T5 only on large tanks?

R

rishma

New member
Hello - I have been admiring the large tank forum and dreaming of building a big one for several years. I am moving to a new house next month and have starting planning my new tank and fish room (finally!) I plan to start a build thread when I get a little closer.

I am trying to decide on lighting. I think my tank will be 5ft long 30 inches wide and 24-30 inches deep. I keep a mixed reef but it is SPS dominated.

I have always used halides in the past. But the ATI fixtures offer some attractive options for lighting a 5 foot long tank.

Opinions?

Quality and total cost of ownership are priorities for me.
 
My tank dimensions are 60" long by 30" deep and 25" tall and is lit by the 10 bulb A.TI. 4' fixture. You'll be able to grow what ever you like anywhere in your tank with this fixture. And the best part is my chiller rarely kicks on.
 
thanks for the info.

you used the 4ft fixture eh? Spreads nicely to each end of the tank? I was thinking I would need their 5 ft fixture.
 
The 5' ATI fixture would be too much. As it is now I have a few extra inches of spread that shines on the plants next to the tank.
 
I have a 10' long tank lit by 2x 12 bulb Sfigloi 4' fixtures. No MH's. I'm extremely pleased with the light output. 24 bulbs let me tweak the color to exactly what I wanted. Plus with each 12 bulb fixture having 4 bulbs (3 banks) on a separate transformer, I can power them on in stages creating sunrise and sunset effects.
 
I am glad to hear that 4 ft fixtures light up 5 ft lengths nicely. That is nice reduction in cost and power consumption.

Any tank pics you can share?
 
I run 6x80W (5ft) ATI bulbs on a 6ft tank, but I have an end overflow that takes up about 8 inches of the tank length. For a 5ft tank, I am sure you would eventually regret not going with the 5ft bulbs.

I have not tried to keep clams, but otherwise I get excellent growth and color from my mixed reef. To my knowledge, porthios, 5ft bulbs are the max length for T5's. For an 8 ft tank, I would use 2 sets of 4ft bulbs.

Personally, I have yet to see a fixture that I like better than a custom retrofit kit.
My build thread is here: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1480817
 
Austin I really can't imagine how much "spill over" wasted light I'd have with the 5' fixture. I'd go with the 36" if I were you but please don't let me persuade you.

By the way did your A.G.E. make it in? I've been looking for a tank build thread on yours but haven't seen it yet.
 
i've kept clams in my 15g using t5's just fine also have sps in there t5's can sustain anything that halides can
 
Cool, thanks Clint! :D
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14245973#post14245973 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fishypets
By the way did your A.G.E. make it in? I've been looking for a tank build thread on yours but haven't seen it yet.
Click to expand...
PM sent :rolleyes:
 
I was considering the ATI 10x80w 5' powermodule for my 72x36x24 with an end overflow as peninsular. Do you really think i could get away with the 4' 10x54w fixture?
 
If you guys want to talk about light spill over the ends of the tank, it would help if you also stated the height of the fixture above the tank. I have a 60x24x24 and I am considering lighting it with a 8 bulb 60" T5 fixture as well. I am trying to utilized watts per gallon. I would like to keep a mixed reef with sps near the top and a clam if possible. A 60" fixture gives me 640watts (4.3watts/gal) where a 48" only gives me 432 watts (2.9 watts/gal.). I know PAR is a better way to compare lights but I don't have this information.
 
Great discussion and nice build fishypets!! The 4 ft fixture seems perfect for a 5 ft tank. the pictures in fishypets thread shows this nicely.
 
aztbs - I love your build thread. I have grown very fond of open top tanks with pendant style lighting. It makes temperature management so much easier.
 
My 2X 4' are 6 inches above the water on my 30" tank. The are centered so that each end has 8" and the middle has 8". The center is evenly lit and there is a few inches of spill over out one side. (only one side is viewable).

If you put a 5' fixture over a 5' tank, if the fixture is more than 18" (or even less) above the sandbed you WILL have spillover.
 
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