Lighting suggestions for a 90g

[eledile]

So, I am going to be starting the process of setting up a 90g tank and want to find out what some other people currently have set up for their tanks, and get some info from more experienced reefers about lighting and what works best..

So, if anyone has some advice or have a 90g reef, let me know what lighting you have! I plan on keeping mainly LPS and softies, so I won't need mega-watts for my tank..I'm not a huge fan of the SPS.

Thanks in advance!
-Jordan

 

[TimeConsumer]

I'm a big fan of T5's. You could get away with 4x54w (I use one on my 75g) growing LPS and softies, but you'll get faster growth, more even light distribution, and have more bulb combinations with a 6x54w.

Get a quality fixture like a TEK or an ATI and you won't regret it.

 

[eledile]

T-5's are not a bad route to go with. I was looking into the fishneedit.com fixtures. I was kinda considering the MH T-5 combo fixture they have. They look really clean, and have a 6 month full warranty, and they seem to be of good quality. I'm sure the bulbs would probably have to be replaced because they wouldn't be "the best" but if I can save $400+ on a light fixture why not right?

What would the advantages of having MH and T-5's in the same fixture? I know that the MH will create heat issues, and the T-5's really don't do much as far as the heat goes..I know that both have been successful tools in growing corals and keeping them alive..

Now what is all this about bulb combinations? What other combinations are there other than white and blue?? I have not heard of any colors other than those for lights for reef tanks? And what is the best bulb combination?

 

[TimeConsumer]

MH + T5 is a great combination. You can have a dawn/dusk cycle and highly customizable color options with bulbs. Plus you get the awesome shimmer effect and fast growth of MH. Heat shouldn't be much of an issue if the ambient temp in your house is reasonable and if you keep the reflectors high enough off the tank. And a couple of fans with a controller will keep your temps stable as well. But for LPS and softies MH definitely aren't necessary.

As far as bulb combos go, there are a ton of different T5 bulbs. You have your blue/actinic bulbs which have a number of options: True Actinic, Super Actinic, Blue Plus, 454, etc. Then for daylight you have: 6.5k, 10k, 14k, purple daylight, coral pro etc. You have combination bulbs like 50/50, 75/25. You even have some specialties like red.

Mixing and matching these gives you a ton of control over the exact color of your tank. Perhaps you want a deep sea look, go heavy on the blues. Or maybe you want a shallow crisp white look, stack in the 14ks. Want a lot of fluorescence? Throw in a couple of actinics. Want your sun polyps to show off the yellow? Stick in a 6500k. And on and on and on.

The T5 Q&A thread can give you all the answers you need about bulb combos and fixtures, etc.

EDIT: And I'll be honest, I'm not sold on your vendor for lighting. It doesn't mention much about the fixtures. What kind of ballasts do they use? Are they remote? Do the T5's have individual reflectors? I'd invest in quality now, rather than upgrading down the road.

 

[eledile]

well, looks like I have some homework to do then? lol

I definitely want to go with quality stuff, but I can't afford to throw thousands of dollars on light fixtures ya know? Don't get me wrong I know what you're talking about when it comes to quality, but there has to be something in the middle. Life just wouldn't work if there wasn't..

So for LPS and softies I don't necessarily need MH, that is good to know! That already saves a bit of $..

So, say I want a nice even mix of blue and white, with a noticable hint of blue during the day, would that be a 14k or a 20k? I know 10k is crisp white, and definitely not what I want to look at. lol

And I guess I never really thought about it like that. What all am I looking for in the ballasts? What makes a ballast good or bad? I am getting in contact with them tonight so any questions I should ask them about the fixtures let me know.

 

[TimeConsumer]

well, looks like I have some homework to do then? lol

I definitely want to go with quality stuff, but I can't afford to throw thousands of dollars on light fixtures ya know? Don't get me wrong I know what you're talking about when it comes to quality, but there has to be something in the middle. Life just wouldn't work if there wasn't..

