SPS doable with this lighting?
- Thread starter natas
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njdevilsfan
New member
you will be fine just keep the sps high in the tank
downhillbiker
New member
i disagree. i think you need to double what you have. at least.
Peter Eichler
New member
Depends on several factors... High quality individual reflectors, high quality bulbs are two of the biggest factors. Also, selection of SPS corals since some of them don't need especially intense light. Determing which those are can be a bit tricky. However, if you get good bulbs and reflectors you should be able to keep just about any SPS as long as it's closer to the light source.
Peter Eichler
New member
Have you ever used T5s before? Also, I'd like to know how to fit 8 T5 bulbs with individual reflectors over a 18" wide tank.
Peter Eichler
New member
All that said 6 bulbs would give you better light coverage and give you a little more leeway with SPS accustomed to more intense light.
Agree with Peter (smart guy that he is 
) 4 bulbs of T5s with the right ballast and right reflectors should be able to handle SPS even at mid level of the tank - but as mentioned, 6 bulbs would give you better coverage from front to back. Best fixtures are Aquatinics and ATI. Best retrofit would be Icecap and Aquatinics and to a lesser degree Tek.
) 4 bulbs of T5s with the right ballast and right reflectors should be able to handle SPS even at mid level of the tank - but as mentioned, 6 bulbs would give you better coverage from front to back. Best fixtures are Aquatinics and ATI. Best retrofit would be Icecap and Aquatinics and to a lesser degree Tek.
njdevilsfan
New member
with individual reflectors he will have close to 4 watts per gallon that is doable
ConcreteReefer
In Memoriam
I've got a 6 bulb Powermodule on my 120g and I'm getting tons of light down low- Enough for Monti's, Deepwater Acro's & LPS..
If your only going to use 4, you better go with VHO..
I would go with at least 6 if I were you..
Here is a pic of my setup-
If your only going to use 4, you better go with VHO..
I would go with at least 6 if I were you..
Here is a pic of my setup-
ConcreteReefer
In Memoriam
Well I shouldn't say "Tons", I get "enough"..
Coral placement is key with minimal lighting.. As you can see with the pic, Top to bottom the types of coral changes... High Light Acro's up top, Montis & Deepwater's mid-level, LPS (Acans, Favia, Challice, Hammer, etc.) w/ some zoo's & a scroll coral on the bottom.
Coral placement is key with minimal lighting.. As you can see with the pic, Top to bottom the types of coral changes... High Light Acro's up top, Montis & Deepwater's mid-level, LPS (Acans, Favia, Challice, Hammer, etc.) w/ some zoo's & a scroll coral on the bottom.
The T5's I have are the Sunlight Supply Tek Light Fixtures. The lights are about 1inch above the water....does that help any?
Now, my other option is sitting in the closet. Its a PFO Pendant that holds 1x250Watt HQI MH and 2x75Watt VHO. The problem here is I need to buy 3 bulbs and a Ballast for the HQI, top that off with a higher electricity bill. I do know this setup will be enough, I just wonder if the T5 will be enough or if I will be shaking my head later down the road wishing I would of gone with the Metal Halide setup.
Now, my other option is sitting in the closet. Its a PFO Pendant that holds 1x250Watt HQI MH and 2x75Watt VHO. The problem here is I need to buy 3 bulbs and a Ballast for the HQI, top that off with a higher electricity bill. I do know this setup will be enough, I just wonder if the T5 will be enough or if I will be shaking my head later down the road wishing I would of gone with the Metal Halide setup.
zacharytrimble
New member
I have 4 on my 75 and I have accros and other sps growing like crazy...but your 90 is a couple inches higher...so yeah, I think it's cutting it close...but if an upgrade for some reason isn't possible right now...try just moving to mostly power bulbs...for instance...rather than having a couple actinics in there with 10ks which is what I do.., which don't produce much power...try a couple 10ks and a couple 18ks...to try to get a little bit more powerful light while still getting that blue look.
p.s....there has been somewhat of an interesting conversation about individual vs. single reflector t5's...some would say the single reflector actually gets deeper penetration vs. broader on individuals...interesting theory...do a search on it on this site and you'll probably find the thread...its huge.
p.s....there has been somewhat of an interesting conversation about individual vs. single reflector t5's...some would say the single reflector actually gets deeper penetration vs. broader on individuals...interesting theory...do a search on it on this site and you'll probably find the thread...its huge.
fuschia_red
In Memoriam
You should be fine. As long as you place your SPS higher up in the tank, it should be alright. T-5's are pretty intense. You'd be surprised. Besides, the old rule of watts/gallon is a thing of the past. I run T-5's on my tank and I have excellent SPS growth with T-5's. To be honest, 4 bulbs @ 54 Watts each is plenty. The only disadvantage would be that you wouldn't get the extraordinary light shimmering effect that you would get with metal halides.
Doubling up on bulbs like someone mentioned is not only absurd, but impossible. Also, I think you risk giving your corals and clams sun burn. You would have to incorporate a specially designed/built hood specifically for that purpose and estheatically would look very odd (unless you place two bulbs under the same reflector but that would defeat their purpose).
Doubling up on bulbs like someone mentioned is not only absurd, but impossible. Also, I think you risk giving your corals and clams sun burn. You would have to incorporate a specially designed/built hood specifically for that purpose and estheatically would look very odd (unless you place two bulbs under the same reflector but that would defeat their purpose).
