T5 lighting question for a 90gal tank

[fishy_chick]

We're changing out the lights on a 90gal reef tank and are interested in going with t5's. We're considering this fixture http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12772&N=2004+113175 Would the 4 bulb configuration be enough for a 90gal reef tank? We'd like to be able to keep basically everything in it, hard corals, sps, clams etc. Is this a good quality fixture? We have had 2 PC fixtures on it, but are replacing them. Would it be a good idea to use the 4 bulb T5 and one of the PC fixtures together? Thanks!

 

[werew]

Fishy Chick,
I'd probably go with 1 or 2 more T5's. That's what the general recommendations are re: T5's. The T5 fixture you linked to, does it have separate reflectors for each T5 bulb? If not, i'd spend a little bit more and go with a TEK fixture. What really makes the T5's shine are separate parabolic reflectors for each bulb.

I'm getting out of PC's altogether, going with MH & T5 actnic supplement light. PC's run hotter and use more electricity. Only 80% of the PC's tubes give your tank light, whereas T5's utilize 100% of the tube's diameter to radiate light.

 

[Ti]

Get a TEK

 

[carpetride]

You want to get the best reflectors you can find when it comes to T5's. If you want a fixture then I would reccomend the tek light as well, for a diy then take a look at the Ice Cap.
Might want to look at this thread:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=741281

 

[Treg]

If you have a canopy the IceCap 660 and Single reflectors is the best way to go. A little more money but a lot of light. If you just want a few SPS you'll be fine with 4 bulbs (on IC660 with SLRs). Keep Acros high, most montipora will be fine anywhere. If you want a lot of Acros, get 6 bulbs.

I dont know if you'll keep too many acros happy with that Nova fixture. Softies, LPS and maybe a few Monties should be fine, Easy clams like Derasa or Squamosa maybe.

 

[fishy_chick]

Do the Tek's have to hang? We'd like a fixture that has legs or something and sits on top. We do not have a canopy at this point and I'm limited to the $300ish range.

 

[tangov559]

the tek legs are 60bucks....im still thinking about the legs myself

 

[Saaack]

I would be surprised if T-5s could produce a PAR value on the bottom of your tank that could support clams. It minimum I would use (8) 54 watt tubes. I just upgraded to MH after 3 years of frustration with flourescent lighting on a tall tank. I had 514 watts of PC lighting and had poor results with corals deeper than 12 inches.

 

[WarDaddy]

Saaack,
PC and T-5 are not compareable. Somewhere I was reading a thread where T-5's were getting par readings similar to MH at a depth of 18".

I am setting a 90 up right now. I am putting 5 t-5s and 2 VHO URI super Actinic bulbs. I am planning SPS on the upper 2/3's with LPS On the sand bed and lower 1/3

I will also have a 70watt MH on a 15gallon cube that will have an RBTA and clams. Should be a great tank when done, or a real pain in the ***

 

[ga_reefer_guy]

I have been following the t5 threads here on reefcentral and doing a good deal of independent research for a 24" tank you are going to need a minimum of 6 bulbs. That being said make sure which ever set-up you get has the independent reflectors for each bulb (tek light and IceCap both are good ones). Having the wrong reflectors cuts down on the effectiveness of T5 bulbs considerably. I plan on getting my set-up from here http://www.reefgeek.com

 

[fishy_chick]

ok I'm ordering the 6 bulb Tek light from reefgeek right now. Thanks for the reefgeek link. I was about spend more on another site for the same fixture. The free bulbs on reefgeek help a lot! Thanks for all the input!

 

[6Speed]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6505310#post6505310 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WarDaddy
Saaack,
PC and T-5 are not compareable. Somewhere I was reading a thread where T-5's were getting par readings similar to MH at a depth of 18".

Yes, I've read that too. Pretty neat the T5's can get the same par as MH even at lower depths.

 

[beaker77]

I just bought the Nova Extreme 8x54 fixture from Petsolutions so far I am extremely (no pun intended) happy with it. This was a replacement for 2x175 MH setup too. I'm getting much better light coverage from this fixture.

 

[andyjd]

Talk to the guys at www.reekgeek.com, FWIW I have a four light icecap unit in my 90G

 

[werew]

I think what most people dont realize about HO T5's yet, they're not just regular flourescent tubes.

HO T5 has RECENT HIGH OUTPUT technology engineered into them. Not to bash VHO's, but that is "old high output" technology... they still work good but could be improved upon, no?

Most look at the wattage for comparison to PC's and think, "no way can a T5HO 39watt 36" tube be as bright as one of my PC 96watt 36" tubes, the wattage of the PC is more than double!"

There are several differences that make these new streamlined HO T5's perform much better than it's predecessor's and here is just a few that I have learned.

1. The HO T5 tube radiates light all around it's circumference. When used with individual quality reflector's all of this light is utilized, whereas PC bulbs and some VHO bulbs do not, no matter WHAT kind of reflector you use.

2. In reference to #1, Re: PC's... with PC's being sort of like 2 tubes, a close side by side configuration as they are, an undesireable effect happens. It's called "strike-back". The light radiated (approximately 30-40%total) between the 2 tubes doesnt get utilized. 15-20% of light from each tube radiates directly at the other tube, this is called "strike-back. With VHO's, many tubes have what they call a "built in reflector". Almost 40% of the tube's circumference is "bottlenecked", nullified.

3. The gas makeup inside of a HO T5 tube is different, they utilize an extra particular gas (i forgot the name of it) that improves the burning process which makes the tube's light cleaner & crisper than PC's & VHO's. This translates into a light that penetrates deeper than PC & VHO.

Those are the 3 main things that caught my attention about HO T5 lighting. Regarding wattage... it's just a word. Whenever there's advances in electrical technology, more=better .... until HEAT wins over(Tim the toolman Taylor comes to mind). For you PC guru's, Intel P4 & AMD Athlon CPU's ring a bell? Same thing applies here. Getting MORE with less power/wattage, efficiency... that's when NOTEWORTHY advances in engineering are attained.

The HO T5 may not look like a different beast than the VHO or PC, but the changes engineered into them are considerable ... making more with less.

 

[mmoore0803]

I got my Tek light from this Ebay store:
http://stores.ebay.com/Seeds-Etc

just do a search for Tek....also, if you can do some basic wiring, you can get the 6 light single corded fixture (non aquarium version) with aquarium lights for about $100 less than the aquarium version with lights. Then just take it apart and add a second power cord