t-5 retro for 24 nano

maxpower39

New member
looking for a t-5 retro for a 24 nano...am looking to achieve alot lumens not wattage...am i still striving for 8 watts per gallon? that would put me at about 200 watts of t-5....sounds way too bright...
 
Your getting bright....but not TOO bright. I'd say that 200w of t-5s is about as much as i would put on a 24. Its not like its over 10w per gallon. Dont wory its not too bright, in fact..its just right ;)

Just a question... I love my t-5's but if your going to add that many t-5's into the hood of a 24g, why not just go mh and supplement with t-5 acentic.
THis would give you allot of flexibility, and may even cost less than the quantity of t-5's were talking about here. :)

Tell me what you think...I'm not telling you what to do...just a thought and option to consider. :)
 
T-5 lights will save you more money on electricity, bubl replacement, and are really good for lighting reefs. however, they still can't beat MH with supplements for shear span of corals you can keep
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7111879#post7111879 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Reefer91
T-5 lights will save you more money on electricity, bubl replacement, and are really good for lighting reefs. however, they still can't beat MH with supplements for shear span of corals you can keep

I completly agree with you. DO you think the initial cost of mh would be cheaper than the installation of that many t-5's?
 
i am breaking down my reef simply for the cost of the metal halide lighting...what do you have in mind?150 hqi? i don't want to take the lid off cause i would need a cap off system for the evaporation rate , thats why i want to retro the existing hood.
is there a lid available for the jbj 24 with the 150 hqi and t-5 lighting?...doubt it!
plus the 150 hqi would probally get pretty hot for my litte guy unless i was to hang it from the ceiling...seems a little dramatic for that little tank.
you mentioned all those bulbs...how many watts can i get in the lid of jbj top? right now i have two 36w pc's but i wish i could have the actinics and the daylights seperate so i could simulate sun up and sun down...do they make t-5's in one foot lomg bulbs?
 
I dont know if they make t-f's in 12 inch lengths...

Jbj did just come out with the viper clamp on lite though... maybe you should check it out...It is reasonably priced as well.
Why not diy an ato.. it would be less expensive and time consuming... in the long run, then basing your system around this particular consideration. You could get a 70w mh...that would be perfect...the vipe comes in a 70w too. :)
 
HMMM. .... I guess your best bet is t-5's then. :)
Sorry for going off on a tangent with the mh, but I just know
I would go with mh, if i had to do my tank over again. ;)

Plus, you said that the reason you tore down your big tank was b/c of the mh.
Do you still have the mh? If so, you could save $$$ and use what you already have...
 
I really don't think you are going to be able to fit 200w of T-5 (I'm assuming 24w t-5's) on a 24gal tank. I put 5 bulbs over my 29..I could probably fit 6, but no way could I put 8 bulbs on it with the individual reflectors. To be perfectly honest I don't think you need that much T-5 anyways. I just got my hood built and all the lights over the tank about three weeks ago. I started with with 1hr with all lights on and another 9hrs with 2-3 lights on, and ended up bleaching a lot of my SPS..I reduced the lighting and am finally back to where all the lights are on for at least 1hr durring the photo period.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7116456#post7116456 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by duec22
I really don't think you are going to be able to fit 200w of T-5 (I'm assuming 24w t-5's) on a 24gal tank. I put 5 bulbs over my 29..I could probably fit 6, but no way could I put 8 bulbs on it with the individual reflectors. To be perfectly honest I don't think you need that much T-5 anyways. I just got my hood built and all the lights over the tank about three weeks ago. I started with with 1hr with all lights on and another 9hrs with 2-3 lights on, and ended up bleaching a lot of my SPS..I reduced the lighting and am finally back to where all the lights are on for at least 1hr durring the photo period.

I agree.
 
200 watts of T5 IMO is way to much........T5 is much brighter than VHO in the same wattage. The watts per gallon calculation you are using does not apply for T5. This much T5 on a tiny tank like this would melt everything most likely. Smallest length I believe is 22" for the bulb.
 
not on point but related to t5 capability:
I have a aga 65 thats 24 inches deep, 3 feet long, 18" wide.
Mr lr is basically in a pyramid in the center of the tank and reaches to within an inch of the surface.
I have a tek light t5 hood 4 X 39 watts.
I only run 2 of the 4 bulbs
my sogties and lps look great and are doing great and are primarily mid tank all the way to the bottom.
i have 2 sps a blue millis and green slimer which are kept 2-3 inches below the surface directly under the lights (i lso have glass tops which i do not clean eniough. my 2 sps are growing slowly and beautifully colored........
my point, 200 watts may be too much for your 24
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7118258#post7118258 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by alien9168
BTW....how many timers do you have on your system duec22?

I've got a total of 6x24W on three ballasts and timers. This gives me a lot of play room for different lighting seqences. Five of the bulbs are over the tank and one is over the HOB refugium. There are pics of the hood I built in my gallery.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7123140#post7123140 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by duec22
I've got a total of 6x24W on three ballasts and timers. This gives me a lot of play room for different lighting seqences. Five of the bulbs are over the tank and one is over the HOB refugium. There are pics of the hood I built in my gallery.


Thanks. :)
 
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