T5 lighting opinions?

[Nick A]

What do you guys think is a good setup on a 240g(96x24x24)? For a couple months the tank will be FO, with LR slowly added as time goes by. Later on it will have LPS's like zoos and acro's and maybe a gigas clam.

So for I'm thinking that I'll be getting 2 48" 2x54w retrofits with one actinic and one 10k. I was also thinking of getting 2 48" 4x54w retrofits, but I don't really know what bulbs I'll need. I was thinking 1 10k, 2 actinics, and 1 6500k. Then again I'm not an expert on the lighting spectrum and thus my reason for asking, lol.

 

[MercZ]

I would do two 6 x 54w 48" retro's. From what I have seen and my pref I would do 2 ATI Blue +, 2 ATI AquaBlue, 2 giesman Actinics or UVL SuperActinics on each retro. The ATI have the best performance from what I have seen and the colors are awesome.

 

[Nick A]

Bump for more opinons!

 

[r2odie]

i had been planning on a 240 also (still considering it) and it was suggested to me for sps/clams to go with 16-18 54watt t5's.

 

[Nick A]

Wow thats a lot of T5's lol. I don't really plan on going sps unless we go solar powered, hopefully in a few years. Even if I did go SPS I'd get MH's. 1200+ watts of MH's of light and chillers would be mean a pretty crazy bill. Or, I could go sps if I can find a way to get 4 grand for a couple of 48" Solaris LED fixtures.

So for right now I'm thinking of getting 2 48" t5s w/10k +actinics for right now and getting more fixtures later on.

 

[ChemE]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9556889#post9556889 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MercZ
I would do two 6 x 54w 48" retro's. From what I have seen and my pref I would do 2 ATI Blue +, 2 ATI AquaBlue, 2 giesman Actinics or UVL SuperActinics on each retro. The ATI have the best performance from what I have seen and the colors are awesome.

This is what a 1:1:1 mixture of Aquablue, Blueplus, and Super Actinic looks like.

FYI, 3 54-watt bulbs has been more than sufficient for growing SPS and keeping a clam down low in the tank. If you go the retrofit route You could opt for 4-6 6' bulbs staggered so that they are 7' long to begin with and see if that allows you to keep all the animals you'd like. If that amount of light proves insufficient (I seriously doubt it would) you can always add more bulbs later.

 

[MercZ]

ChemE,
Are there any other bulbs in your fixture? I have seen this setup with the giesman Actinic and it looked a little lighter on the blue with some purple.

 

[Fatboy]

Fiji Purple T5's are awsome...... I just installed 2 of them and my acros are starting to show colors I've never seen before.

 

[Nick A]

Thats a pretty bright setup although its a bit on the blue side.

I'd like to get 2 48" fixtures since there is a piece of wood in the middle of the canopy that helps support it. Unless I can modify it, like cut a hole or something, I'll try to go for a 6'. Theres about 3.5" of clearance in my canopy since it was mainly designed for a freshwater setup. I was thinking about adding a couple small pieces of wood to increase the clearance to 4". Isn't getting lights with individual reflectors best?

Here's one fixture I was looking at, although it doesn't have individual reflectors:
48" fixture- no individual reflectors.


Other than that I was originally planning on getting Tek retrofits from Hellolights.com

 

[Nick A]

Well, I double checked the measurements inside the canopy and realized that the wood in the middle separates the canopy into one 46" and one 49" section(stupid me, lol). Right now I'm thinking I'm most likely going to have to cut a chunk out of that supporting divider... which leaves me at possibly getting a 6' light since 2 48" lights aren't going to fit.

 

[MercZ]

Do not do T5 without individual reflectors, you will regret it. The cheaper fixtures look apealing but you would be better off just doing an ice cap retro for however many bulbs you want.

 

[ChemE]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9575940#post9575940 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MercZ
ChemE,
Are there any other bulbs in your fixture? I have seen this setup with the giesman Actinic and it looked a little lighter on the blue with some purple.

It isn't a fixture, its a retrofit and it employs 3 4' bulbs each in an IceCap SLR. As you say, no one should ever use T5's if they don't have individual reflectors.

 

[ChemE]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9576015#post9576015 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Nick A
Thats a pretty bright setup although its a bit on the blue side...

It is extremely bright and just a bit too blue for my tastes. If I needed more light (I so don't) I'd just add a 6000K Giesemann Midday bulb to tame some of the blue and call it a day but all the extra PAR would nuke my corals. Since I don't need the extra light (or want to pay for the additional electricity) I'm going to try changing out the Aquablue for a Giesemann 6000K midday.

 

[MercZ]

Do you have any pics of the bulbs you are currently running? I am going to do a 3 bulb fixture and was thinking of throwing a 10K in to calm the blue down as my bulb choice was going to be like yours.

 

[ChemE]

Pics of the bulbs? How do you mean? I doubt I could get a very true to life picture of the bulbs themselves.

 

[MercZ]

If you take a pic of the top of your water while the lights are it usually shows a nice reflection of the bulbs and the color difference between the ones you have.

 

[ChemE]

Sure thing. Its currently night on the reef but when the lights come on tomorrow I'll get you a picture and post it here.

 

[Nick A]

Hmm... where are some good places to get some 6' t5 setups?

 

[ChemE]

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5..._Retrofit:_3-80W_T5_HO_Fluorescents_by_IceCap

 

[MercZ]

There arent many that length due to the good bulbs only going to 48". There is the constellation made by Aquatinics that is 72" and probably your best bet unless you due duel retro's. Go to Aquatinics.com and look at it.