There are many lighting choices available for the reefkeeper to be, so I'm going to give a very brief description of available lighting out there. The preceding is not supposed to be a concise replacement to a good "how to" book, but rather a supplementary or quick read to what's available out there. Most of the information contained herein is from personal experience, and individual results will vary.
Fluorescent types
NO- Normal Output
PC's - Power Compacts
VHO - Very High Output
t5 - also a type of VHO, but smaller diameter
HID/Metal Halide - High intensity discharge
LED - Light emitting diode
Lighting CAN be quite complicated. Budget and the type of tank you want to setup and the kinds of organisms you'd want to keep will determine your lighting choices. Most of us at one point or another have kept and/or started with a tank that came with the standard flourescent strip light. Soon after that we decided to move up to specialty lights because you've either:
a) seen a friend's tank
b) want the best of the best
c) received a recommendation from someone
I myself have gone through these numerous changes which started out with a 15W incandescent bulb (freshwater tank). NO flourescent bulbs came next when I upgraded the tank to saltwater then reef, then I tried the VHO's. A little later, I fell in love with the shimmer they had at the display tank at my LFS, so I added a 120V incandescent bulb in my hood (NOT reccommended!) for the effect. When I was able to muster up some larger greens, I migrated to halide. A year or two passed, and I setup a new tank after I moved out of my parent's. My first SPS reef was powered by PC lights. Missing the shimmer again, I decided to sell the PC lights and then went with a combination of VHO and halide since I really liked the pop of the VHO's. Just recently, commercial-grade LED and T5 lighting got introduced into our hobby, and so I decided to switch from VHO+halide and am now running T5+halide. I am also now running a small strip of LED's but doubt if I'll ever go full LED due to my budget. With the exception of a solar tube, I think I just about have most lights covered!
Lighting plays a very important role in our tanks, a role that other authors in our hobby can best describe. As mentioned above, the type of corals (and tank size) you plan to keep should be kept in mind when choosing your first lighting system. A few questions to ask yourself:
1) how much (realistically) is my budget?
2) am I capable to DIY a retrofit?
3) Do I plan on using this lighting system in another tank? (upgrades are inevitable!)
4) What organisms do I plan on keeping now and in the future?
5) Is heat an issue for me?
6) How deep is my tank?
Let's go through what I've done and what I've kept successfully when it comes to light!
NO lights- The introduction of the "dual strip-light" a decade or so ago enabled me to setup my first Reef tank. I had an anemone, some caulerpa, mushroom corals, yellow polyps and two clownfish in a 20 gallon long tank with a dual strip light. The tank did rather well because I didn't really have a lot of light loving organisms, fed the anemone daily AND the tank was only 13 inches high. However, the anemone perched itself to the highest rock which probably meant it needed more light. These lights are great for Fish-only tanks (or to get the tank cycled awaiting your full-blown reef). As a matter of fact, I have seen some pretty nice display tanks, FO or FOWLR that use NO lights and although a bit too dim for my liking, still provide the necessary UV's to keep the fish happy. There are various spectrums you can utilize to achieve a nice bright and blue "pop" effect- Get a 50/50 bulb and an actinic03 bulb, and you'll be all set.
Organisms:
Fish only
Fish only with Live rock
Species tanks- mangrove types (shallow), brackish
Terrariums
very low light soft corals (polyps, mushrooms)
PC's- I never did care too much for my former Power compact setup. The limitations of bulbs bothered me, and they got a bit hot compared to the NO bulbs (naturally, since they are driven harder). What I did like about the PC setup however, was the fact that it produced a brighter light, a stronger wattage compared to the NO bulbs. I was actually able to keep montipora type corals in my tank as well as some soft corals like GSP (Green star polyps), Clove polyps, Xenia, and a leather. BUT- keep in mind that I upgraded to another lighting system shortly after I acquired the PC lights. I wanted to try keeping more SPS corals snd a clam. My tank then was a 55, and the fixture that housed the PC's just did not cut it since the tank was now deeper (compared to the former 20 long). The Montis survived, but did not have the growth I wanted.
