Ok, that would be great...
The T5 Q&a Thread
- Thread starter JohnL
- Start date
- Status
Ok, that would be great...
Heya All,
So i've got pretty much everything on my tank setup or bought except for lighting. I've got a 100g 72"Lx19'Wx19" tank. Inside water parameters are more like 71x17x17 (which is 88.8g) excluding the 2"ish sand bed i will have. I've done much reading up on MH vs. T5 and i feel more apt towards the t5's. I plan on having both Sps and Lps along with some zoo's and a clam. I was leaning towards just t5's for the fact that my tank isn't terribly deep. Now because there are so many ways about doing lighting along with the endless amounts of opinions, i'm a little stuck. If i wanted to do just t5's how would i go about it in your opinion. (i.e. watts per gallon, number of bulbs, combination of bulbs, type of fixture, ballasts.)
Thanks much in advance =)
So i've got pretty much everything on my tank setup or bought except for lighting. I've got a 100g 72"Lx19'Wx19" tank. Inside water parameters are more like 71x17x17 (which is 88.8g) excluding the 2"ish sand bed i will have. I've done much reading up on MH vs. T5 and i feel more apt towards the t5's. I plan on having both Sps and Lps along with some zoo's and a clam. I was leaning towards just t5's for the fact that my tank isn't terribly deep. Now because there are so many ways about doing lighting along with the endless amounts of opinions, i'm a little stuck. If i wanted to do just t5's how would i go about it in your opinion. (i.e. watts per gallon, number of bulbs, combination of bulbs, type of fixture, ballasts.)
Thanks much in advance =)
Todd March
Premium Member
How much do ya' wanna spend? Are you a big spender? The 6 bulb 60" ATI Powermodule is about as good as it gets in T5-land, baby, for under 18" wide tanksâ€"about $1K for the 60" with bulbs, shipped (Reefgeek.com). I believe ATI's SunPower will also come in a 6 bulb fixture tooâ€"maybe not in 60" however...? The SunPower offers less fans, and they're cheapie plastic fans to boot, but the fixture is much cheaper than the Powermoduleâ€"close to half as much moola...
For bulbs, something like this would be great for LPS and SPS:
Blue+
Pro Color (or UVL 75/25)
Blue+
Aquablue Special
Blue +
Blue+(or Aquablue Special if you like it whiter)
A 60" fixture over a 72" tank would be great in a Powermodule, as the ends of your tank will be a little dimmer allowing for lower light LPS and zoas... Currently, I am having trouble with zoas and palys being really ticked off with too much light over them under my 10 bulb Powermodule that covers almost all of my tank, front to back, side to side. Don't think 60" will be too short, just don't...! If you have a true interest in LPS and zoas and palys, the lower light ends will be a God-send in the long run...
Last edited:
Mmm...good info. 60" doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. The idea for my tank was to be able to house just about anything with in reason. Having slightly less lighting on the ends could help me achieve this. As far as price, i'd rather not have to sell a kidney, however i do realize lighting can easily be one of the more important things in a tank. I'd prefer to stay under 500 bucks or so just to i don't have to work more overtime =p
vasilithegreek
MilkSteak
Hey grim/guys,
Im new to the whole lighting game for corals,
I have a 24 gal nano cube and wanted to upgrade to t5 lighting im going to have a little of everything in there lps, sps, softies. What would be a good suggestion for a unit for my nano cube. Im really confused with all the lightings.
Im new to the whole lighting game for corals,
I have a 24 gal nano cube and wanted to upgrade to t5 lighting im going to have a little of everything in there lps, sps, softies. What would be a good suggestion for a unit for my nano cube. Im really confused with all the lightings.
cato
New England
I am currently running 3 x 140watt VHO super actinics as supps to my MH. I am considering swapping them for T5's. I run 60" bulbs for my tank. Just looking to cut back on electricity some. I plan on running the T5's on Triad ballasts. Few questons...
1) Will I really lose that much from the actinics when switching from VHO to T5 (in terms of enhancement)? I'm thinking of running 2 actinic and 1 blue+. I run Radiums for MH now and like them very much.
2) When I ran my previous T5 set up I used IceCap ballasts to overdrive them and needed to run fans to keep them cool. Where I want to run Triads now do you think I still need fans or could I get away w/out them? It is an open retro setup in a well ventilated basement.
3) In the past all I ran were the Giesemann Pure Actinic 03 bulbs. I felt these were OK. Since then ATI now has a True Actinic 03 bulb. Any idea how these 2 compare?
Overall I can save 180watts @ 12hrs/day by switching to T5. These days every little bit helps.
Thanks a ton guys for your input.
1) Will I really lose that much from the actinics when switching from VHO to T5 (in terms of enhancement)? I'm thinking of running 2 actinic and 1 blue+. I run Radiums for MH now and like them very much.
2) When I ran my previous T5 set up I used IceCap ballasts to overdrive them and needed to run fans to keep them cool. Where I want to run Triads now do you think I still need fans or could I get away w/out them? It is an open retro setup in a well ventilated basement.
