55g w/t-5's enough light??
- Thread starter Idiot
- Start date
fragaholic
New member
I would think so, I would even say 4x54 if they have individual reflectors.
fragaholic
New member
That setup should be just fine for whatever you want to keep. Lots of people have killer sps tanks with only t-5's.
Amphiprion
Premium Member
Assuming they have individual reflectors, you should be just fine.
psimitry
New member
That's actually Reefgeek.com, and I'm not sure if Marinedepot actually sells T5 reflectors (most companies seem to stay out of T5's for whatever reason - Marinedepot and Hellolights don't touch them unless they're included in a name brand fixture).
6x54 w/ individual reflectors is actually too much for most corals when placed a 55G tank. With one single... I don't honestly know. It probably has about the strength of power compacts at that level.
Litespeeds
New member
The rule of thumb is 3-5 watts per gallon and what you currently have is 324 watts for a 55 gallon tank so that is 5.89 watts per gallon. Even if your T-5's don't have individual reflectors, you should be fine as long as your tank is not more than 24" deep.
psimitry
New member
Watts per gallon has long been downgraded to "irrelevent" status. PAR (photosynthetic active radiation) is the big measurement now.
Because PAR (and to a similar extent intensity) varies w/ bulbs and types, Watts/Gallon cannot be relied upon as a usable measurement of PAR. Intensity is also an important factor as it will dictate how much usable radiation will penetrate water. So like if you have a 4' deep tank, you'd want to go with the most intense lighting you can to penetrate to that depth. Likewise you could probably put enough power compact bulbs over the tank to shut down a nuclear power plant and it wouldn't be enough.
For example, a 150W Metal Halide 10,000K bulb will put out MUCH more PAR than 3x 65W power compacts (and definitely more than 1x 130W).
As a rule of thumb, the PAR ratings (and intensity) usually go ranked from highest to lowest: Metal Halide, T5 High Output Fluorescent, Power Compact Fluorescent, T5 Normal Output Fluorescent, Normal Output Fluorescent.
(and obviously VHO is in there somewhere but I don't know enough about them to know where)
The quality of reflector is also a big factor in that individual reflectors on T5HO bulbs will cause a dramatic increase in light reaching the tank as well as the intensity (some have said more so than MH, but I have yet to see that for myself).
T5HO bulbs w/o individual reflectors from what I've been told are a waste of $$$ and one might as well go with power compact.
Bluemorningwind
In Memoriam
Provided that you use lamps of suitable spectrum your livestock will be fine.
Don't take my word for it...test it for yourself.
Have fun, and healthy livestock (I'm sure you will).
Don't take my word for it...test it for yourself.
Have fun, and healthy livestock (I'm sure you will).
Bluemorningwind
In Memoriam
By the way, the individual reflectors help to direct the stray light around the lamp's body and increase the amount of reflected light as a result.
Personally, I would apply flat white paint (or contact) inside that fixture.
Personally, I would apply flat white paint (or contact) inside that fixture.
Kurt03
Active member
do you have to have all of the bulbs in for it to work? or could you leave one out of each set and it still come on. I know with a normal two bulb shop light if you only have one bulb in it wont turn on at all. If the t5's will run with a bulb out and i end up having too much light i could just take a tube or 2 out.
bigfruits
New member
i asked over at reefgeek the same question. he told me that you had to have all the bulbs the ballast controlled in. im not sure about your particular unit. for a 55 id recommend a 4 bulb tek hood. i think the 6 bulb would be wider than the tank. if it does fit, id go for the 6 bulb as you can control whether you have 2, 4 or 6 bulbs running at a time.
if you do a search on ebay for tek t5 you will find a reputable seller with great prices and free shipping. the 4 bulb tek hood with 4 ati bulbs comes out to 300 shipped.
if you already own that fixture in the pic go ahead and use it. you might want to put a 3 layers of window screen under the light and remove one each week to acclimate the coral if theyre not used to intense lighting. again, all this ive gathered from what ive read not from my experiences.
good luck
-z
if you do a search on ebay for tek t5 you will find a reputable seller with great prices and free shipping. the 4 bulb tek hood with 4 ati bulbs comes out to 300 shipped.
if you already own that fixture in the pic go ahead and use it. you might want to put a 3 layers of window screen under the light and remove one each week to acclimate the coral if theyre not used to intense lighting. again, all this ive gathered from what ive read not from my experiences.
good luck
-z
