Which HO T-5's?

[NateDawg]

Hey guys, I'm going to start my first saltwater setup, and want to grow softies and hard corals. I'm a bit puzzled on the lighting. The setup that I am getting has compact fluorescents on the hood, but as I understand thats really only good for soft corals. I dont want to get metal halides, since I don't have enough room to suspend them, so I guess my only option is HO T-5s. Can any one recommend a good brand to me, that will be capable of growing hard corals? Thank you.

 

[Algaenot]

What size tank do you have? Also, will the T5s be mounted in a canopy or suspended?

 

[NateDawg]

Its going to be a 55 acrylic. Yes they will be mounted to the canopy.

 

[Kerreefer]

i use ice cap 6bulb with 2 led tube:
48" on 180gal.
-2- 420nm UVL's (awaiting shipment bleh)
-3- Coral wave's by wave-point
-1- 460nm (actinic)

can grow just about anything except real intense lighting stuff

aquacave.com has a good supply of t5 ho canopies and diy gear

 

[Kerreefer]

oh... for your question. the best fixtures have indivdual reflectors. mine unfortunately does not and my par suffers from it. tek lighting by sunlight supply seems to be top notch imo. if i changed up again i would go with a tek elite system. hind sight is 20/20 they say.

 

[NateDawg]

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5...igh-Output_Fixture_(Black)_by_Sunlight_Supply So these would be good for my requirements? Seem decent.

 

[Algaenot]

Up until a few weeks ago I was running 8 - 48" T5s on my 90 gal and had great growth, even acros. With my setup, the sun loving corals are near the surface so the PAR is pretty intense. I agree with Kerreefer, Sunlight supply is a quality vendor. I'm also a fan of Icecap and Nova Extreme fixtures. I had upgraded my Nova fixture with an Icecap ballast and it made an unbelievable difference. Since you are mounting these in your canopy, research the requirements of the fixture before you buy. Many manufactures will not warranty the fixture if mounted in a canopy because of the heat buildup. My Nova specifically mentioned that the fixture was not to be mounted in a canopy, but I added a couple of good fans and they've worked fine for over a year now. At one point, the fan controller went bad and the fans turned off. The fixture with the Icecap ballast got hot enough to melt the plastic air flow grating.

 

[rtparty]

Since you are using a canopy go with a LET retro kit from Reefgeek. They are the best retro kits you can buy right now. That isn't opinion either, the PAR numbers prove it.

I wouldn't use a fixture if you are running a canopy over the tank. The best fixtures are ATI but they have to be hung so they might not be an option for you.

Don't use IceCap ballasts to run your T5's. You will overdrive them and kill bulb life. PAR drops by about 50% over the course of 6 months or so. Sometimes even shorter than that. Use some spec T5 ballasts to run T5 bulbs.

Here is a link to what I would use over the tank.

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/LET_Lighting/Miro-4_Retrofit_Kits/

The length and amount of bulbs depends on your tank size.

 

[NateDawg]

Thank you for all the replies. I want good lighting, but I am unable to spend 400+ on them. The link that I showed, would that be adequate to use, and have corals grow steadily? I also have one more question. The room the the tank ill be in has very high ceilings, but I could hang the lights from the wall if needed. I don't like the look of a acrylic tank with no canopy. Suggestions? Thanks again

 

[Kerreefer]

hey rt, where did you here about ice cap overdriving t5 ho's at? im curious on that as my par has dropped considerably over oh.... 4 months time lol.

 

[rtparty]

hey rt, where did you here about ice cap overdriving t5 ho's at? im curious on that as my par has dropped considerably over oh.... 4 months time lol.

All icecap ballasts overdrive t5 bulbs. Standard knowledge I thought most knew. Glad I could be of some help.

Icecap ballasts are not t5 ballasts, they just happen to fire them. Are you cooling your bulbs? That will reduce PAR significantly as well if you are not. Cold spot (label end) of the bulb should be around 95F.

 

[Kerreefer]

All icecap ballasts overdrive t5 bulbs. Standard knowledge I thought most knew. Glad I could be of some help.

Icecap ballasts are not t5 ballasts, they just happen to fire them. Are you cooling your bulbs? That will reduce PAR significantly as well if you are not. Cold spot (label end) of the bulb should be around 95F.

where did you get your "standard knowledge" from? im looking for a site that shows they actually do.