Lighting

I know Marc did a very extensive write-up on using a PAR meter to analyze light bulbs; however, can a PAR meter be effectively used to determine WHEN to change metal halide bulbs?

I know that we must pay attention to not only intensity of the light in the tank, but also to the color (or color shift) as the bulb ages.

My thought is to buy a PAR meter to see if I really need to change the bulbs at 6-12 months like the manufacturers suggest. I run 3 400W MHs on a sunrise/sunset ...

The tank will hopefully arrive next week. This week its snowed every day all day, and its making getting around the city trecharous. Sadly its not always the weather conditions that make travel so difficult. I sit on the 25th floor and right now its white out conditions; I can't see the building next to us, or any across the streets.

Because I like driving around guzzling "cheap" gas in my trunk, I drove to the hardware store yesterday and picked up plywood for the tank ...

So I was intending to pick up an LED fixture at RAP last month in Southern Cali, but was discouraged by much conflicting information about the light output produced by them. The biggest concern, or rather question, I left with was whether or not LED's produce usable UV radiation.
From my research I have found the consensus is that SPS coloration is all but dependent on UV in the light being provided to them. From what I have read the theory is that as a response to UV SPS produce their slime ...

Hi Addicts,
I am starting this to talk about my going green stage. I have spent the last 2 years fixing my house with energy saving products. New doors, AC, windows....you get the drift. Now since I am an addict, I must confess, saving money is fun. Now I start to think about my tank, " How can I make that more green"? A little about my tank. 210---- 6*2*29----- 3 250 MH---- 4 t-5 5ft blues--- 2 mp40's----1 tunze, forgot the model, 1 MJ modd----- SRO 3000 skimmer, 2 Mj 400 running ...

I'm going to be ordering a T5 retrofit kit to put into the canopy I'm building for my 60"X18.5"X19" OceanView RR tank, should I get a 6 bulb 48" kit or do you think I will be able to fit a 60" kit in there? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.