How much lighting do i need?

[BigCrowd42]

I have a 125g tank 6 foot long. I am just getting into corals want to do mushrooms/softies and maybe a frogspawn etc.. Things that wave in the current. I am going to run VHO's I presently have an Icecap 430 ballast running 2 160w URI's 1 50/50, 1 atinic.the lights are mounted about 16" above the tank in the stand.Is this enough or should i add another 430 ballast and 1 50/50 & 1 atinic for a total 4 tubes 640W total ? looking for opinions
to see what I can grow w/2 tubes VS. 4 tubes

 

[NateHanson]

with the tubes that far over the tank, and such a long tank, I'd probably add a few more tubes. Also, with a second ballast, you could run actinics on a longer photoperiod than the white bulbs, for a fade-in/fade-out effect.

 

[BigCrowd42]

Thanx Nate. More advise from others would be apprieciated I am a newbie to corals.

 

[Scarfish]

can you move the lights down any more? 16" off the surface is very high.

 

[clamm]

i think you either need to add some more vho's or add mh, t5...something...although what you listed as your wants dont require tons of lighting better safe then sorry...the frogspawn i believe in your list will be the most sensitive but that doesnt mean vho's arent enough...you can always move it up if you see its not doing as well. for the price though you can spend a few hundred and get some mh's and be able to keep most anything.

 

[NateHanson]

In my experience the stuff you list will do very well under VHO. If you want clams or SPS I'd suggest MH, but if you really expect to stay with soft wavy stuff, then VHO will save you money and heat problems.

 

[clamm]

why so high off the tank...there is a exact # but once the light gets the the water the intensity goes down quickly as you get deeper, so by having the lights that high off the tank you need more wattage to do the same as less watts but closer to the water...make sense?

 

[clamm]

4 vho's at about 6-10" above tank should be able to keep about anything...

what do you guys think? there may be some extreme lps and sps that require tons of light that I dont know about...

 

[Scarfish]

4 vho's at about 6-10" above tank should be able to keep about anything...
what do you guys think? there may be some extreme lps and sps that require tons of light that I dont know about...

I dunno. In my experience, I have a digitata that doesn't grow that much at all and I have 4 VHO lights about 5" off the water and the digitata is at the top of the tank. maybe 4" below the surface.

I doubt u could keep most any sps under vho.

 

[NateHanson]

Not in my experience Casey.

SPS can be "kept" under VHO, but they just don't seeem to grow very well (as a generalization). Check out Wrassefan's thread on "XM SE MH bulbs" He has been keeping a great tank under T5 lighting for a while now, and he's generally had good success, but is switching to MH because he's not satisfied with the growth rates on his SPS, and in some cases, the color. (Excuse me Andy if I'm putting words in your mouth.)

 

[clamm]

I guess then you really need to pick you livestock based on the lighting or upgrade to a bigger system...

 

[wrassefan]

Your going to have a tough time getting light to the bottom of that tank with VHO being 16" above the tank. I use to have 4-48" vho and I would consider it low light in my 90.

 

[Scarfish]

if you have the money, go with MH. it is quite a difference!

then you could have your VHO ballast fire up all Blue Actinics an hour or 2 before and after MH come on.

 

[NateHanson]

Based on what you specified as your livestock, I think you'll be fine with 4 VHO. No need to go MH. If you want SPS, I'd go MH.

 

[PenMan]

Everybody seems to start out thinking that they will stay with softies. You will then see a clam or an Acro that you love. We have the same tank with two 6 foot URI super atinics and 3 Reef Optix III with 250 watt DE MH bulbs. Let me know if you would like to see it.

We are also running at 72 gallon bow with 4x48 VHO as softie tank.

 

[BigCrowd42]

I agree heat is why I wan't VHO.I actually went through the trouble to locate the Ballasts in the basement right below the tank.I wan't to keep it simple and VHO seemed right

In my experience the stuff you list will do very well under VHO. If you want clams or SPS I'd suggest MH, but if you really expect to stay with soft wavy stuff, then VHO will save you money and heat problems.

 

[BigCrowd42]

I wan't them up that high so i can service the tank and never havew to move them. I agree mh about the light losing it's punch the deeper you go into the water but the air gap is air not water Dunno what do you think?

why so high off the tank...there is a exact # but once the light gets the the water the intensity goes down quickly as you get deeper, so by having the lights that high off the tank you need more wattage to do the same as less watts but closer to the water...make sense?

 

[NateHanson]

less of the light will hit the water the higher the light is, because it is not radiating vertically downward, but in many directions towards the water. The angles depend on your reflector. Say your reflector sends a 45 degree wedge of light towards the water, if that wedge starts from 6" up everthing hits the water surface. If that wedge is 2 feet up portions will miss the tank on each side, and only a fraction will hit the water surface.

 

[BigCrowd42]

The URI bulbs have built in reflectors. I think i will just use 4 VHO bulbs with a total of 640 watts. I can live with the limitations. I originally wanted SPS & LPS but I like lower maintenance of the softy tank and the swaying in the current thing.I just want a nice natural looking enviroment to show off my fish. Thanks everybody for the input