4x54 TEK T5 Questions

[apache73]

Howdy Folks,

I'm contemplating jumping into the saltwater scene. My wife and I are moving from Virginia to Houston in a few weeks. I am considering switching from freshwater to saltwater when we get settled. In the past I have kept planted tanks with pressurized CO2. My current lighting system I use is the TEK T5 4x54 watt system. This light always exceeded my needs for my 75 gallon AGA planted tank.

I'd like to switch the 75 out for a 90 gallon and continue to use my oak stand (same footprint).

Would my current light be ok for this? Obviously, I'd need to chuck the 6500k bulbs for saltwater application.

What kinds of inverts, corals, clams, etc., might I be able to keep/grow. I am a neophyte at best concerning all this so I need laymen's terms

If this light is not quite adequate has anybody ever modded their TEK enclosure to house more powerful ballast to overdrive the lights? How about moisture proof endcaps can they be used within the TEK enclosure?

Thanks much, I asked these same questions in the beginner's forum but haven't had much success there with these questions.

Thanks Again,

G

P.S. Anybody familiar with Houston area LFS' for marine stuff?

 

[old salty]

Good news, that lighting system will be just fine for a reef tank. Since you already have pressurized CO2 and such, a calcium reactor will help you maintain water parameters as well. As far as moisture proof end caps, I use an acrylic shield over my lights, so they are not a requirement. I haven't ready anywhere of anyone swapping them out, but it would be a good mod. Someone on here recently added an Icecap 660 ballast to his TEK hood, and said the lights are blazing bright. Either way, you should be able to keep a wide variety of corals with ease.

 

[apache73]

Thanks Salty!

If you had a 90 gallon tank with this light setup what creatures would your be interested in keeping?

Thanks,

G

 

[Newflavor]

You will be able to keep almost any fish in that tank. Any lps corals are also nice and will live with that kind of lighting. If you like to take care of sps corals, you may have to put them close to the top because they need intense lighting. I will upgrade to the tek 6 lamp if you can but the four lamps should do fine

 

[horkn]

well, i have a 90g that i am in the process of collecting all the equipment for.


a 4x54 tek light will provide light for pretty much anything in that tank. However, you will want to keep and sps or clams in the top half of the tank. If you were to overdrive the light like old salty meentioned by using an icecap ballast, then you could keep sps and clams even down low in the tank.

But as it stands, that light will allow you a nice mixed reef just by swapping the bulbs out. Mushrooms and other softies, lps like frogspawn and torch, as well as other favorites like blastomussa, and brain corals will do fine under these lights, and lower light sps like montipora, and millepora will do fine. Basically, most acropora and other kigh light sps may not do as well, but , you never know.

most guys run a combo of ati blue+, aquablue, and a 6500k day bulb in the middle to make the yellows and orange and red pop., although bulb choice is a very personal thing as it affects the color of the tank.

since you already have a co2 tank and regulator, you have the expensive parts for a calcium reactor, which will allow your corals to grow much faster.

 

[perpetual98]

Yeah, what they said.

I just picked up a Coralife Calcium Reactor for a good price, but I don't have it hooked up yet.

 

[apache73]

Thanks everybody. This sounds encouraging.

G

 

[The Grim Reefer]

If those 6500K lamps are the GE's hang on to one, they put out great PAR for reef critters.

 

[apache73]

Yes it is the GE6500k housed in the light. What is PAR?

Thanks,
G

 

[perpetual98]

PAR = Photosynthetically Available Radiation, or something like that. It's basically what plants need to grow and do photosynthesis. I'm sure that Grim can come up with a better explanation than I.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

PAR = Photosynthetically Available Radiation, or something like that. It's basically what plants need to grow and do photosynthesis.





I just kill me

PAR is the spectrum of light that plants and in this case Corals use to create photosynthesis.

 

[perpetual98]

See, I knew Grim could offer more than I could. Oh wait....


This is off a google search:

Photosynthetically Available Radiation (PAR)

Sometimes called Photosynthetically Active Radiation. Photon flux density (photons per second per square meter) within the visible wavelength range (usually 400 to 700 nm). It indicates the total energy available to plants for photosynthesis, and is thus a key parameter for biological and ecological studies.

Typically it is measured with a broadband detector that has nominally constant quantum response throughout the visible wavelength range, and nominal spherical angular response (to measure scalar irradiance). However the efficiency of photosynthesis is not constant for all wavelengths as implied by the definition of PAR. A much more thorough characterization can be obtained by measuring the spectral scalar irradiance with a spectroradiometer such as a HydroRad with scalar irradiance collectors.


That should make everything as clear as mud.

 

[Horace]

I think a 4 bulb on a 75g actually is plenty, especially if you have a GE in there, but on a 90g, being deeper, you may consider adding an icecap ballast to give you some more punch to the bottom. If you had a 6 bulb tek unit I would say you would be just fine, but your kind of on the edge, but IMO you will do just fine so long as you keep your higher light corals in the top 1/2 of the tank. I would probably just pay careful attention to coral placement rather than buying a new ballast....

 

[The Grim Reefer]

I Dunno, with the stories of bleaching corals I am half tempted to grabs some NO T5's and drive them with HO ballasts just to see what happens.

 

[horkn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7476961#post7476961 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
I Dunno, with the stories of bleaching corals I am half tempted to grabs some NO T5's and drive them with HO ballasts just to see what happens.

i feel the same way grim...