T5 Lighting May Be For You

[Coralover]

rjwilson37, your tank looks great as always.
BTW, those tangs are getting big for your tank, but that doesn't matter as long as they're happy and you can handle the nitrates.

Do you plan on upgrading soon?
I would get a 180g or something.:smokin:

 

[rjwilson37]

Thanks Coralover,

I just have the one Tang, the other white/black is a Lamarck's Angel, which is pretty much full grown. The Tang still has some growing to do and hopefully I will get a bigger tank. I have been tossing the 120g in my head but may go with a 150g which is pretty much the same as a 180g only 20" high instead of 24" high. This way I can still stick with T5's which really work well over a 20" tank since I like them so much. It will cost enough to maintain the 150g without the added expense of replacing MH's more often than not.

Who really know's though, only time will tell.

 

[rjwilson37]

Slap yourself upside the head and repeat after me...

"I coulda had a 90, I coulda had a 90". crazy1:

If I had gotten the 90g, I would still be in the same predicament where you would be saying I coulda had a 120g, or I coulda had a 180!

I think this is a never ending story with never having a big enough tank as you collect and grow out your corals over the years!

 

[The Grim Reefer]

You assume too much Wilson.

"I coulda had a 180.... I coulda had a 180..."

 

[DFL18]

rj, im currently planning out a 125, which setup would you go with, the 6 bulb or 8 bulb?

 

[rjwilson37]

What are the dimensions of the tank DFL18?

 

[DFL18]

72" x 18 x 22 standard 125rr i believe, im going to order it with a center overflow (unless someone thinks this is a mistake) and it will have small braces on the right and left side instead of one big brace in the middle

 

[FastUno]

Well, I got a 90, but things looked so much fuller in my 55g.
I am going back to a 30!

 

[rjwilson37]

DFL18: The 8 bulb is wall to wall lighting since they take up the full 18", but since your tank is 22" high as well as being 125g, I might very well lean towards the 8 bulb. I don't think there is a 72" long setup for T5's so you have to stagger them which will allow you some more room since you stagger them and the 8 bulb will work well.

 

[rjwilson37]

That looks great FastUno! You have a brain maze just like mine!

 

[The Grim Reefer]

72" x 18 x 22 standard 125rr i believe, im going to order it with a center overflow (unless someone thinks this is a mistake) and it will have small braces on the right and left side instead of one big brace in the middle

You ain't gonna fit 8 lamps in there. The SLS reflector is 2 1/8 wide so even if you could pack the lamps in reflector to reflector you would burn the 18" up and end up lighting your frame with the front and back lamps. I have the same size tank as you and my 6 x 80 watt T5 system was more than enough light for anything. Too bad you are so far away or I'd make you a deal on an oak canopy with the T5's already in it. I see you location and occupation and it makes me think of my childhood, grew up in Huntington back in the 60's

As far as your overflow think about where you would rather have the box inside your tank, right in the center or in the corners.

 

[DFL18]

ahh good times, i live in newport , super close to hb

thanks for the help guys, i appreciate it

 

[orlenz]

I had t-5 lighting for a couple months, and it looked like the tank pictured, no offence, but it just looks so dark in there, I like a well lit tank, is there a combination of T-5 lamps that will really light a tank up nice?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Overdrive the T5's with an Ice Cap ballast.

 

[CaneinBatonRouge]

RJ, your tank is simply AMAZING. Good job.

 

[rjwilson37]

I had t-5 lighting for a couple months, and it looked like the tank pictured, no offence, but it just looks so dark in there, I like a well lit tank, is there a combination of T-5 lamps that will really light a tank up nice?

My tank is a bit brighter than the picture, but I have to increase the shutter speed for a full tank shot by about 1.5, or the stuff down in the sand get's washed out as well as some of the corals. It is kind of an art to take pictures of our tanks and capture the real beauty, it is just not an easy task. Sometimes when I walk downstairs and see the tank I am just amazed at how clear things are and the beauty of it. The acrylic tanks with the sea through clairity make it look like the inhabitants and corals are just floating in the air, a definate great look and very cool.

Thanks for the compliments CaneinBatonRouge!

 

[FastUno]

I would have to agree with rjwilson37, because I feel EXACTLY the same way. When I look at my tank I notice so much color, clarity & beauty & yet it becomes SOOO hard to capture this in a picture. I think it's the blue colors that throw off the white balance.

I am always after that perfect pic (see below for some of my better shots), but the tank pic remains the most elusive. I can honestly say that I am not satisfied with any of my tank shots. The shots you see of my tank are only with 4 bulbs & the left side of the tank shaded, because it's toooo much light. I also shoot darker to get shutter speed as fast as possible, so I can get better clarity of the tank.

rj did a phenomenal job in capturing his tank & I can only imagine how awesome it must look in person.

//www.pbase.com/fastuno/image/25622931.jpg

 

[Obi-dad]

Uno, nice shots, what camera did you use for these photos?

 

[FastUno]

Thanks. Most of the shots were taken with a Canon 10D. It also happens that I sold mine to get the next upgraded model. Just like me- never happy with what I have.

I was just trying to make the point that you can think you know what you are doing camera/shot wise & when it comes to reef photography it's a whole other beast. Hope I did not go over the edge though?:crazy1: Many of the images we see on RC, may not necessarily reflect exactly what we have at home, but we do our best to capture the essence of what we are trying to get across.

This is why I have always been fascinated with RJ's sys. Not only is it impressive content wise, but he is able to translate this to us with his photo captures.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Every once in a while I can get a really good picture, just don't know how I think I've gotten better shots off the video camera's still mode than the Cannon F85. That's just wrong.