Building a T5 retrofit

B

barngeatbayman

Premium Member
I am thinking about building a custom T5 lighting fixture for a 90 gal RR system. I am a newbie when it comes to lighting. Where can I find information about putting together such setup?

thanks in advance
 
i just put my own system up last night... i bought all the pieces (ballast,reflector,3prong plug,18guage solid wire, standoff, endcaps,some wood to mount it on ... then your choice of bulbs.. i got mine from reefgeek ... Greg can help you of you have Q?'s ) then you look at the ballast and follow directions... there is a little diagram... i used icecap reflectors .. easier to space out ( just line the standoff next to each other.. cuzz the they are the same size as SLR ) and it's just worth the extra few $$ to get more out of your lights...

YzGyz
 
probably want to keep some sps mushrooms basic easy coral for now maybe some clams. How many of these kits would I need for a 90 gallon tank? What kind of bulbs and how many of each type? Sorry for the simple stupid questions but I am a newbie when it comes to corals.
 
what did you go with ho or vho. and do you know if there's any difference between the ready made lights and the kit?
 
SPS and clams need the most light. Mushrooms can be kept in much less light.

A 4 x 54w setup will be able to keep LPS and softies. I would start there if you are just starting out. No point in getting a full blown 8 x 54w setup right now. You wont need that much light for some time and thats the beauty of these retro-fits. When you want to start keeping the higher light corals, just add 2-4 more bulbs and you are all set.

Stay with the above brands with individual parabolic reflectors. You will get much more useable light with any of the above compared to setups with one reflector for all bulbs.
 
The difference between the HO and VHO setups are the ballasts. The VHO setups come with Ice-Cap ballasts which overdrive the bulbs. The 54w bulbs are overdriven to roughly 70 watts with no decrease in life of the bulb according the manufacturer.

It really depends on how deep your tank is and what you are going for. For most, the HO setup will be plenty but the Ice-Cap ballasts are the best out there for quality and customer service but you will pay for it, as you can see by the increase in price.

Theres nothing wrong with the HO setup but the VHO is brighter and the ballast is of better quality. I just ordered an HO setup for a propagation tank but it is shallow (only 12" deep) so there really would be no benefit for me to go with the VHO's.

The Ready-fit units are almost like shop-lights you can get in home depot. Everything including the ballast is built into the unit but it is not a finished unit. It is sort of a lazy mans retro fit that you just bolt into your canopy with no wiring needed. There is no VHO option with these though.

The most important thing are the reflectors. T-5 bulbs are so thin that without individual reflectors, they are basically useless. With the proper reflectors they can easily beat out metal halides.
 
Either way you should add a couple of computer fans to your canopy. T-5's really seem to drop off in performance without a couple of fans in the canopy.

The Grim Reefer who is the T-5 guru did some tests. I dont remember the numbers but there was definitely enough of a gain by cooling the bulbs to make it worth adding the fans.

IMO, there wont be that much of a heat increase with the VHO setup.
 
great info da4!!!!!

so if i go with the retros and go as you say 4x54W. What bulbs would I want to get?(blue actinices etc) Would I only need 1 one ballast for this or 2? How would I wire thisin pairs? Do these retro fit kits come with instructions for the most part on the best way to rig up these systems?

Thanks again you have been extremely helpful!!!!
 
I reread all the info and answered my ballast question, though I thought of another question my setup the 90 gal. which is 18" deep would I be better off going with the VHO setup or the HO would be sufficient. Again, I cant thank you enough for the information!! Also which unit in your opinion is best the TEK or icecap, doesnt seem to be any difference in price.
 
If you have the standard 90G (48 x 18 x 24) then it is actually 24" tall and 18" wide. With the 4 x 54w setup I personally would go with the VHO setup. You can also go with the HO setup but might have to place certain corals in the higher light areas.

The VHO setup will give you that little extra punch to get to the bottom though. It really all depends on what corals you want to keep. You can always upgrade the ballasts in the future if you dont want to spend the extra now and sell the HO ballasts.

The Tek2 reflectors just came out and I dont think anybody has done any tests on them yet. The IceCap SLR reflectors gave about 10% better performance than the original Tek reflectors but I dont know about the new ones. I personally would go with the IceCap SLR reflectors because they have better customer service and have a forum here on Reef Central. The employees are quick to respond to any questions and are polite so that right there is worth it IMO.

What color you want the tank will determine which bulbs to go with. Do you want it more white or more blue?
 
My retro fit from Reef Geek should be arriving today so Ill post some pictures of what it comes with.

From previous setups, they usually include instructions and are relatively easy to wire. IME, it takes more time actually mounting the end caps than wiring the setup.
 
Just got home and my setup was waiting for me. Here is what was in the box, including the Snickers. :)

IMG_1501.jpg


It came with full instructions on how to wire. As usual, Reef Geek comes through. They are great to deal with.
 
you are correct it is 24". i made a mistake and gave you the width. thanks for all the help!! I think I like the blue look if so what bulbs would you go with. thanks again!!!!!
 
vho have the best acetenic 'pop' that i know of but they seem to be old news... t5ho are the better choice.. they give the most light (par ) per wattage... it's the reflector that make the t5ho... they increase the light by 300%... icecap slr are the best according to Grim.

YzGyz
 
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