Organisms:
Most polyp-type smaller soft corals
Leathers
most softies, cabbages, leathers, mushrooms
some LPS
Montipora caps (placed in the "nosebleed" section of the rock work), some SPS
VHO's- I believe VHO's surpass PC lights in terms of useable PAR and light. Most plug and play lighting units no longer use VHO's but if you're pretty handy with some minor electrical work, you should be able to outfit your existing canopy with a VHO setup. This has been my longest flourescent setup to date, and I really loved the actinic03 bulbs since they made the tank pop in terms of vibrance and glow. There are a few types of VHO bulbs available in the market, and depending on your taste, you can mix and match your setup to accommodate your type of lighting (50/50, 10K, actinic03, actinic white). I had two actinic 03's with my halides as supplementation, and I liked the combination at the time (6500K 250W halides). VHO bulbs are great for keeping a myriad of corals and fish, and their many sizes will cater to most standard tanks.
Organisms:
Leather corals and the like
All softies
Most LPS
a fair amount of SPS corals
T5's- Fairly "new" to the aquarium industry (within the decade), I myself jumped into the T5 scene just recently. I was inspired from a talk by Dana Riddle about lighting spectrums and coral coloration. Being a curious person and wanting to witness it myself, I decided to upgrade my lights to T5's. The best part of upgrading from VHO to T5's is the ability to use the same ballast (check the manufacturers as they vary). The only difference was the endcaps, bulbs and reflectors which is actually clipped onto the light itself, unlike the VHO lamps which have some kind of reflector built inside of the bulb (you can see the opaque half). T5 bulbs come in an even larger variety of temperature choices, from purples to true blues to whites, sunlight and the standard blue. There are also a lot of manufacturers that now support the t5 selection, I highly suggest you ask around for t5 bulb combinations from fellow t5 users if this lighting system is going to be your sole light source. I myself use a combination of 4 lights, 2 are the actinics, one blue and one procolor. Supposedly, this purplish colored light adds to the reds and oranges of any coral. I have liked the results so far. Depending on your tank depth, the most common bulb numbers fall between 4 to 8 per hood.
Organisms:
LPS
Softies
symbiotic Clams
SPS
Halides- These are high power, high-heat lamps that have been in the industry for quite sometime now. They have been used in the horticultural industry and with the manipulation/change of the gases inside, we have created special spectrums for our aquaria. The larger factor to consider when using halides is heat. They put out a considerable amount of heat so cooling the tank will be a second concern. Most plug and play hoods feature a built in fan and additional tank cooling can be supplemented via clip on fans, a fan in the sump or a chiller. The shimmer effect the halides provide is what attracted me to this light source. In addition to the different temperatures provided by multiple bulb manufacturers and bulb life (10-15 months @ 5-6 hours/day), I will most likely continue to use halides in my systems. The general rule of thumb when it comes to halides and reflectors is the throw of light. Each halide bulb has an approximate throw of 2X2 feet (will depend on the reflector). A 150-175w bulb is good for a tank depth of up to 15-18 inches, while a 250w bulb can handle depths up to 24-28 inches. 400w bulbs are great for tanks deeper than 30 inches, but heat may become an issue.
Organisms:
all the above
subdued lighting needed for certain soft corals
LED's- The newest entry to our hobby in relation to lighting. It promises very good energy savings and useable PAR for the enthusiast. The cost however, is prohibitively high for most hobbyists (myself included), but I have known a few people who love their fixtures. There are many pros on using LED lights, but as mentioned before, can be very expensive. NOTE: THIS IS THE ONLY SYSTEM I HAVE NOT HAD EXPERIENCE WITH!
Organisms:
All the above (may require lessening the intensity in some cases)
Still confused or need more reading material?
