Giesemann line. With ATI, I have heard everything from great to awful. And these are not from noobs.

Now, I have some reservations about putting a GE bulb in the 6000K range in a tank. Correct me if I am wrong, but I see this as adding a yellow (icky) hue and potentially causing algae growth. I keep my tank out of direct sunlight (which is about 6700K). Again, correct me if I am wrong on this. About this, I am speaking off the cuff. I imagine the GE would have great PAR but really bad PUR. I would use a 10000K bulb over one of these in a heartbeat, and I think 10000K bulbs are too yellow. But, of course, that differs from brand to brand. The kelvin rating is hopelessly simplistic. Just gives a very basic idea of what's going on......

So, I know I haven't laid out a combination for ya that is set in stone. Didn't want to do that. Because my ideas and beliefs are just that: Ideas and Beliefs.

Whatever you get with your fixture, I am sure you will like. A little tweaking aside, your tank will do well. I am glad you are doing LPSs. The idea of even a Tek driving an SPS dominated tank was making me nervous.

Good thread guys and gals. We learned a lot in this one. Me especially. Thanks all.

 

And I had forgotton just how expensive the Maristar was. Wow. They are a pricey unit are they not??!!!!!

 

pharmrjohn, I am well aware of the PAR and PUR relation.

Unfortunately, even the most renowned scientists are not 100% sure exactly how these factors affect corals for sure.

I can say that for a mixed reef tank that you want to keep anything and everything in, a t5ho and MH combo is far and above the best option. Having run a strictly t5ho lit tank fro several years, i can say that certain corals and other photosynthetic critters reacted differently to an all t5ho lit tank, versus the t5/ mh tanks they came from originally. Sure, water quality and levels of Ca , Alk, phosphates, etc all play a part in how well certain critters do, but by far the best looking and most healthy tanks have been lit by a combo of mh and t5.

I am not a big fan of the GE 6500k bulb, despite its long life and high PAR. It does pretty much encourage algae growth, and it is not pleasing to the eye, especially ina 3 bulb array like I had on my 35g.

Also, I have seen quite a few SPS dominant teklight lit tanks. They work well, especially when cooled properly.

 

What SPS can you not keep in the T5 lit tank? Are there some ABSOLUTELY NOT species that only do well under MH? Or is the success just a measure of placement.

And sorry if I offended dude. I came off really strong. I reread it and got annoyed at me.

I love this game. Sooooo many variables.....;D

 

BTW. While I was typing my last response, my daughter (6) started in "Go to iCarly.com, Go to iCarly.com". I dare any of you to do so. I am just starting to recover.......