lights
- Thread starter waddwadd
- Start date
DogueDeBordeaux
Member
It could be.
What size, and how deep is the tank? How high are the lights from the waters surface?
What size, and how deep is the tank? How high are the lights from the waters surface?
dkeller_nc
New member
You will be able to keep lower-light requiring SPS such as encrusting montiporas, small polyp-lettuce corals and possibly some deep-water acroporas so long as they're placed high on the rockwork within about 6" of the water surface.
But ideally, you need at least a 6-bulb t5 fixture over a tank as deep as a standard dimension 90 gallon, and preferably 8 bulbs. A metal halide/t5 system would be more appropriate for a tank like this, or high intensity full-spectrum LEDs if that's your preference.
As a comparison, I ran a 90 gallon tank with 4 T-12 VHO bulbs and a 250w metal halide for many years. But it was just barely enough light for some of the higher light demand SPS corals that were placed midway up the water column, and I constantly wished for more. Roughly speaking, that was about 700 watts of light, though less efficient than today's t5 and MH fixtures.
But ideally, you need at least a 6-bulb t5 fixture over a tank as deep as a standard dimension 90 gallon, and preferably 8 bulbs. A metal halide/t5 system would be more appropriate for a tank like this, or high intensity full-spectrum LEDs if that's your preference.
As a comparison, I ran a 90 gallon tank with 4 T-12 VHO bulbs and a 250w metal halide for many years. But it was just barely enough light for some of the higher light demand SPS corals that were placed midway up the water column, and I constantly wished for more. Roughly speaking, that was about 700 watts of light, though less efficient than today's t5 and MH fixtures.
trueblackpercula
New member
You will need double that.
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