lighting for sps tank

[tchndie]

I want to keep sps in my tank and was wondering what light fixture would be best for my tank. My tank is a 150g 48Lx24Wx30H. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[tchndie]

Would Sunlight Supply Tek Light 8 Bulb T5 Fixture (48 Inch, 8x54W) be a good choice?

 

[elijaher]

What will be your choice of t5's?

 

[mutateddogbone]

if you wanted to go with T5 then yes, 8 bulb would be great.

I personally prefer MH with the height on your tank.

1. 2 radium SE 20k 400w MH
2. 2 Lumenbrite or Lumenmax elite pendants
3. 2 quality controllable electronic ballasts, IE coralvue, galaxy, etc.

i just dont feel that with that tall of a tank, you will have enough penetration to reach the bottom to have a SPS dominated system

 

[tchndie]

I was thinking
2- Korallen-Zucht 54W Coral Light II T5 Flourescent Bulb
5- Korallen-Zucht 54W Super Blue T5 Flourescent Bulb
1- Korallen-Zucht 54W Fiji Purple T5 Flourescent Bulb

Or do you have a better suggestion?

 

[tchndie]

mutateddogbone
What fixture are you suggesting i go with then? This has been my dalemah for a while. T5 or MH

 

[tchndie]

I don't have $3000 to spend on a good MH fixture

 

[Mmckibben]

metal halides or leds are best. T5s won't work well with sps

 

[Mmckibben]

get a 5ft Captive Sun Deluxe Hood Lighting System - 2x250W MH + 2x140W VHO (Bulbs NOT Included) $502.99

they have them at marine depote.

 

[GhostCon1]

I don't have $3000 to spend on a good MH fixture

You have been seriously misinformed!

Shop around, BulkReefSupply has some nice reflectors and bulbs. Some of the sponsors on here are also good to compare against.

 

[Gold Stripe]

If you watch the selling forum you can pick up a couple 400 watt ballasts at about $75 to $100 each, a couple Lumenbrite reflectors at about $75 to $100 each and go buy a couple XM 20k bulbs and you are good to go.

 

[tchndie]

so i need to have at least 2x250w mh and 2 T5 right to have a good sps tank?

 

[tchndie]

What about this fixture? Coralife 48 Inch Aqualight Pro, 2x250W HQI Lamp + 2x96W CF Lamps Sq. Pin + 4x1W LED
s this a good one or garbage?

 

[tchndie]

What about this fixture? Coralife 48 Inch Aqualight Pro, 2x250W HQI Lamp + 2x96W CF Lamps Sq. Pin + 4x1W LED
Is this a good one or garbage?

 

[tchndie]

So 2 150w MH wouldn't work either would it?

 

[Robert Patterso]

If you went with a T5 fixture you could keep a nice mixed reef. SPS in the top half and some nice lps in the bottom half. There are alot of successful T5 tanks out there and you could do it for alot less than 3000 bucks. I run 2 400 watt radiums in lumenbrites run on coralvue dimmable ballast and they were way less than 1000.00

 

[tchndie]

So if I was to go with a T5 fixture with 8bulbs what bulbs would do the beat job. What should I get for bulbs?

 

[TheDean]

metal halides or leds are best. T5s won't work well with sps

Just curious about how you came to this opinion. Thanks.

 

[Mmckibben]

I like leds the best, but you have to spend allot unless you do DIY.

 

[Mmckibben]

you have to cram allot of t5's on deep aquariums for them to work. That takes tones of power, not to mention it will be hard to access the aquarium with out the risk of getting burned on the lights. You can do it with VHO, but it still doesn't seem right. The aquariums I've seen sps aquariums with VHO, they have their entire hoods covered with bulbs. You can just use a couple VHOs, but you will have to keep the sps corals in the first 6 inches, that leaves little room for growth. Leds in my opinion are best, they are low energy, low cost to run , and not that expensive if you do DIY. I made my led fixture for $300. I rented a PAR meter and found that it put out the same PAR as a 250 watt metal halide. Since my aquarium is only 20 inches deep, I toned it down to %50; about a 175 watt or so. Since it takes only 75 watts, and I only have to replace it every 10 years, I save a bucket load of cash over it's life time.