1 more lighting thread with some questions

[Jack]

I would add a 20k Radium, I have seen tanks on the net that use 65k saki's with 20k radiums w/no actninic at all and it looks awesome. Start saving!

[Delphinus]

Here are my thoughts

Personally I think both ideas of adding another light, and lowering the existing lights, have merit. If reality wouldn't keep getting in the way, I'd have more lights in my canopies too (but since I already have 5 halides on the go as it is ..... did someone say "power bill" ?? Trust me, my power bill is bigger than yours any month!!! :P )

I personally feel that a mixture of bulbs yields the fuller spectrum than any one bulb type could provide. Where one bulb may be weak, another may be able to "pull up the slack" so to speak. The only thing is if bulbs have a vastly different colour to them you may get uneven colouring in your tank. When I first went into halides I had one side 14000K and the other 10000K so I could see what I liked better. The unbalanced look, while I was decided, was striking. It's very unnatural looking.

10000K is theoretically not all that a huge contrast (not as bad as say 14000K or 20000K). So a supplemental 175W/10000K sounds like a good idea.

Since we're talking about supplemental light, you may wish to consider the light without a reflector (or maybe just a flat reflector above the light), so to spread out the light. As Ross points out the further away from the light, the less light going into the water at that point, but I don't think that's a concern in this case because 1) this is just to supplement a little bit, and 2) it will help to "blend" the light zones somewhat. At any rate it is something you can try first, you can see what you think, and then decide whether to spend the additional $75 on a parabolic reflector.

Also, about lowering the lights .... again as Ross pointed out (but it was sooo boring to read :P ), the intensity falloff is exponentially proportional to the distance of the light source (note to you grammar nit-picks ... I said the "falloff" is exponentially proportional, which should be the same as saying "intensity is proportional to the inverse of the exponential distance" ... ow my head hurts never mind). If I could get away with it, I'd have my lights 1" above my water surface!! If I pay $10-20 per bulb per month, I feel better knowing that as much of that light is "useable" rather than being discarded by bouncing off this or that, cover glasses, attenuation, etc. etc.

Anyways just my $0.02

PS. Adding another light is going to stave off your boredom for about .... well, 2-3 hours, tops. So don't put a lot of stock in this to help you deal with your fidgetiness .... :P

[Canadian Man]

Thanks Tony! I always like your long rambling posts :P
Kidding....They are very informative.

That's a good idea about adding it with out the reflector. Partly, because I have all the stuff to do it that way and the other is that it saves me $75 to put toward my radium fund .

I would like to lowwer my lights but it would be alot of work,
1. I have to first lower my actinics, which is the most difficult part and then lower the halides which is actually the easy part.

Anyone want to come help me redo my hood one evening????lets say around 10:30 pm, as not to disrupt the lighting periond too much

[Delphinus]

Well you know I'd be happy to help out with a set of hands (clumsy as they may be) anytime, as I'm sure most of us would also be... Anytime I'm not fidgeting, er ... "adjusting" one of my own setups that is.

Could you mount two of the actinics on the front and back sides of the hood? That way you only need to mount 2 bulbs laterally, and maybe then you have enough room to lower your reflectors?

Last but not least, if you need a socket without a reflector, I suggest a place like QuickGrow (just a block or two south of Wai's on Centre St.) or Bumper Crop (up by Pisces), they have a threaded socket that you can use to mount using galvanized piping, this is what I have used (with the exception of the forthcoming 72g hood of course). If you need to look at them to get the sizes and stuff ... well ... you know where I live ....

cheers

[Canadian Man]

Thanks Tony!