# lighting?



## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

what is the difference of a power compact and just the regurlar light strip that comes with an aquarium? ive been lookin at alot of them online and their doesnt seem to be a difference. and what is the difference between actinic and regular fleuresent?


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## DavidDoyle (Jan 18, 2005)

A power compact puts out a lot more light for the same number of inches as a regular Fluor. The pc bulbs also tend to last longer in terms of effectivenss and they tend to produce less heat/watt of light. Actinic is a blue light needed in reef aquariums, it provides virtually no benefit to fw tanks.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

actinic isn't needed but it does bring out the colors of corals. So its more of a "look" thing than anything, however, some hobbyists claim better coral growth with actinics.


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## DavidDoyle (Jan 18, 2005)

I am not a sw person but in this is what I learned re lighting in general and actinics specifically:



> Blue pictures underwater
> This is the same effect that causes underwater photos taken below three feet to be so blue. Just as the atmosphere absorbs non-blue light so does water, except water absorbs non-blue light at a much greater rate. Almost all non-blue light below three feet of water is absorbed.
> 
> Actinic
> These tubes emit light only from the blue end of the spectrum and are used in marine setups to supply the blue that is missing from normal aquarium lighting but is required by marine algae, anemones and corals. They are usually only available from specialty aquarium stores and are not cheap. They have little or no application for growing freshwater aquarium plants.


from http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/4742/lighting.html


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

I never said actinics weren't good for sw, however they aren't "needed" I for one have no actinics, and my corals are doing fine... just not as colorful (because of the way they reflect the light) when you look at them, however if you I put some actinics on there the corals would have the same vibrance as if they were there from the start.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

so can i put a pc bulb into my regular ballast. or is it a special system all together. and certain shrimp and crabs need more light so if i plan on getting these, i should get a pc? or is that usually for corals and other inverts?


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

it needs a special ballast... crabs and shrimp do not need more light, however liverock wouldn't mind the extra light.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

so a double bulb ballast with one white and one actinic (i just like the blue color) would be plenty for a 46 gallon tank, live rock/sand? that would be more than enough right?


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

No. a standard NO output bulb does not produce enough light for a saltwater reef or FOWLR. Most PC bulbs don't either. For instance I have 4x65 over a 75 gallon tank. Not enough lighting for a reef. You may be able to grow a few corals but forget about anything else. I'm thinking a 46 gallon tank uses a 20 inch NO bulb. Thats 24 watts. Even doubled, that is no where near enough light for a salt tank unless its fish only.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

yes it is going to be fish only, ive kicked around the idea about getting some bulb tips or some inverts like that, but if a decent double pc wont do it, i dont think i want to get into investing much more than that on lighting.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

It all depends on the watts... what model are you looking at for pc's


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

i did some looking around online but ill probably head to some stores around here and just get one of their models, i want a white light and a actinic. i just like the color it makes in the tank, so maybe 4 watts per gallon? or is that the wrong "rule"


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

4 watts would keep liverock alive... however, make sure you get power compact florescent lights... I would order from hellolights.com or marinedepot.com. I got my VHO lights from marinedepot and was very satisfied with the quality and price... if I went to a local store I might have paid 1.5X the price of marinedepot, of coarse, everything is super inflated here so that doesn't mean they wont have good prices where youre at.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

if 4 watts would keep live rock alive, what do you recomend for some of the easier inverts like bta's and such? and can you recomend any inverts that would be nice and easy for a beginner


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

bta's wouldn't be my choice for an easy invert, as would any anemone. However, there are plenty of corals that would thrive under 4 watts/gallon, such as mushrooms, hairy mushrooms, some star polyps, some leathers, and xenia.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

hmm i havent even really looked at corals, not really an intrest, i was going to go with all fake corals, the only reason i considered the anemone is because id like some clowns, since i might need a little more practice and money before i try them ill just stick with the live rock and sand and such. if 4 watts per gallon is ok, do you count each bulb seperatly? example.... with 46 gallons, it would need 184 watts, so round up to 200, so if i get a double ballast, with 2 100watt bulbs, is that sufficient? or do you have to get 200 watt bulbs for each side of the ballast?


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## N1z (Nov 21, 2005)

question...... where in the world do u get 100 watt bulbs i only ever find t-6 25watt ons for my tank!?


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

haha i dont konw, i just assumed they made them, if 4 watts per gallon is a good rule of thumb, i figured i needed 200 watts, does that mean i need 8 bulbs?


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## Damon (Jan 18, 2005)

Depends on the tank dimensions and pc size. If your tan kis long enough you could go 2x96 or 4x55. Your tank would have to be 48 inches long for these fixtures. otherwise you will need a different combination for lighting.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

t-6's are the cheap stuff... power compacts vho's and metal halides are all power. I'd go with the 96 watt pc's.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

ok, this is all getting so damn confusing. someone give me a straight answer as to what they think i should get, i have a 46 gallon bow, i think its 36 inches long, i want it to have live rock/sand, and fish and some shrimp and stuff, no corals, no inverts like anemones or nothing, what kind of lighting configuration should i get if i want a white and an actinic bulb?


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

lol... settle down, lighting is one of the most complex topics in the hobby to pick up. 

here is one that would be suitable for your tank
http://www.hellolights.com/362xcoraqpch.html
or maybe you want a canopy and retrofit kit
http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=PF4152
VHO's will work too
http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=ICK362


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

thank you so much fish first, lol im sorry i got a little upset, i was just getting so many weird answers, haha but thanks i think im going to go with the first one.


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## CMonroe (Dec 20, 2005)

leveldrummer said:


> ok, this is all getting so damn confusing. someone give me a straight answer as to what they think i should get, i have a 46 gallon bow, i think its 36 inches long, i want it to have live rock/sand, and fish and some shrimp and stuff, no corals, no inverts like anemones or nothing, what kind of lighting configuration should i get if i want a white and an actinic bulb?


LOL, I feel your pain...

This has been a sore spot for me too. I'm on a budget (and probably don't have any business messing around with a marine aquarium) and the cost of lighting has caused me to neglect that aspect of my system. It looks like that has finally caught up with me, and my anemone is dying. I was saving up for a new Dell 19" LCD for my PC, but it looks like I'm going to stop by the LFS on the way home and get a new light for my aquarium instead. The anemone is probably thinking "It's about #&*%[email protected]^ time!"

They wanted to sell me this one Coralife 36" Aqualight w/ 2-96w & 2 lunar blue moon glow LEDs for $189 + tax. That was a special price before Christmas, but I bet I can get it for that price today too. That still doesn't break the 4w/gal minimum that my 58gal tank needs, but I'll also keep my current 36" fluorescent & 18" actinic in place. I hope that will handle my lighting needs :? 

What do you think?


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