3) In the past all I ran were the Giesemann Pure Actinic 03 bulbs. I felt these were OK. Since then ATI now has a True Actinic 03 bulb. Any idea how these 2 compare?
Overall I can save 180watts @ 12hrs/day by switching to T5. These days every little bit helps.
Thanks a ton guys for your input.
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
Just stick with the stock PC lighting for the Nano Cube. For T5's to even be effective you have to go with the 24" bulbs. If you put that type of fixture over your tank it hangs over the edges on both sides like 3" or so. You are just wasting light at that point IMO.
On my nano, I have the stock lighting and I have everything from SPS to zoos in it and they all thrive.
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14308203#post14308203 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cato
I am currently running 3 x 140watt VHO super actinics as supps to my MH. I am considering swapping them for T5's. I run 60" bulbs for my tank. Just looking to cut back on electricity some. I plan on running the T5's on Triad ballasts. Few questons...
1) Will I really lose that much from the actinics when switching from VHO to T5 (in terms of enhancement)? I'm thinking of running 2 actinic and 1 blue+. I run Radiums for MH now and like them very much.
2) When I ran my previous T5 set up I used IceCap ballasts to overdrive them and needed to run fans to keep them cool. Where I want to run Triads now do you think I still need fans or could I get away w/out them? It is an open retro setup in a well ventilated basement.
3) In the past all I ran were the Giesemann Pure Actinic 03 bulbs. I felt these were OK. Since then ATI now has a True Actinic 03 bulb. Any idea how these 2 compare?
Overall I can save 180watts @ 12hrs/day by switching to T5. These days every little bit helps.
Thanks a ton guys for your input.
VHO Actinics kick T5 actinic's butts! So if you want to switch to T5 run all Blue Plus. They make corals really pop and have a TON more PAR.
Yes you still need fans to cool the endcaps and ballasts.
Corndork2
New member
Hey all Im looking to light a 58g Oceanic 36"x18"x21.5" with only T5's. What is the best, cost effective way to do it? How many bulbs? Retro or fixture? Bulb config? Id like a fixture if it isn't too big of a hit to my wallet. Id also like to have a tank with colors that really pop. If possible maintaing a 12k to 20k look would be great. Id like to be able to keep mostly lps, ricordea, a couple clams and a couple monti's. Whats everyone's opinion?
vangogh121
New member
Bulb selection?
Tank 48x48x24 rimmless
SPS dominant, LPS Zoanthid on bottom
Going from (4) 250 Pheonix.
Going to run 20 bulbs all on ice cap 600's
Please give me some direction on bulbs.
Tank 48x48x24 rimmless
SPS dominant, LPS Zoanthid on bottom
Going from (4) 250 Pheonix.
Going to run 20 bulbs all on ice cap 600's
Please give me some direction on bulbs.
KJAhp098
New member
Hey everybody...
Im trying to find a couple retro kits to set up in my new 300 gallon marineland tank. The dimensions are 6' x 3' and the tank is 27 inches deep. I will be keeping all SPS corals with a few LPS. The top of the tank has 2 braces and I already have a 400 watt halide with a lumenarc retro fixture for the middle section. I am trying to find a good T-5 retro kit that is 36" for the left and the right sections that will fit from front to back. I will also need bulbs so if anybody can help me out I would really appreciate it. I'm more interested in the pastel look but nothing too dark. Below is a picture of how I want the fixtures to be placed.
Thanks!
Ken
Im trying to find a couple retro kits to set up in my new 300 gallon marineland tank. The dimensions are 6' x 3' and the tank is 27 inches deep. I will be keeping all SPS corals with a few LPS. The top of the tank has 2 braces and I already have a 400 watt halide with a lumenarc retro fixture for the middle section. I am trying to find a good T-5 retro kit that is 36" for the left and the right sections that will fit from front to back. I will also need bulbs so if anybody can help me out I would really appreciate it. I'm more interested in the pastel look but nothing too dark. Below is a picture of how I want the fixtures to be placed.
Thanks!
Ken
Todd March
Premium Member
Pretty cheap, if you want a fixture, is the 6 bulb TEK fixture, with a multiple Azoo fan unit clipped to tank's edge, blowing up over the bulbs ends (cold spot). You can, if you hunt hard, find used TEK fixtures here on RC, or around... New is around $430 with bulbs (reefgeek.com), plus around $25 for the Azoo fan unit..
Drawbacks are you need to be careful with the reflectorsâ€"they stain with any salt spray and never recover. The stains can begin to affect the effectiveness of the recflectors. The TEK is dated (SLS will release a new T5 fixture in the near future), but still works well for the money, particularly for LPS and softies...
Retro is another option (and will provide you with more light intensity for SPS type corals), but Grim is much better with that DIY stuff, so I will leave that for him (though I think a 6 bulb Ice Cap Retro kit is pretty comparably priced to the new TEK unit)...
- Status