Here are a few more from distinguished lighting gurus:
Lighting the Reef Tank: A Primer for Beginners
by Doug Wojtczak
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-08/dw/index.php
Lighting the Reef Aquarium - Spectrum or Intensity?
by Dana Riddle and Miguel Olaizola
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2002/Feature.htm
Too Much Light!
by Dana Riddle
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/july2004/feature.htm
Metal Halide Lighting Components
by Jon Garner
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-06/jg/index.php
Fluorescent types
NO- Normal Output
PC's - Power Compacts
VHO - Very High Output
t5 - also a type of VHO, but smaller diameter
HID/Metal Halide - High intensity discharge
LED - Light emitting diode
Lighting CAN be quite complicated. Budget and the type of tank you want to setup and the kinds of organisms you'd want to keep will determine your lighting choices. Most of us at one point or another have kept and/or started with a tank that came with the standard flourescent strip light. Soon after that we decided to move up to specialty lights because you've either:
a) seen a friend's tank
b) want the best of the best
c) received a recommendation from someone
I myself have gone through these numerous changes which started out with a 15W incandescent bulb (freshwater tank). NO flourescent bulbs came next when I upgraded the tank to saltwater then reef, then I tried the VHO's. A little later, I fell in love with the shimmer they had at the display tank at my LFS, so I added a 120V incandescent bulb in my hood (NOT reccommended!) for the effect. When I was able to muster up some larger greens, I migrated to halide. A year or two passed, and I setup a new tank after I moved out of my parent's. My first SPS reef was powered by PC lights. Missing the shimmer again, I decided to sell the PC lights and then went with a combination of VHO and halide since I really liked the pop of the VHO's. Just recently, commercial-grade LED and T5 lighting got introduced into our hobby, and so I decided to switch from VHO+halide and am now running T5+halide. I am also now running a small strip of LED's but doubt if I'll ever go full LED due to my budget. With the exception of a solar tube, I think I just about have most lights covered!
Lighting plays a very important role in our tanks, a role that other authors in our hobby can best describe. As mentioned above, the type of corals (and tank size) you plan to keep should be kept in mind when choosing your first lighting system. A few questions to ask yourself:
1) how much (realistically) is my budget?
2) am I capable to DIY a retrofit?
3) Do I plan on using this lighting system in another tank? (upgrades are inevitable!)
4) What organisms do I plan on keeping now and in the future?
5) Is heat an issue for me?
6) How deep is my tank?
Let's go through what I've done and what I've kept successfully when it comes to light!
NO lights- The introduction of the "dual strip-light" a decade or so ago enabled me to setup my first Reef tank. I had an anemone, some caulerpa, mushroom corals, yellow polyps and two clownfish in a 20 gallon long tank with a dual strip light. The tank did rather well because I didn't really have a lot of light loving organisms, fed the anemone daily AND the tank was only 13 inches high. However, the anemone perched itself to the highest rock which probably meant it needed more light. These lights are great for Fish-only tanks (or to get the tank cycled awaiting your full-blown reef). As a matter of fact, I have seen some pretty nice display tanks, FO or FOWLR that use NO lights and although a bit too dim for my liking, still provide the necessary UV's to keep the fish happy. There are various spectrums you can utilize to achieve a nice bright and blue "pop" effect- Get a 50/50 bulb and an actinic03 bulb, and you'll be all set.
Organisms:
Fish only
Fish only with Live rock
Species tanks- mangrove types (shallow), brackish
Terrariums
very low light soft corals (polyps, mushrooms)
PC's- I never did care too much for my former Power compact setup. The limitations of bulbs bothered me, and they got a bit hot compared to the NO bulbs (naturally, since they are driven harder). What I did like about the PC setup however, was the fact that it produced a brighter light, a stronger wattage compared to the NO bulbs. I was actually able to keep montipora type corals in my tank as well as some soft corals like GSP (Green star polyps), Clove polyps, Xenia, and a leather. BUT- keep in mind that I upgraded to another lighting system shortly after I acquired the PC lights. I wanted to try keeping more SPS corals snd a clam. My tank then was a 55, and the fixture that housed the PC's just did not cut it since the tank was now deeper (compared to the former 20 long). The Montis survived, but did not have the growth I wanted.