So for LPS and softies I don't necessarily need MH, that is good to know! That already saves a bit of $..

So, say I want a nice even mix of blue and white, with a noticable hint of blue during the day, would that be a 14k or a 20k? I know 10k is crisp white, and definitely not what I want to look at. lol

And I guess I never really thought about it like that. What all am I looking for in the ballasts? What makes a ballast good or bad? I am getting in contact with them tonight so any questions I should ask them about the fixtures let me know.

There definitely is middle ground. On your tank I would get a 6 bulb TEK. $416 from Reefgeek with your choice of high quality bulbs included.

And for your bulbs. I would go with 4 ATI Blue Plus, 1 ATI Purple Plus, and 1 GE 6500k. That will be a nice blue look that still has good color pop.

As far as what to look for, you want individual parabolic reflectors. And that doesn't mean one piece of metal bent in V-shapes around the bulbs. You want quality electronic ballasts, brands matter. Manufacturer's warranties show a good product as well. And I know China gets a bad rap for it's manufacturing quality, some Chinese stuff is great. But a lot of it is not.

 

[eledile]

What about LED? I have LED's on my 24g nano, and I'm doing pretty good with that..lol

Not necessarily that I would do it all LED, but what if I did a 4 bulb T5 fixture, and then accented with LED's? I was thinking of doing the blues for the LED's so I could maximize more bulb combinations and even add more colors??

 

[TimeConsumer]

What about LED? I have LED's on my 24g nano, and I'm doing pretty good with that..lol

Not necessarily that I would do it all LED, but what if I did a 4 bulb T5 fixture, and then accented with LED's? I was thinking of doing the blues for the LED's so I could maximize more bulb combinations and even add more colors??

Not worth the cash (yet) in my opinion. I wouldn't bother. Those with more experience with LEDs may chime in with other thoughts.

 

[Saltwatercoral2]

if you go with t5s, get an ati fixture, much better then the tek fixtures.. The bulbs will last longer in the ati fixture compared to the teks.

 

[eledile]

Even just as a supplement?

And with the T5's how do I get the colors to fluoresce?

 

[TimeConsumer]

if you go with t5s, get an ati fixture, much better then the tek fixtures.. The bulbs will last longer in the ati fixture compared to the teks.

I agree that the ATI fixture is better, and bulb life will be extended due to ballast differences. However, it will take 2 years before you see a return on investment. By that time many reefers will have dropped out of the game or upgraded to a larger tank. I'm trying to talk the OP out of a $150 fixture into a $415 fixture. Trying to go from $150 to $630 may not be possible. (all these numbers are w/ bulbs) When the OP asked about a "middle ground", I knew a TEK would be easier to swallow. That's how I felt when I started.

Even just as a supplement?

And with the T5's how do I get the colors to fluoresce?

As a color supplement there's nothing wrong with LED's. But most supplemental LED setups will not help much with the growth of your coral. Sure they have an awesome shimmer effect, but it's still expensive. For example, an Ecoxotic stunner strip 48" long is $100. Add in the 24v transformer to power them and you're over $130 for just one strip of supplemental LEDs. The 4x54w TEK w/ bulbs goes for $321 and the 6x54w w/ bulbs goes for $415. That's only a $94 difference. As far as initial investment goes, you might as well get the bigger T5 fixture and get extra growth out of it. It will cost you a little more in bulb replacement per year, but I think you'll be happy with the results in the end.

As far as fluorescence using T5's; the ATI Blue Plus (and similar wavelength bulbs from other manufacturers) will make corals fluoresce. But an actinic will do this even better. ATI True Actinic, Giesemann Actinic Plus, or Giesemann Pure Actinic will all get the job done very well. Again, I would consult the experts in the T5 Q&A thread for more in-depth info on the right bulb combination for your tank.

