I'm confused help me choose a light

jet fixer

New member
I'm setting up a 75gal that I would like to be an Acan dominated tank. All the advise I get is to go for a 6 bulb T5. When I read other posts about lighting I have read that 6 bulbs will burn LPS corals and that four are good enough. As of right now the short list is a 36" or 48" ATI Sunpower fixture.

Why am I hearing two different things and how can I make sure I make the proper decision prior to dropping a large chunk of change?
 
If all you plan on doing acan's and no sps, I think you could even do the 6 bulb sunpower. its my understanding that too much light can change the color of the acans. although dont quote me on that
 
You will be beyond satisfied with a 4 bulb T5.

Check out Wave Point fixtures, great price, amazing factory bulbs, you will be very satisfied with a 4 bulb T5 as long as you make sure to buy one that will stretch the entire length of your tank.

My Wave Point I just bought for my 40 breeder puts out more light with my 154 watt 4 T5 factory bulbs than my 196 watt Current USA PC.
 
it is up to you first you have to decide if you like the T5s or if you want to go with MH the difference bettween energy use is not that much. I tryed T5s on my new 240G tank and didnt really like them so now I am in the prosses of getting all the stuff I need to go back to MH.
 
I had a 150w HQI on my solana and the chiller would run in January so, for the 75 I'm going to try T5 to see if I can get away with fans instead of a chiller.

I can't belive how hard this decision is to make.
 
A six bulb t5 fixture is perfect. You can grow anything with the right combo of bulbs. Way less heat. I dont even need a chiller. Great color, great growth. Just my opinion. I did a ton of research for bulb combination and never looked at any MH.
 
i was stationed in tucson AZ so a chiller running in january is not that bad of a thing in AZ. I ran a 145G tank without a chiller all year round there.
 
I'm not looking at MH and I do not want to be able to grow anything. I'm concerned about Acans I've seen quite a few threads where people say 6 T5 bulbs burn their corals. Since I'm bulding the system around Acans I want the best possible light for them. I'm thinking about getting either a 48" 4 bulb sunpower or a 36" 6 bulb sunpower.

On the reefgeek site they recomend a 48" 4x54 bulb sunpower for mixed tanks up to 75 gal or a 36" 6x39 bulb sunpower for mixed tanks upto 85 gal.

This is a quote from IceCap about their new Reef Illuminations fixture.
"The Reef Illuminations T5 fixture with its four T5 fluorescent lamps with 4
LED LunarLites tube arrays is best suited for shallow aquariums or deepwater corals such as Acanthastrea,
Trachyphyllia, Scolymia, Cynarina, Fungia, Cycloseris, Blastomussa, etc. Don’t confuse lower light with lower quality
light. Some fixtures don’t put out much light because of poor design. We’re putting out the right amount of good
quality light for the right applications."


People keep recomending six bulbs and I do not understand why. Yes, I understand I would get more bulb choices but with the extra power I will have to raise the fixture or shorten the photo period if the lighting is too intense. That would mean I will not be able to enjoy my tank as long if I shorten the photo period. If I raise the fixture light would just spill over the front & back. So, whats the point of getting six bulbs if I'm just lighting the floor?

I should add this is for a standard 75RR 48"Lx18"Wx20"H
 
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4 bulbs will be plenty. with 6 you are overlighting the tank for what you want to grow, IMO. if you raise the fixture to ease off the amount of light, you are wasting electricity. if i were setting up a tank as you describe, i'd buy a good 4 bulb, individually reflected t5 fixture. you will be more than happy with it.
 
you could always get the 6 bulb in case youre going to get more stuff, and only use 4 bulbs for right now. its cheaper then buying another 6 bulb down the line.
cuz i always wanna get more stuff
 
So, We have:
Two for four bulbs
Three for six bulbs
and one for "choose between MH and T5"
I wonder why I can't choose.
 
If you do go with a 6 bulb ATI fixture, and you notice the corals burning, you can always raise the fixture up a little.
 
You wouldn't run all 6 bulbs all the time anyway. I have a 6 bulb on my 46 gallon bowfront. lps and sps do very well, no burning issues.
 
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