6 or 8 Bulb ATI sunpower module?

[rivero9897]

Hey guys, I have a 36x36x12 rimless reef tank and I currently run 2 175 XM 20k bulbs with a galaxy ballast and want to switch to T5s for heat issues. I have mostly LPS atm but I will switch to SPS dominated tank once my tank matures a bit more. would i be fine with the 6 bulb or would the 8 bulb be better? thanks!

 

[rtparty]

8 is a bare minimum for coverage but the shallowness of the tank will cause issues. I would want 10 bulbs and then raise the fixture up

 

[bennr]

Are you saying that your tank is 12 inches deep?

 

[karsseboom]

Yeah that sounds pretty shallow.

 

[Fishbone]

It depends on the placement of your rock/coral. I would post pictures. If you just have an 18 inch strip of rock/coral and a lot of open space in front and back you could raise the light up higher on a shallow tank and get a better spread. Par should not be an issue on 12" tall tank even with the lights raised higher than normal. I had a 48x48x24 cube packed with huge colonies SPS with only one 10 bulb PM but the front 12" and back 5" were open. You only need high light levels were the coral are. You may also want to consider one wide spread MH reflector with a higher wattage bulb 250 raised way up. Again it depends on how you have things laid out

 

[jdm18honda]

i have a 60x25x18 rimless with a 48" 8 bulb sunpower with no issues 12-15 off the 400 par on the bottom with no sand around 830 on the top of the rock work

 

[solitude127]

Is the fixture you're considering a 24" or 36" model?

 

[sirreal63]

What are you considering "heat issues"?

Your current lighting is more than adequate for the tank and you may not have any issues at all. A proper T5 for your tank will put out the same heat that you currently have, you may not gain much by switching to T5.