t5 for 37 gallon tank, help needed

[Chad Vossen]

tank is 21 inch deep, give or take, in 3 months im moving the reef into this tank, and hope to trade for some sps. how many bulbs should i buy, and what kind of balast (spelling?). i want to make my own, instead of paying an extra 50-100$ for one of the fancy ones. if theirs a thread about this, please point me in the direction, the search doesnt work for me.

 

[Chad Vossen]

maybe someone could show me a setup that would work for sps on my 37 gallon tank.

how many bulbs, and what ballast as well

 

[bigfruits]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=741281

theres some good info there. it all depends on what you want to keep. for all sps id get the icecap retro (overdrives bulbs) so you can run less bulbs. good reflectors is a must!

 

[guntercb]

Armagendon,

I just posted a question about the 37 and compacts vs. MH. Have you thought about using a single MH? I think a 250 watt SE or DE would be great over a 24" tank that is 21 inches deep. Not to mention you will only use one bulb.

I know people really like T-5, but I think you really get the gains with t-5 when you use the reflectors and I just don't belive it pays with a 2' tank to buy all the reflectors and ballast. I think by the time you are done a single MH would be cheaper.

Just my 2 cents. Let us know what you decided.

How do you like your 37? I am thinking of buying one.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[h20cooled]

I would say for an SPS tank get as many T5 bulbs as you can fit under the canopy. Also you will definatly want to get good single bulb reflectors, they are what makes the T5 so good. Unless you are very good with metal and have a tester to see how much light you are getting with the different metal and bends I would not do it.

I would measure the top of your tank and then find out the size of the reflectors you want then you can calculate how many will fit in there. Also remember to leave room for some fans.

Rich