The T5 Q&a Thread

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sorry to ask yet another what should i do question but i just dont know the answer to this yet. i have a 30" tall tank currently lit by two 250w hamilton 14k's. the heat is getting to be to much for my tank and i want to switch to t-5. i wanted to go all t-5 but the cost right now is to much since i would need to use a 6 bulb setup with at least 4 overdriven on an icecap ballast since my tank is so deep. could i do one of my halides right in the middle of the tank and put two non overdriven t-5's on each side of the halide. i really would like to use this workhorse ballast i already have so thats why i dont want to overdrive the bulbs. the tank is 48x18x30 and has a mix of lps and softies with a large squamossa on the sandbed.
 
jakano, yes you could do that, but if your tank has a centerbrace (probably) you will get a shadow unless you do something about the black brace.
the easiest method to alleviate this issue is to take the stock brace out, and replace it with a clear acrylic one
or eurobrace the tank.

both would require draining the tank all the way, well maybe you couod do the acrylic option with a clamp and some forethought.

i have a link or 2 i can provide you with instructions on how to to these mods.
i will be eurobrace modding my 90g and running a single MH (probably 250w DE) and 4x54 of t5ho on it.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7467762#post7467762 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by horkn
yep, in my 3 foot 35g of very close dimensions to your 40g, i support a clam and many sps with only 3x39 of t5ho
Click to expand...

Do you have any pics of youre tank,

Also how high off the water do you run your lights and what type of bulbs ballast and reflector do you use

thanks for the help

cam
 
i dont have a center brace on the tank it has 1/2" thick glass so it does not bow out at all. i did forget to mention that the hood on my tank is pretty tall so the lights will be like 12" above the water will that be a problem? if you mount the t-5 really close to the water how do you get into the tank when you need to do things inside it?
 
jakano

You really want to do this right. On a 30" tall tank you either need overdriven T5's or halides. If you ran T5's you would want them within 6" of the water. What you could do is mount T5's down low in the canopy (keep them at least 4" above the water) on a board that is hinged to the rear of the canopy. When you need to acess the tank you would just swing the light board up out of your way.

Running normally driven T5's over a 30" tall tank with the lamps 8 or 10 inches above the water isn't going to do jack.
 
grim, do you have par measurements of t5ho overdriven and normally driven on a tank that is 30" tall?
also, do you (or on sanjays site) have par numbers for decent MH rigs at this depth as well?

I have seen (no numbers , just what the corals think)what 6x54 normally driven on a 2 foot tall 90g does, and its quite amazing.

jakano, its good that you dont have a centerbrace. and yeah, you want them within 6" or so from the surface, the closer the better on a deep tank.
 
hi everyone, will a 4 39 Watt Nova or finnex sufficient for a 58 gal oceanic? (36Lx20hx18w) i would like to raise clams and sps. If i swap to individual reflectors will the lighting be too intense? i have read that it may over the sps sub-category. thanks for your help.
 
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T5's

T5's

Grim & Horkn,

I am doing a T5 and MH for a 55 gallon tank. I have a 250 MH and 2 54w actinic T5's 48". How high should the T5's be? Does it matter since they are actinic suppliments? Do you think I will have low light spots at either end?

Your thoughts will help......
 
Hi I am just starting with marine tanks and would like to get my lighting right from the beginning. My tank is a standard 29gal (30"x12"x. Will 4x24w on a workhorse 5 with IC reflectors be enough to keep SPS, LPS and Clams, eventualy. Also should i stager the fixtures or have then all in the middle of my cannopy. I am looking to keep costs down but want quality and have good electrical skills.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7470750#post7470750 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by horkn
grim, do you have par measurements of t5ho overdriven and normally driven on a tank that is 30" tall?
also, do you (or on sanjays site) have par numbers for decent MH rigs at this depth as well?

I have seen (no numbers , just what the corals think)what 6x54 normally driven on a 2 foot tall 90g does, and its quite amazing.

jakano, its good that you dont have a centerbrace. and yeah, you want them within 6" or so from the surface, the closer the better on a deep tank.
Click to expand...

No 30" measurements but those from the 24 inch tall tanks tell the story. Even with my overdriven system I could see a difference in growth rates of Montipora Digitala frags about 5" under the surface vs. 12 inches and it was a huge difference. Remember that is only a medium light coral. What do you suppose would happen if I placed it 24 inches under the water (Sandbed of a 30" tall) rather than 12? It would have been getting less than half the light it was at 12" so while it might have stayed alive the growth would have been non existant and that was an overdriven system. Again I will go back to Iwans tank. In a 24" tall with what, 12 lamps crammed over it, he has to replace lamps every 8 months to keep his growth and if you look his most colorful (high light) corals are growing in the upper half. Adding the extra 6" of height is a huge difference.

Good HQI 250 watt halides (M81 ballasts, Reefoptix or PFO pendants etc.) will have as much or more output as a Ice Cap overdriven T5 system. At 30" tall Most people suggest using a 400 watt halides but good 250 watt HQI's will work. That is based on practical experience of people running them. Normally driven T5's even with Ice Cap reflectors are going to be somewhere between "good" 175 and 250 watt SE halides. At 30 inches tall they are only going to put enough light to the lower half of the tank for low light corals. Now if someone wanted a tank with shrooms and low light softies in the lower half of the tank the normally driven T5's will work fine.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7470785#post7470785 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tangeray
hi everyone, will a 4 39 Watt Nova or finnex sufficient for a 58 gal oceanic? (36Lx20hx18w) i would like to raise clams and sps. If i swap to individual reflectors will the lighting be too intense? i have read that it may over the sps sub-category. thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

If you want just SPS and clams I would get something with individual reflectors. I would also go with 6 lamps. If you just want to have some SPS and a clam you could make a 6 lamp Nove or Finnex work but you would want to be careful about coral placement. I would also upgrade the lamps pretty soon (within 6 months) if you get those.
 
Re: T5's

Re: T5's

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7471031#post7471031 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Shark Keeper
Grim & Horkn,

I am doing a T5 and MH for a 55 gallon tank. I have a 250 MH and 2 54w actinic T5's 48". How high should the T5's be? Does it matter since they are actinic suppliments? Do you think I will have low light spots at either end?

Your thoughts will help......
Click to expand...

Keep the T5's as low as you can and yes, the outter foot or so at each end will be very low light. You could help that situation by ditching the actinics and going with actinic plus lamps. They provide a lot if usable light and better color than the straight actinics.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7471178#post7471178 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RobR
Hi I am just starting with marine tanks and would like to get my lighting right from the beginning. My tank is a standard 29gal (30"x12"x. Will 4x24w on a workhorse 5 with IC reflectors be enough to keep SPS, LPS and Clams, eventualy. Also should i stager the fixtures or have then all in the middle of my cannopy. I am looking to keep costs down but want quality and have good electrical skills.
Click to expand...

I don't think you would need to stagger them. Just keep the higher light stuff up off the bottom and you will be fine.
 
I personally wouldn't use the WH but it will work. Ballast wise has a great deal on 54 watt T5 ballasts but unfortunatly their 24 and 39 watt ballasts don't look any better than the workhorse.
 
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