What to use for actinic subliments?
 

I was thinking about using VHO actinics to go with 3 400w MH 10000k for my up and coming 66" long tank. Sound like a good idea. If so anyone know somwhere local to get a ballast to run a 60" long VHO bulb. Or any other ideas for actinic subliments.

I just run 4 ft. tubes on my 60" tank. Works well. I use a WH7 ballast to run the philips NO tubes.

So NO bulbs will be fine for the corals and all. On a 30"tall tank.

And does anyone know where to get these ballasts locally

Depends on whether you think actinic is required light for corals. I use mine only for dawn/dusk effects.

Oh I see, So it may or may not be needed for corals. Well just chages everything. I guess the question now is Is It needed for proper coral growth.

Look up Brite-Lite in the NE. Up by 32nd and Barlow (approximately).

No. But they will make the corals pretty. So they are nice over a tank (usually). Depends on your tastes, of course. I find a little actinic goes a long way to bring out colour highlights and such. HTH

Googled this :biggrin:

http://www.brite-lite.com/

14-3515 27 St NE, Calgary, AB T1Y5E4
(403) 250-3790
(403) 291-5397 (fax)
(800) 661-8153 (toll-free)
:idea: :idea: :idea:

I don't think popular concensus believes they're needed for proper coral growth. I think the primary use is color correction and dawn/dusk.

well i like the look it adds to my 10000k lights but if most feel they are only used for looks then i guess i will go with NO instead of VHO. Thanks alot guys. And ill be sure to check out brite light.

Yeah, I'm not real certain if VHO is a "necessity." (With that said, I do use VHO myself.) Another factor to keep in mind is that with the electronic ballasts (Icecap, Workhorse), you can overdrive NO lights, so you can get a little more oomph out of the lights but at a lower cost per lamp.

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Just my 2 cents here.

Although VHO may not be required for actinic lighting it is important to note that lighting below 480 Nm is still absorbed by corals. If you have ever turned on you actinics in the middle of the night you will see corals react to the light.

Low frequency lighting can penitrate to lower depths than higher frequency lighting, and this radiation that is barely visible to the human eye can still have a profound effect on coral growth. IMO VHO actinics are not needed, as NO actinics will reach lower depths with more ease than say a 10k or 50/50 bulb. It would be over kill, kind of like putting 400 watt MH on a 20 gallon nano tank.