T5 questions

LSD_Zeppelin

LSD_Zeppelin

New member
So anyhow I have a little 30 gallon (24x18x18) tank that currently has one single 65watt PC strip and its been that way for over a year now. I have some mushrooms, buttons, some zoos and a couple of leathers, but I want to step it up a few notches. I know I definatly need some more light here and up until recently I thought I was just gonna put a few more strips of PC lights so I'd have 3x65 but looking through the posts I'm seeing T5s are probably the way to go here. I always thought PCs were better but I guess I was misinformed, just becuase they have a higher wattage doesn't mean they're brighter I guess. Anyhow I am starting to think of putting a few acro or monte frags in there and was wondering how many watts of T5 lights I'd need, I've heard of SPS doing quite well under T5s and MH don't seem like much of an option on such a small tank. also is there anything wrong with those Odyssea 24" dual t5strips? They're like $50 on ebay and I figured I might be able to buy a few of those and also keep my 65watt PC
 
T5 reflectors are what really "makes the difference" between T5's and MH Lights. I think if you went the T5 route and kept your sps at the top of the tank, you should be fine.

HTH
 
Do you think I'd be okay with 4 strips of T5 and keeping my original 65 watt pc strip? I was thinking of getting a Finnex T5 - 24" - 4 x 24w and modding it with individual reflectors or a 24" Nova Extreme T-5 Fixture w/Lunar Lights (also 4x24). Does anybody know of a reason why I couldn't mod a Nova to have individual reflectors?
 
Instead of all the modding of the Nova, which would be a PITA look at www.reefgeek.com for a retro unit. and like yama63 said stick with Icecap reflectors.

You will be much more satisfied with the lights in the long run and yes, you could also use the PC's to supplement the T5's. I think if you did this you could turn on the t5's and then turn on the PC's and have to check if the pc's were actually even on.....

Now that I am thinking about it, if I had the same equipment, I'd probably go with actinic PC's and a combo of super actinics (white with a little blue color) and a couple daylight type 6500K bulbs in the T5 spots and call it a day...........
 
I like TEK lights but had both ballast fail within (1) year. I like the light but next time, I am DIY since there is nothing to it.
 
I've been doing alot of research lately and there is soooo much information to sift through, one thing I can't quite figure out is the whole ballast thing, What is the difference between a good ballast and a bad one, will they all put out the same amount of light and how many ballasts would you need for 4 24 watt lights? Also if I just mod the finnex 4 x 24 to have individual reflectors what would be wrong with it, and could I change out the ballasts for better one if I ever get the $$, the thing looks pretty easy to take apart and all. Also I don't have a full hood or canopy so retrofits won't work for me. Does anyone know if the Teks have legs or do they have to be suspended. Sorry for so many questions at once...
 
Okay well I'm looking at units that I can afford and I want to know which I'd be best off with, especially if I want to get a few sps going.

1.Nova extreme 24" t5ho 4x24w w/lunar lights - $159.99
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12772&N=2004+113175

2.Finnex T5 - 24" - 4 x 24w T5HO -$114.00
http://www.nanotuners.com/product_info.php?cPath=30&products_id=178

3.Cadlight 24" Standard Output T5 Fixture (4x24w) $99.00
http://www.cadlights.com/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=68

If I get the Finnex I can do the mod for individual reflectors (which I've heard differing opinions on, some say individual reflectors make a marginal difference, others say it makes all the difference) or I could mod one of the other ones if I get it and it seems feasible... I know I'm kinda skimping but what do you think?
 
Neither the Finnex or Nova indicate what kind of ballasts they have so that's a toss-up. If you are willing to do the individ reflectorsm then do the FInnex . AND I am one of those who believes / knows that good reflectors make all the difference. Without the individual reflectors, you'll have to keep the SPS up high in the tank !
 
I am all for T5s, but there are some tank dimension constraints. For a 55g (48x13x20), I would do 4-6 54watt T5 bulbs. For a 60g cube (24x24x24), I would use a 400watt halide in a lumenarc reflector. Being that your tank is more of a cube than a long narrow tank, I would suggest a single 250wattDE halide with a nice spread out reflector like a lumenarc DE pendant, and a higher-output blue bulb like an EVC 20,000K, pheonix 14,000K, or G-man 14,500K.
 
I'm so confused! I can't figure out what I'm gonna do! I don't know if I wanna save up for a bit and get a tek or buy one I can afford now. Is a tek really worth the extra $$ and the legs are like $60 more, is there a mod I can do so I don't need the legs?
 
I second the MH. My old tank was the same size as yours. I used to run 150W worth of PC/T5 combination. Then I swapped to a 150W DE MH. The tank looked visibly brighter, but hotter too. Within weeks I saw my corals becoming less brown and more coloured. a 250W Phoenix 14000K would virtually allow you to keep anything anywhere in that tank.
 
The thing is with my setup I cant retrofit anything or hang anything, also I like the blue look of T5s because MH never look very blue to me.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9358194#post9358194 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
Problem solved

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=CU01070
Click to expand...

Grim I have considered that light before, but do you know anything about it? the 150 watt version with internal electronic ballast and how do they perform,. what kind of ballast is it, what kind of ballast do the t5's have, do they have individual reflectors? see what i mean? it is not the most expensive unit but it is still a nice chunk of change, anyway if you know anything about that light you could share that would be great.
thanks
 
I really just know from posts from a couple people who have them. Nobody ever seems to compalin about them. I had a PC fixture from CSL which was the name of Current before they were bough out and it was a solid built unit.
 
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