Proper T5 distance from Tank?

[sfarid123]

Hi,

At what distance should one suspend a TEK T5 4X54w /no fan
from a 55g tank so that a BTA would get proper lighting and also would not over heat your tank?

 

[Wryknow]

T5s need to be pretty close to the water. 3-5" is typical. You should run some fans in the canopy to keep the bulbs cool as well.

 

[sfarid123]

Some one at my LFS told me that T5's should be setting at 15" on top of the tank since they are very powerful. If it is too close, it will bleach the BTA and over heat the tank along w/ algae buildup. Also most canopys are supposedly at 15" high.

Can you guys confirm this?

 

[dzeadow]

no, that's just kind of silly. People with MH lighting don't even go that high and they put out much more concentrated heat that a T5. My bulbs are probably close to 4" above the surface of the water. 15" is much too high

 

[sasscuba]

My T-5's are at 4.5

 

[tydtran]

The person telling you 15 in. is way off. I have 4X54 W sitting on my aquarium 1 inch from the water. Heat has not been an issue. My green BTA sits 8 in. from the light and is doing great. If you hang your light 15 in. from the water, you won't have enought penetration to keep moderate light requiring corals happy.

 

[phender]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11211786#post11211786 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tydtran
The person telling you 15 in. is way off. I have 4X54 W sitting on my aquarium 1 inch from the water. Heat has not been an issue. My green BTA sits 8 in. from the light and is doing great. If you hang your light 15 in. from the water, you won't have enought penetration to keep moderate light requiring corals happy.

You must have a chiller or a pretty strong fan. Mine were at 4". I raised them to 6" to cut down on some of the heat. Mine have individual reflectors. I imagine that makes a difference.

 

[Slakker]

I have 175 watts of MH over a 12 gallon tank and it's only 8-10" above the water's surface...15" for T5 is a little extreme IMO.

3-5" should do nicely.

 

[scotmc]

Four inches works well for me. I had them at 3. After a year I had to change the reflectors and three end caps. I do not want to use a shield. I had only a 2 degree increase in temp. T5's really do not increase the temp in your tank at 4 inches.