How many bulbs of t5

[Bratyboy2]

Hello all!

I was recently running at 75 gallon tank with 4 t5ho in the combo of ati
2 blue +
1 coral +
and 1 purple +
with a biotek B5 all blue led bulb on a seperate fixture for that little bit of pop.

my sps were starting to puddle out and polyps and color was great.

UNTIL......the tank sprung a leak. so needless to say after 3 months of having the tank going and collecting pieces i wanted i had to start over.

needless to say i have upgraded to 120 4x2x2ft tank and couldnt be happier with the size. but now this means i need more light to get to the bottom.

how many bulbs over this tank do you think i need? 8?

 

[codydemmel4]

im sure you could easily get away with 6, but if the funds allow might as well go for 8.

 

[Bratyboy2]

you think 6 will be enough to keep sps near the bottom of the tank?

 

[swk]

The rule of thumb is one bulb for every 3" of tank width from front to back.

24" tank - 8 bulbs
18" tank - 6 bulbs

Etc.....this is how I've always sized fixtures. Could probably get away with less if running a mixed reef and careful placement of sps. However, with my 6 bulb over my 75 I can put acros anywhere I want

 

[Bratyboy2]

The rule of thumb is one bulb for every 3" of tank width from front to back.

24" tank - 8 bulbs
18" tank - 6 bulbs

Etc.....this is how I've always sized fixtures. Could probably get away with less if running a mixed reef and careful placement of sps. However, with my 6 bulb over my 75 I can put acros anywhere I want

This is a good reference. As far as the tank depth though?

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[swk]

Depth from top to bottom is really kind of irrelevant unless it's over 30" deep. If the tank is shallow just hang the light higher than normal. Does that make sense?

 

[codydemmel4]

I suggest reading Big E's thread if you want suggestions on T5's etc.

I am 99% sure he only runs 4 t5s on his display and 6 on his frag tank but his colors and growth on his corals are one of the best on this site.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2197142&highlight=lights

 

[Bratyboy2]

Soubds great to me!

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[Bratyboy2]

I suggest reading Big E's thread if you want suggestions on T5's etc.

I am 99% sure he only runs 4 t5s on his display and 6 on his frag tank but his colors and growth on his corals are one of the best on this site.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2197142&highlight=lights

Big E is from my area lol hes def got a great thread. I thought he was running 6 over his 80 gallon display?

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[codydemmel4]

Big E is from my area lol hes def got a great thread. I thought he was running 6 over his 80 gallon display?

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well if I was you, thats who I would be hitting up for frags and advice on setting up your T5 lighting haha.

I know he only used to have 4, maybe he added 2 more.

 

[Bratyboy2]

well if I was you, thats who I would be hitting up for frags and advice on setting up your T5 lighting haha.

I know he only used to have 4, maybe he added 2 more.

Lol ya he sells at the local swaps. Ill have to go back and double check his thread

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[swk]

I have a build thread too if you'd like to see and can email you a 1 year before and after if ya like [emoji6]

 

[Bratyboy2]

I have a build thread too if you'd like to see and can email you a 1 year before and after if ya like [emoji6]

Ill pm ya my email

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[Bpb]

BigE also heavily overdrives his bulbs and burns through them every 6 months. Works for him but I'd personally prefer to run more bulbs at the normal wattage


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[Acromaniac]

Personally I would go 10. 8 would be minimum.

 

[Big E]

Just to clarify.......

I run 4x54 overdriven on my display. I make a of point of keeping most sps in that 18" width area to maximize color/growth. The diy reflectors are also about a 1/4" wider than what is on a Sunpower. I have planned for quite some time to add two more bulbs, so that's why I recommend at least 6. Because my bulbs are over driven they produce a whiter brighter look than an ATI ballast and also produce about 20% more par than 4 standard driven bulbs.

My frag tank has a 6x54 Sunpower on it...........I'd prefer 8 to get full coverage over every inch of that tank.

I bought the Sunpower to compare them to my overdriven setup. Until I'm convinced it can produce the same results I prefer what I have over my display.

In theory, the over driven T5 setup is similar to what over driven 400w Radiums had going for them and why they were/are so wildly populular as the best for Sps.

So, basically a lot depends on how you set up your aqua scape and also if you want to have the tank look brighter and minimize shadows. The 8 bulbs will also hit each coral from more angles regardless of placement. In other words, the corals on the outer edges will get the same amount of light as the corals in the middle.

You still need to be strategic on how you place the corals, for it to work right.

 

[Potatohead]

You can always run six bulbs in an eight bulb fixture, but you can never do the opposite.

 

[GSMclowns]

For 120 gallons with dimensions of 4'x2'x2', you would want an 8 bulbs. Can't run it with 6 bulbs.. I had 6 bulbs before on my 75. when I upgraded to 120, 6 bulbs just wouldn't cut it. So I got to buy a brand new 8 bulbs fixture just for the new tank. Even with an 8 bulbs, it still doesn't cover the whole front to back of my tank.

 

[Bratyboy2]

Just to clarify.......

I run 4x54 overdriven on my display. I make a of point of keeping most sps in that 18" width area to maximize color/growth. The diy reflectors are also about a 1/4" wider than what is on a Sunpower. I have planned for quite some time to add two more bulbs, so that's why I recommend at least 6. Because my bulbs are over driven they produce a whiter brighter look than an ATI ballast and also produce about 20% more par than 4 standard driven bulbs.

My frag tank has a 6x54 Sunpower on it...........I'd prefer 8 to get full coverage over every inch of that tank.

I bought the Sunpower to compare them to my overdriven setup. Until I'm convinced it can produce the same results I prefer what I have over my display.

In theory, the over driven T5 setup is similar to what over driven 400w Radiums had going for them and why they were/are so wildly populular as the best for Sps.

So, basically a lot depends on how you set up your aqua scape and also if you want to have the tank look brighter and minimize shadows. The 8 bulbs will also hit each coral from more angles regardless of placement. In other words, the corals on the outer edges will get the same amount of light as the corals in the middle.

You still need to be strategic on how you place the corals, for it to work right.

Can you explain your coral placement theory?

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[Big E]

Can you explain your coral placement theory?

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That's mainly for if you use a 6 bulb you want to be conscious of placement keeping them within a certain width....or take into account the growth patterns of the corals.

The other consideration is mainly where you place them based on their intensity level needs.