 

[Waddleboy]

now this might be way out here but i built my own led system for ~$500 and it is dimable and keeps cool and electricity bill down. Its over my 90 and i have no complaints. just throwing in my .02

 

[eledile]

now this might be way out here but i built my own led system for ~$500 and it is dimable and keeps cool and electricity bill down. Its over my 90 and i have no complaints. just throwing in my .02

Any more info on that? pics? I'm open to all suggestions right now. It's not like I have to get it done tomorrow..lol

TimeConsumer- I will definitely look into the Tek's a bit. I really like them, It's just hard to wrap my mind around at the moment. And I will definitely take my questions to the Q&A forum as well to see what info I can come up with over there.
Thank you for your help!

 

[Waddleboy]

Any more info on that? pics? I'm open to all suggestions right now. It's not like I have to get it done tomorrow..lol

TimeConsumer- I will definitely look into the Tek's a bit. I really like them, It's just hard to wrap my mind around at the moment. And I will definitely take my questions to the Q&A forum as well to see what info I can come up with over there.
Thank you for your help!

surely what ya wanna know. Here are some pics from the beginning. the fishies are sleeping right now so hopefully ill remember and get you a pic with them on

this is when it was being built

these 3 are after it was set up but still cycling. had a bloom

it looks much better now haha these pictures dont do it justice

 

[TimeConsumer]

TimeConsumer- I will definitely look into the Tek's a bit. I really like them, It's just hard to wrap my mind around at the moment. And I will definitely take my questions to the Q&A forum as well to see what info I can come up with over there.
Thank you for your help!

Glad to help. A final bit of advice: a DIY LED setup like above is always an option as well. I'm a bit cautious to recommend that off the bat, but if you're comfortable with basic electrical work and a little creativity, you can make a great setup. Definitely do your research, there's a lot of past threads here on RC and other forums about it.

 

[eledile]

Waddleboy- EVERYTHING! lol What you used, how you did it, how much of a PITA it was..I like DIY stuff, but iff it's too much stress then I will usually pass.

TimeConsumer- The LED's on my 24g are actually a DIY setup. I was thinking of doing that as my blues to make the corals fluoresce when the whites go off. It would just be a matter of how to get them to co-exist with the T5's that I would have to worry about (space wise that is)

 

[Saltwatercoral2]

While I agree. but another thing. He can buy a 36 inch sunpower to.. and use it on his tank.

 

[Saltwatercoral2]

While I agree. but another thing. He can buy a 36 inch sunpower to.. and use it on his tank.

The tek fixture also.. It doesnt have a splash shield. Which you will want, and it also doesnt come with legs, so you have to buy them seperate. By the time you do that, were talking 150 dollar difference.

If he got the 36 inch sunpower for his tank, theres only a 60 dollar difference in the price.

 

[rtparty]

The acrylic shield is a terrible idea for the Tek fixtures. It traps heat in and kills the components.

I would get 2-18" ecoxotic panorama pro fixtures for an LPS tank.

 

[Waddleboy]

Waddleboy- EVERYTHING! lol What you used, how you did it, how much of a PITA it was..I like DIY stuff, but iff it's too much stress then I will usually pass.

haha alright so here it is. I used two 6x16 heat sinks with 28 leds on each. Each heatsink has 11 rb, 9 nw, 4 cw, 3b, and 1 red. I wired up two strings of 14 leds per heat sink. i used 4 drivers. i probably could have gotten away with two and running in parallel but i like this cause it gives me flexibility to expand if i show choose. i used a cheap thin piece of acrylic from homedepot as the cover. It wasnt really a pain just good planning helps. I glued the leds to the heatsink instead of screwing them. It isnt hard to get them off if they burn out, just crack it out with screw driver. And tin the led plates before soldering the wire ( i learned this late and it would have saved me tons of time earlier and looked neater). If i had to do it again it would probably take me about an 3 hours to solder and get everything connected. The worst part of the whole ting was drilling it for the hanging kits and the acrylic screen protector. Drilling through aluminum was awful without a press but doable. Hope that helps let me know if you need anything else