250 AB DE vs 250 Iwasaki + 440 Actinics

[Rin]

Well, tax money came in. Instead of paying for long-overdue repairs on the house, I bought the Aquaspacelight Future with the moonlight.

Setup was a cinch. It took me about an hour to remove the old lighting and install the new fixture.

I'm still trying to decide if I like the new look. I guess I'll have to wait for the bulbs to burn in. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to devise an open-top cap of some sort to deal with the light spilling out all over the place. Here are some comparisons of the old verses the new.

My old lighting was 2x250 Iwasakis with 440 watts of actinics. The new lights are the 2x250 AB DE 10,000k.

Enjoy the pics:

first one: Iwasakis + VHO Front

[Rin]

np

[Rin]

np

[Rin]

np

[naser]

that mirror behind or infront of the tank makes your house look full of tanks...... nice light setup..

[Ironreef]

hmmm imo the color may look the same but I belive the 6.5 and 440w vho is more or better lighting than just 2 ab double end. Now if they have vho with them?? The color looks the same but as far a par goes.... Still the setup looks fine but i would keep the lights closer?? Can't tell in the pic but to high is wasted par IMO I wuld keep them at least 6-7 " Unless they need to be high for spread?

[Rin]

The Iwasakis were 7" from the water. I've placed the AB light 12" from the water as recommended by manufacturer. I agree that the lights should be a little closer. Spread is not an issue, I have a lot of light spilling out the sides. Once I get into a comfort level with the lighting, I'll move it down some.

When I build my new canopy (open top), I'll mount the VHOs inside. The inside walls of the canopy will be reflective to catch more light and send it into the tank.

The colors in the tank are more crisp than before, so I'm pleased with the lighting so far. The VHOs are definately going back in, though. Some of my corals don't glow like they did before.

I'm also seeing a benefit with water temperature. The lights have been going for 3 hours and the temp is only 78°F. The temp is usually above 80°F by now with the old lighting system.

The moonlight rocks. It gives the tank a whole different look at night. I'll try to post a pic if I can get exposure right.

The only downside so far is that the ballast hums and it's sorta loud. It's not as loud as the two fans I had before, but almost.

[Rin]

I moved the lights to 7" above the water, and the temp shot up to 86°F. Either I fork out the dough for a chiller or it's back to the fans. Darn. I don't really want to move the light back up, it looks a lot nicer where it's at.

[stang69]

Would it help to put a clip on fan on your sump or on the surface of your tank for some evap cooling?


Jeff

[Rin]

I'm going to cut the top off my old canopy and put what's left back on the tank. This way I can have the fans to help with cooling and also suppliment with the actinics. It'll be alright, I think. It'll even help with my worry that the wrasse might jump out.