The Little Extras

[SkiFletch]

If all you want to keep are softies and mushrooms, you'll do just fine with the power compacts. You may struggle with LPS or you may not, tough to say. Zoos should do fine under PCs even at that depth. Most people reccomend going with a double bulbed fixture one daylight 10-14k and one actinic 20k bulb. Thats what I use at least A photo period of around 10 hours is what most people adopt staggering the lights if possible like you do. I'd turn actinics on first and shut them off second if you have dual bulb control (i sadly do not)

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

I'd agree with SkiFletch that mushies and zoos should be fine low down in the tank even with powercompacts.
Diffently no LPS unless you keep them anything above a 10" depth in the tank
10-12hours a day seems the usual, an example could be:

10am - Actnics On
11am - Daylights On
8pm - Daylights Off
9pm - Actnics Off

I personally turn actnics on at 3pm with the daylights at 4 as this is when i get back from college so i can appreciate the tank when i'm at home

People say the tank should see at least 8 hours of total darkness though

Dan

 

[akilles-13]

So are the blue lunar lights not good @ night? Ive been told by my LFS and some books, that the light actually simulates moonlight and is beneficial for some nocturnal corals and inverts. What do you think?
This pertaining to the 8 hours of darkness.

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

You can run moonlights during the darkness, Come to think of it i forgot to get some.....
Apparently induces spawning also I wonder if a firefish and clown will make fireclowns?

 

[akilles-13]

You can run moonlights during the darkness, Come to think of it i forgot to get some.....
Apparently induces spawning also I wonder if a firefish and clown will make fireclowns?

Now if your able to spawn those two fishes, Ill be the first one buy that fish.

 

[steelhealr]

The moonlights are only useful if you run them on a lunar schedule. They have small timers to simulate this ..not superexpensive but super cheap either. If you run your moonlights on a regular timer opposite your main lights, I doubt they'll do anything more than make a beautiful marine nitelight for perusing. SH

 

[BigC]

My thanks go to everyone who replied to this post again I am highly appreciative for your time and trouble.
Regards
BigC

 

[Aquascaper]

On my 160g setup my lighting schedule was:

12pm - 2 x 55w T5 Actinic on
2pm - 2 x 55w T5 Triplus on
4pm - 1 x 400w (14,000k) MH on
8pm - 1 x 400w (14,000k) MH off
10pm - 2 x 55w T5 Triplus off
12am - 2 x 55w T5 Actinic off

HTH