Lighting for 60" x 18" with Tropheus Annectens

[Mzungu]

Re: Lighting for 60" x 18" with Tropheus Annectens

Normal fluorescents? What kind of bulbs do you have now, just so we know? And what is THR?

In short, it will probably all come down to being able to view the spectral distribution plot of the bulb, which some companies offer, some don't. K rating isn't a very accurate way to judge what color the light's going to be, as it's essentially just an average.

By "color" bulb, do you mean something with just one or two phosphors that yield one or two big spikes in certain wavelengths? So, like a blue light and a green light? Or do you just mean some different spectra than you have now?

[geoff_tropheus]

Re: Lighting for 60" x 18" with Tropheus Annectens

Catalina Solar T5-HO

http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/index.php?cPath=71_136&page=3

[CichlidFan]

Re: Lighting for 60" x 18" with Tropheus Annectens

Sorry.....Texas Holey Rock.....my THR has new strain of algae growing on it already, so I'm not interested in helping it grow, I want to bring out the colors in my Chimba Reds more.

Thanks

CF

[CichlidFan]

Re: Lighting for 60" x 18" with Tropheus Annectens

Catalina Solar T5-HO

http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/inde...=71_136&page=3

I have bought 125 gallon tanks cheaper than those ....... :)

[Zulaab]

Re: Lighting for 60" x 18" with Tropheus Annectens

I know that I can build hoods cheaper than those... if needed to be I would even install a airfan...  holey stuff.. that is expensive.. how much does the light bulbs go for ?

[geoff_tropheus]

Re: Lighting for 60" x 18" with Tropheus Annectens

T5 Lights depending on rating in the 60" Bulb go for like $25-35 ea.

You can find them on sale and cheaper if you look.

The lights are not cheap.  I have purchased a lot of thing cheaper than that.

To make your fish look better, you got to find the right Kelvin rated bulb that will generate the light your looking for.

I am just starting to get into lights, and I cannot help you with what makes a red fish look more red.

I just know what people say looks cool.  I never tooled around with lights before.  This is my first experiment at it.

[geoff_tropheus]

Re: Lighting for 60" x 18" with Tropheus Annectens

The original light fixture that was sold with this tank was a twin bulb 48" Fixture.  80W.  This was not really good enough lighting for what I wanted to do.

So, in my upgrade of the tank lighting, I decided to get something more powerful.  In my millions of readings of reviews, and posts, I have found that T5 lighting generates more lumens per watt, and generates less heat overall.  The less heat overall means ballast last long.  The more lumens per watt, means your getting better light for what your paying for.  The only other better lighting per watt is Metal Halide, and I did not want that kind of POWER...

So, I have chosen T5 lighting based upon that information.

What I have to do next is decide, 4-48" bulbs at 216W or 1-60" Bulbs at 160W, and pick which kelvin will look best for the Annectens.

10K, 6.5K seems to be the only two choices in white light, and there atleast three choices in actinic lights I have found.

The costs of those two fixtures with bulbs is $199.00 each.

I just hate spending $200 bucks on some damn lights.  Never paid more than $80 before, but that was with regular Flourescent lights.

[Mzungu]

Re: Lighting for 60" x 18" with Tropheus Annectens

Yeah, I hate that they're so expensive, too. Yuck.

Okay, I'm just thinking out loud here, but wouldn't a light with a peak in the red part of the spectrum illuminate the reds more in a fish, because color is actually light reflected? I know that with some bulbs that have peaks in the green part of the spectrum make your plants look REALLY green...

I have actually found that "plant" bulbs with a good balance of red and blue bring out beautiful reds in my fish (rosy barbs, for example). The blue seems to make it almost "glow."

[Mzungu]

Re: Lighting for 60" x 18" with Tropheus Annectens

BTW, is this what your fish look like?

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1838

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Lighting for 60" x 18" with Tropheus Annectens

I would think with the chimbas......if you go with compact fluorescent look into the 9325k paired with the 6700k.

[geoff_tropheus]

Re: Lighting for 60" x 18" with Tropheus Annectens

Mzungu

Yes all my fish except the adult males over 3.5" look like that.  Black and White striped with deep blue eyes, with some yellow in the anal and dorsal fin. There is also some yellow scales in the bands, but not much.

The males when they get over 3.5" start to turn a solid color with deep blue eyes.  No bands can be seen.  One solid color.

Now, my guys one solid color is black/grey with light blue/grey dorsal.

Right now they are under a POWERGLOW bulb at 18K, and a regular yellowish-plain white light not sure of the spectrum.

In Konnings photos of the adult males, they are a cherry-wine marron color.  That is the color I would like to try and get, but I am not sure how that will happen.

Females and Juviniles Color

http://cichlide38.free.fr/photo/tanganyika/tropheus/Tropheus_annectens_Kekese.jpg

Females and Juviniles Colors

http://www.mulsarang.net/zb/data/fish_dic/Tropheus_annectens_Kekese.jpg

Male Coloring - My males have a more blue like dorsal

http://213.180.95.58/artregister/artbild/tropheus_annectens_bulupoint_hane_michael_persson.jpg

I cannot find otherthan books male color.  I used to have a link to one and now cannot find it.

[Mzungu]

Re: Lighting for 60" x 18" with Tropheus Annectens

Just FYI:
Here's a not-so-clear-but-it-does-the-job page with spectral graphs for hagen:

http://www.aquabotanic.com/images/light_fig8.jpg

And a colorful one of the Power-Glo:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+8066+3816&pcatid=3816

Do you think this bulb does a good job of popping out the blues? If so, then maybe it does have to do with spectrums, because apparently there's quite a bit of blue in there.

Did you ever try ek's offer to put several different lights over the tank to see which one you preferred?

[geoff_tropheus]

Re: Lighting for 60" x 18" with Tropheus Annectens

I had a couple offers for that to happen.  I never did take EK up on that, I wish I did.

I am headed tomorrow to Texas Tropheus Traders to see Mike Bailey, and he said he had a bunch of lights to try out on the Annectens he has for sale.

In that graph you provided in the first link, which bulb is the black?

[Mzungu]

Re: Lighting for 60" x 18" with Tropheus Annectens

I believe the black line is the photosynthetic action spectrum, or something like that. Pretty much the occurance of photosynthesis at wavelenghts of light along the spectrum.

[geoff_tropheus]

Re: Lighting for 60" x 18" with Tropheus Annectens

I am about 95% sure this is what I am going to order now.

60" T5 with (2) 80W bulbs, Actinic White 12K