Considering supplementing with Coralife Aqualight T5

[mark]

What about these to supplement my 2-250W 14K MHs. Not planning on growing anything with them, low price ($99 ea) but wattage seems low (28w bulbs).
http://www.esuweb.com/cardfile.asp?I...lationship=370

When I built the hood had planned it to fit pendant MHs and then NO 40W fluorescents that would be used for dusk/dawn. I've since been thinking actinics would be the way to go to get the corals to fluoresce but not finding any 40W actinic bulbs local. Seen the T5 fixture with daylight and actinics and considering as it would fit between the pendants and hood frame. It would be about 10" above the water and since sitting on the outside, it would also be above the euro-bracing. Like I said, just looking to get a like more from the corals.

[midgetwaiter]

I have a few of these, the actinic is very meh, doesn't compare to VHO or NO actinic at all. It isn't the wattage, nobody has done a very good job of T5 actinic until recently and AFAIK there are only HO T5 actinic that are decent. I replaced my actinic bulbs with 20000k blues, it looks better but things like green corals don't really seem to "glow" like they do under true actinic.

Any place that deals in Hagen stuff should be able to get you 2 40W actinic bulbs and an electronic remote ballast for them at about $150 or less.

[Moogled]

I keep two of these under my tank.

I like the fluorescent color spectrum, but when it comes to coral growth it's sustainable at best. Patches of GSP and Anthelia double up every 3 month-ish for me, and that's IF you put them near the top.

They aren't bad lights, and I've had decent success with these lights, but judging from your current setup, these Coralife lights are probably a waste of eletricity.

[Tarolisol]

The coralife T5s are not high output if it matter to you at all.

[DanG]

Get HO T5's with the proper M shaped reflectors, or just stick with VHO or NO lights.

[kwirky]

these are garbage. I have the 48" dual bulb T5 normal output fixture (the one you gave the link to), and it gives less light than a normally driven T8 bulb. Get HO driven lights with individual reflectors if you're thinking of T5.