Halides drowning our the color - can anything help?

kmcmurtry

kmcmurtry

Turbo Snail
#1
#1
So I have two 175 watt halides (14k and 15k spectrum) over my 90, about 14 inches maybe off the water, and a couple moonlight LED fixtures. I thought I would use an old VHO ballast I had and bought a 110 watt VHO bulb last night, the '454' which is nice and blue. My intent was to make my corals 'pop' like an LED would (if I could afford one) I hooked it up and the tank looked awesome. My zoas had colors I'd never noticed before. Some gorilla nipple zoas I had which look plain brown in daylight looked orange and everything flouresced (probably misspelling that). Greens looked greener. My pink zoas looked pinker. The whole tank had a nice blue glow. Then the halides warmed up and BLAH! Basically I lost the whole effect except a slightly bluer tinge to the water.

I'm kind of wondering if I bought a different vho bulb, would that help? LFS had some other types besides the '454'. Or is that a lost cause with the my halides?

Would replacing the halides with a different color temp help? Is the current color temp going to wipe out the actinic or blue effect anyway I go?

I don't keep hard corals or anything that needs super intense lighting. Another road I am considering is removing the halides and getting another 110w '454' so I have 2 strung up for lighting instead of halides. My ballast can handle 2. I am wondering if this would give me the 'pop' I am looking for and maybe a reduction in heat?

Thoughts?
 
kmcmurtry

kmcmurtry

Turbo Snail
#3
#3
OK, I might try that - thanks! I'm almost tempted to go all LED with tax refund but hubby doesn't know yet...
 
andrew

andrew

Butterfly Fish
#4
#4
lol Leds will save you many $ in a few years just on the cost it takes to change halide bulbs, plus eveytime you change its a new flucation of par and light so it might effect the corals. Go with Some nice leds that last 10 years and you wont regeret it. they are expensive, but Chris from reef koi could hook you up probably cause his arent that bad of a price. since you dont keep the itense lighting required corals u could even go for a lower watt that less expensive.
 
M

mjaustin22

Turbo Snail
#8
#8
Id go for 175w Iwaski (sp) in halide as I've heard they are the best between 150 and 250w and grab a vho actinic along with 1 all blue reefbrite to give you the best of everything. Your reef will pop like no other with that combo!!!
 
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