Organisms:
Most polyp-type smaller soft corals
Leathers
most softies, cabbages, leathers, mushrooms
some LPS
Montipora caps (placed in the "nosebleed" section of the rock work), some SPS
VHO's- I believe VHO's surpass PC lights in terms of useable PAR and light. Most plug and play lighting units no longer use VHO's but if you're pretty handy with some minor electrical work, you should be able to outfit your existing canopy with a VHO setup. This has been my longest flourescent setup to date, and I really loved the actinic03 bulbs since they made the tank pop in terms of vibrance and glow. There are a few types of VHO bulbs available in the market, and depending on your taste, you can mix and match your setup to accommodate your type of lighting (50/50, 10K, actinic03, actinic white). I had two actinic 03's with my halides as supplementation, and I liked the combination at the time (6500K 250W halides). VHO bulbs are great for keeping a myriad of corals and fish, and their many sizes will cater to most standard tanks.
Organisms:
Leather corals and the like
All softies
Most LPS
a fair amount of SPS corals
T5's- Fairly "new" to the aquarium industry (within the decade), I myself jumped into the T5 scene just recently. I was inspired from a talk by Dana Riddle about lighting spectrums and coral coloration. Being a curious person and wanting to witness it myself, I decided to upgrade my lights to T5's. The best part of upgrading from VHO to T5's is the ability to use the same ballast (check the manufacturers as they vary). The only difference was the endcaps, bulbs and reflectors which is actually clipped onto the light itself, unlike the VHO lamps which have some kind of reflector built inside of the bulb (you can see the opaque half). T5 bulbs come in an even larger variety of temperature choices, from purples to true blues to whites, sunlight and the standard blue. There are also a lot of manufacturers that now support the t5 selection, I highly suggest you ask around for t5 bulb combinations from fellow t5 users if this lighting system is going to be your sole light source. I myself use a combination of 4 lights, 2 are the actinics, one blue and one procolor. Supposedly, this purplish colored light adds to the reds and oranges of any coral. I have liked the results so far. Depending on your tank depth, the most common bulb numbers fall between 4 to 8 per hood.
Organisms:
LPS
Softies
symbiotic Clams
SPS
Halides- These are high power, high-heat lamps that have been in the industry for quite sometime now. They have been used in the horticultural industry and with the manipulation/change of the gases inside, we have created special spectrums for our aquaria. The larger factor to consider when using halides is heat. They put out a considerable amount of heat so cooling the tank will be a second concern. Most plug and play hoods feature a built in fan and additional tank cooling can be supplemented via clip on fans, a fan in the sump or a chiller. The shimmer effect the halides provide is what attracted me to this light source. In addition to the different temperatures provided by multiple bulb manufacturers and bulb life (10-15 months @ 5-6 hours/day), I will most likely continue to use halides in my systems. The general rule of thumb when it comes to halides and reflectors is the throw of light. Each halide bulb has an approximate throw of 2X2 feet (will depend on the reflector). A 150-175w bulb is good for a tank depth of up to 15-18 inches, while a 250w bulb can handle depths up to 24-28 inches. 400w bulbs are great for tanks deeper than 30 inches, but heat may become an issue.
Organisms:
all the above
subdued lighting needed for certain soft corals
LED's- The newest entry to our hobby in relation to lighting. It promises very good energy savings and useable PAR for the enthusiast. The cost however, is prohibitively high for most hobbyists (myself included), but I have known a few people who love their fixtures. There are many pros on using LED lights, but as mentioned before, can be very expensive. NOTE: THIS IS THE ONLY SYSTEM I HAVE NOT HAD EXPERIENCE WITH!
Organisms:
All the above (may require lessening the intensity in some cases)
Still confused or need more reading material?
Here are a few more from distinguished lighting gurus:
Lighting the Reef Tank: A Primer for Beginners
by Doug Wojtczak
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-08/dw/index.php
Lighting the Reef Aquarium - Spectrum or Intensity?
by Dana Riddle and Miguel Olaizola
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2002/Feature.htm
Too Much Light!
by Dana Riddle
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/july2004/feature.htm
Metal Halide Lighting Components
by Jon Garner
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-06/jg/index.php
