Best 36" fixture
- Thread starter pszemol
- Start date
ReefRookie1016
New member
sorry to butt in...i just found this thread interesting and have a rookie question....i bought my setup from the lfs and it came with a "current orbit 4x 96watt" im guessing this is a PC......so by reading it will be difficult to keep anenomes and corals with this light??? the guy said it would be great for it....just curious on your opinions....thanks
GSMguy
New member
to answer you quickly your setup wil be fine for most soft corals some lps corals and a bubbletip anemone
the thing about t5 is they do happen to be superior
that said pcs work fine for allot of people they just dont offer the intensity or the color that a well designed t5 setup will
also t5s will support all sps corals and all anemones ie carpet anemones and the more light needing corals
and the biggest draw is most people switch or buy t5 so they can keep clams
It does not have the center brace casting shadow, but... the black plastic overflow is right in the center of the back wall. It did not look bad in the store where I got the tank, because when new, the plastic is black and does not reflect the light... Now, after couple of months, it is covered with pink coraline and it starts to bother me: it is too bold in the middle. Looks too pronounced "machinery".
Next tank I will buy will never have an overflow in the middle - at least not so small tank. Only corner overflows are looking good in a small tank like this.
So - if I would go with metal halides I would probably do better having a fixture with two small metal hallides to take the accent from the middle and put more light in 1/3 and 2/3 of the lenght, if possible. Maybe two 70W 10000K HQI will do with T5 for actinic ?
I have to think more about ways of aquascaping it better - maybe putting more rocks on the sides... just to make it look more equal...
Anyway - for now lets talk two options:
-- all T5
-- T5 + HQI
Next tank I will buy will never have an overflow in the middle - at least not so small tank. Only corner overflows are looking good in a small tank like this.
So - if I would go with metal halides I would probably do better having a fixture with two small metal hallides to take the accent from the middle and put more light in 1/3 and 2/3 of the lenght, if possible. Maybe two 70W 10000K HQI will do with T5 for actinic ?
I have to think more about ways of aquascaping it better - maybe putting more rocks on the sides... just to make it look more equal...
Anyway - for now lets talk two options:
-- all T5
-- T5 + HQI
GSMguy
New member
two 150s is minimum i would do i have a very similar tank only difference is mine is only 18inches high same leangth and depth and i have a center brace so i went 2x250 but its allot of light
since i went with 250s i am able to run a 20k bulb and dont need actinic supplimentation
a 2x150 fixture that will sit on your tank will be pretty pricy pendants are cheaper but not much we are still going to save a lil money going t5 and have what i consider to be better color rendition
i am a bad writer more of a talker if i ramble on i apologise i have pretty the same tank and am on mysecond fixture wish i had just thougt it out more the first time
want to see a pic of my tank with 500w hqi 20k?
since i went with 250s i am able to run a 20k bulb and dont need actinic supplimentation
a 2x150 fixture that will sit on your tank will be pretty pricy pendants are cheaper but not much we are still going to save a lil money going t5 and have what i consider to be better color rendition
i am a bad writer more of a talker if i ramble on i apologise i have pretty the same tank and am on mysecond fixture wish i had just thougt it out more the first time
want to see a pic of my tank with 500w hqi 20k?
aninjaatemyshoe
New member
Both all T5 and T5 + HQI would be good ways to go as far as acceptable light levels for corals/anemones. T5 + HQI is a fantastic combination as far as looks go IMO (T5 actinic w/ 10K or 11K HQI). You get the glitter lines and an overall "visual pop" that you might not get with just T5s. And if you want to get even more advanced, HQI gives the advantage of being able to be placed on a moving light rail. This would give the corals a more spreaded and distributed light source that is more natural. Of course the combination is probably a good deal more expensive than just T5s.
My tank is theoretically 20 inch high but I run it with deep sand bed (DSB) so counting only water column from the sand surface up it will be only 16" (maybe 17" max in some places).
Does it make corals fluoresce as much as actinic ?
I am leaning towards a mixture of HQI and T5 but would not want to overdo it - 250W HQI is probably way to strong for a shallow tank like ours are 16-18" is very shallow - that is why I was thinking about 70W bulbs.
What was your first fixture and what do you have currently (in details) ?
Of course, I would like to see your tank with different lights for comparison.
Thanks.
GSMguy
New member
ok ill go in order so i dont confuse with a ramble answer
20inches without the sand is still pretty shallow
the corals do not flouresce as well as with actinic but they do pop just as well gold on clams and such
a mixture of hqi and t5 would be very nice but a fixture with both is pricey if you are worried about t5 not being enough light dont if you want the shimmer of halide then t5/halide is a good choice
my first fixture was a 2x65w pc made by current then i bought two 175w pendants they were an old design and a totall waste so now i have 2x250w aquamedic oceanlight with 20k ushio bulbs i really like it i wll get you some comparison shots up here the colors always look better in person
20inches without the sand is still pretty shallow
the corals do not flouresce as well as with actinic but they do pop just as well gold on clams and such
a mixture of hqi and t5 would be very nice but a fixture with both is pricey if you are worried about t5 not being enough light dont if you want the shimmer of halide then t5/halide is a good choice
my first fixture was a 2x65w pc made by current then i bought two 175w pendants they were an old design and a totall waste so now i have 2x250w aquamedic oceanlight with 20k ushio bulbs i really like it i wll get you some comparison shots up here the colors always look better in person
GSMguy
New member
here are the 2x175 w with a 14k on the right a 10k on the left very dim even if the pic doesnt show it
here is the new setup a couple weeks ago
my light is bright the ushio 20k is not very blue they seem to burn in more blue as time goes on new lights have only been on about a month and my sps growth is crazy
here is the new setup a couple weeks ago
my light is bright the ushio 20k is not very blue they seem to burn in more blue as time goes on new lights have only been on about a month and my sps growth is crazy
OK, I see what you are talking about:
http://www.current-usa.com/outerorbithqit5ho.html
Looks interesting. Thanks.
http://www.current-usa.com/outerorbithqit5ho.html
Looks interesting. Thanks.
This IS T5 mixed with HQI... My thinking is that T5 only is not that much cheaper. So what the heck
Are we talking about this one:
http://www.specialty-lights.com/250450.html (2x150W HQI + 2x39W T5)
or this one:
http://www.specialty-lights.com/250455.html (2x250W HQI + 2x39W T5) ?
The 150W version seems to be obsoleted now.
What I see is that they have only two T5 tubes and no moonlight as compared to Current lamps having four T5 and moonlights.
Maristar show pricing in the $900-$1000 range, current outer orbit fixtures are much cheaper in a $600-700 range and it comes with timers and legs to sit the lamp on the tank.
Sounds to me like Current outer orbit lamp is smarter option than Maristar - more features for much less money, what do you think ?
Beside this point I am thinking 2x250W option would be too strong for my tank. Currently I am running without chiller with temps in summer around 82F.
GSMguy
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9105229#post9105229 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pszemol
This IS T5 mixed with HQI... My thinking is that T5 only is not that much cheaper. So what the heck
Beside this point I am thinking 2x250W option would be too strong for my tank. Currently I am running without chiller with temps in summer around 82F.
the answer to both these questions is that all t5 will be plenty of light amazing color and the aquatinics fixture will keep your temps way down even from powercompact the aquatinics is very cool running
Kayadad
Premium Member
you should check out the aquamedic oceanlight 2 at premium aquatics. They have a 2 x 150 hqi with 2 x 39 t5 for $459. I may be getting this fixture for my 40 breeder. It will run 378 watts just 175 or so more than a 5 light t5 unit. Plus you get shimmer. I am still undecided though.
