Comments on: How Do You Know Which Aquarium Lighting You Will Need?

By: Carl Strohmeyer

Carl Strohmeyer — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 21:43:22 +0000

The basics are well covered, especially since aquatic lighting is a very complex subject with a lot anecdotal information also floating around the internet.
As already noted one often ends up with a Metal Halide (properly placed). I will also note that even though many will recommend a 14,000 K lamp, much scientific evidence points to around 6500K as the best temperature to achieve maximum PAR for symbiotic algae within the coral.
There are also many other lights available to achieve this that are not as well known in the internet community (well known among aquarium maintenance and design professionals though) such as SHO, T2 and some of the newer VHO as well.
http://americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Lighting.html

By: John

John — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:41:25 +0000

Quite true – light can be wasted if incorrectly placed. I always place fluorescent tubes as close to the water surface as is possible (they are, or should be, fitted with electrically protective end-caps etc). Metal halides need to be around 10″ from the water surface (or in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions) as the lights get very hot and a splash could be a problem.
Lighting has guidelines like many other items and the aquarist should always be ready to flex in relation to the specific needs of their own tanks.
Out of interest, I run a soft coral reef and use a bank of T8′s, actinic and marine daylight, and achieve very good growth over all the reef, top to bottom. Generally though, I would recommend the use of T5′s on that kind of tank, subject to depth.

John’s last blog post..How Do You Know Which Aquarium Lighting You Will Need?

By: ChehalisCoral

ChehalisCoral — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 03:30:01 +0000

This is something that I have delt with recently. I run a softy tank with a coupld LPS. I bought a t5 setup but realized it just wasnt cutting it. I now have MH lighting and my coral growth has taken an amazing turn for the better. Light placement off the water is equally important in my opinion. ChehalisCoral's last blog post.. DIY Reef Tank Surge Device/Wave Maker