Joe's 190g 60x36x20 SLOW Mixed Reef Build.......

And my cheap Gfixture is gone from salty supply I believe =(

It looks like Im building a canopy! That'll be GREAT fun, I havent dont wood since 8th grade lol

Equipment on that will probably be a couple XM 10k bulbs, a (4) 48" T5 retro (staggered), a PFO Dual 250w ballast, and either a lumenarc or a lumenmax reflector. Im kinda stuck between the lumenarc and lumenmax. The lumenarc looks better, but since Im buying everything else from Salty, Im sure I can get a way better deal on the Lumenmax reflectors. But the last thing I wanna do is buy some junky reflector to save $100.
 
well as long shes alright that's what count. you can always budget later :D i would get LA with the best spread.
 
Now that you've seen Danskim's tank lit by all T5's, are you considering that as a lighting choice? The money you'll save there is in your electricity bill. And with you guys moving to Fresno and that A/C running all day, might be something to consider.
 
Lol. Thats the reason I came to this thread just now. I might just go with some T5s! I may get 1 lumenarc on one side, and have a 250w halide to keep an SPS island type set up. Then do T5s the rest of the way.
 
I was actually looking just now at some lighting options. I think Im going to pass on the T5s. I already plan on doing (2) 10k T5s, and (2) Actinic T5s. So that might allow me to go down to 175w Halides, rather than 250w. Saving a tiny bit of electricity ($10 a month according to the calculator), and maybe some heat also.
 
Jflip, you crack me up. You can change your mind on equipment "just like that"! :)

You'd be surprised at T5-only SPS tanks. With the Powermodules, at least, they put out twice as much PAR as the next competitors (if I remember correctly from GrimReefer's analysis). Also, with such a shallow tank, you won't "need" halides for your SPS. You could hang them if you "wanted" them though.

For me, the electrical savings came not just in lower wattage of lamps, but also because I won't need a chiller anymore (at least I hope I won't need a chiller. Summer's coming, so we'll see, but the interior of my house stays relatively cool compared to the outside). I'm not sure if you can get away with not running a chiller in Fresno, even if you run all T5's.
 
I dont plan on running a chiller. The AC will be set accordingly. Lets hope thats how it stays! lol. Where do you buy the ATI fixtures you have?

Im under the impression a watt is a watt. If you use 500 watts of T5s, and 500 watts of halides, its going to be the same amount of heat. I just plan on having the system well ventilated.

I think I wont be so flip flop when I get the actual number of dollars I have to spend initially. Right now I keep going back and forth, and its all just to drive me crazy lol. Id love to have the octo 250 pro skimmer, but if I cant afford that, I will have to settle for the 200. Same with lighting. Id love to have 250w Lumenarc IIIs, with some T5s, or the Giesemann fixture, but who knows what I can afford initially.

The only thing that bothers me about the Giesemann fixture is it only has 2 T5 lamps. I mean you leave your Halides running for 8 hours a day? That means the rest of the time youre stuck running just pure actinics, and I think thats ugly. The only other option is running a 15k bulb, and a daylight and actinic T5, but then it affects the PAR.

The downside about the lumenarcs is the building of a canopy. That along with the potential for raised tank temps.

The lighting really drives me crazy. I pretty much know my flow and skimmer will be one of a couple things. The whole lighting thing makes me go nuts though lol.
 
regarding heat, yes watts are watts. The thing with T5's is you can get the same PAR at much fewer watts than halides. That's where the savings come in. Also, T5 bulbs don't have to be changed as often as halides.

I really think you should run a chiller if you plan to run halides, esp since you'll be in Fresno. What if your home's A/C dies on you?

Edit: I'm not trying to steer you towards a T5-only tank. I'm only telling you this since you want to save some money, which is why i went T5's. If electricity costs in CA weren't jacked up like they are, I'd be running halides/T5 combo myself.
 
haha, forgot to answer that. ReefGeek.com is the only place. At least that was the only distributor when I bought mine.

You may even be able to save on shipping. Greg's based in Torrance or Gardena. Greg's awesome to work with. Great customer service.
 
wow, $1000 for a 8x54w 48" fixture. not so sure if Im going that route, lol. Those Mh look better and better. That is too rich for my blood. I cant even consider the 10x54w fixture. I was looking at the Tek fixtures. Its only $449 for the 8x54w fixture, compared to the $1000 fixture. I could jam 2 of those 48" Tek fixtures over my tank for that price lol.
 
Bahhhh, you got me wanting to go back to T5s. I read some PAR ratings on here, and a guy running some Tek T5 set up had equal par ratings to someone running lumenbright reflectors and MHs. =\

Maybe those are a better option. That 8 bulb Tek T5 fixture shaved a couple hundred bucks off my budget too lol.
 
yeah, T5's put out more PAR than halides. I still like halides more cuz it looks more natural, IMO. I think the Powermodules put out twice as much PAR as the TEKS, now that you bring it up.

BTW, if you want to see a really nice T5-only tank, look up "Iwan"either here or on the ZEO forums.
 
Ive seen some nice ones. People just say that they end up bleaching the corals, or the corals lose color over time. I think the MH shimmer is really overrated. I went from T5s and switched to MH, and Idont notice the shimmer all that much.

Im really considering that Tek fixture now. Since itd only be 432w, rather than the 716w I was going to have with the two 250w halides and the T5s. Or maybe with all this talk I can just go low MH, like 175w, and some T5s. The two 175w halides, and 2 T5s would only be 458w =)

Yep, flip flopping already lol. Man, this kills me.
 
lol. That Gfixture is just such a sexy fixture. I wish I could get it so cheap in that blue. The difference is $9 a month between 175w and 250w halides lol. I think Im gonna see what I can get the best deal on, and go that route. If its halides, I can just raise the fixture a little, and have a high volume fan cooling everything off.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

U
New build
Replies
3
Views
304
griss
griss
M
Aquascape Opinions on 55gal mixed reef
Replies
7
Views
261
Reefing102
Reefing102
BuckeyeFish
24g mixed reef dosing
Replies
3
Views
443
CHSUB
CHSUB
9
Help with Biota Yellow Tangs' eroding fins
Replies
15
Views
403
92reefer
9
T
120 Gallon Mixed Reef Tank for Sale
Replies
6
Views
629
vanbro1
vanbro1
Back
Top