Which T-5s for Zoos?

G

GobyJohnKenobi

New member
Blanket apology upfront, everyone. Nooby lighting question here.

I decided to move up to a bigger tank. So today I got the 36 bowfront. I'd like to do a Zoo tank, of course.

For lights I'm leaning toward the Tek 5 by Sunlight Supply in the 24" length. The tank is 30" long.

The light comes in a 4 bulb version and a 6 bulb version.
Is the 6 bulb version worth the extra $100 odd dollars, or will the 4 bulb version provde enough light for zoos to thrive under?

What mix of bulbs would be the best for zoos, 10k, 11k, 6700k, 420nm, 450nm; and which brand? I've heard good things about the Geisseman bulbs.

The tank has a center brace, so MH are out, and I've heard good things about T-5s but not specifically with zoos.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'd really like to create a tank where zoos thrive and look great. I'm just clueless about lighting. Thanks for reading.
 
I don't think a 6 bulb fixture would even come close to fitting over your tank. The 4 bulbs should be enough for just about any Zoo depending on where it's placed in the tank. Many believe the ATI bulbs are the best bulbs right now and they are essentially updated versions of the Geismann bulbs. 2 aquablue special, 1 Blue Plus, and one Actinic would be a good combo, if you want a whiter light swap out a Aquablue with a daylight type bulb.
 
I would definitely go with at least one daylight bulb, the broader spectrum (from all i read and understand here at RC) will certainly help with growth

if you're getting T5's with the parabolic individual bulb reflectors you would be able to more or less keep SPS in there and anemones if you wanted .. they are very nearly comparable to HQI.. but you want to go slow and keep an eye on everything you put in your tank to make sure its happy and likes the lighting!
 
Thanks for the replies. Any more info or opinions would be most welcome.

Peter: The front of the bow is 15" wide and it narrows down to 11" at the sides. The 6 bulb version is 15"w by 24"l. It would be a tight fit and would probably produce some glare off the curved front panel. The 4 bulb is 12" wide- probably a better fit. Thank you for the bulb info, too!! I do like the way they change colors under actinic only versus actinic plus daylight, so I would probably add a daylight to the second circuit.

Chrisstie: The Tek 5s do have the individual reflectors. Thats why I chose them over the Currents. I could keep SPS with the 96W 4 bulb version of the Tek 5?? Seriously??

Thanks again!
 
Mach: Sounds like the sort of growth I am after. Well done!

Izzy: Cool! That 65 gallon setup of yours is exactly what I hope to move onto next. Sweet! I didn't know that T5s were so powerful that I'd need to acclimate anything to them.
Very sound advice. Thank you!

Unless someone suggests otherwise. It's gonna be the 4 bulb Tek 5. Anyone??
 
I setup a 15g Zoa grow out and am lighting with T5s (2xactinic and 2x10k). The fixture with single reflector was OK, but I ripped it apart and am in the process of retroing the 4 bulbs w/individual reflectors into a custom hood. I understand it will be MUCH brighter, but I've always liked the equal actinic/10k combinations and have experienced good color/growth in a similar VHO setup.
 
The Tek T5s are much more than you need for zoanthids. I had mine under a 4x54w Nova Extreme system for months and they looked fantastic. I upgraded to a Tek hood so that I could keep crocea clams and some SPS. IMO, if you're not interested in higher light stuff down the road, I'd save a chunk of money and get the Nova Extreme. But if you may want to do SPS/clams later, get the Tek.
 
JCM: I just found the awesome T-5 thread over in the Lighting section. Sounds like a great mod. Are you gonna go all-out with the Icecap ballasts? Whoa...

TWallace: I'd probably wind up going the same route as you. I really like my Current Orbit, and I gave the Nova some serious consideration. But I figure for the same amout of electricity and cost of bulbs, I'd really like the fixture that makes the most of it all. And all of that without the soooooothing FAN noise. lol

How are your zoanthids doing under the Tek, and how did you acclimate them to the higher light?

BTW- Crocea clams really are irresistable!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7993826#post7993826 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GobyJohnKenobi
JCM: I just found the awesome T-5 thread over in the Lighting section. Sounds like a great mod. Are you gonna go all-out with the Icecap ballasts? Whoa...

TWallace: I'd probably wind up going the same route as you. I really like my Current Orbit, and I gave the Nova some serious consideration. But I figure for the same amout of electricity and cost of bulbs, I'd really like the fixture that makes the most of it all. And all of that without the soooooothing FAN noise. lol

How are your zoanthids doing under the Tek, and how did you acclimate them to the higher light?

BTW- Crocea clams really are irresistable!
Click to expand...

If you get the Tek order from Reefgeek and see if they'll let you upgrade to Icecap reflectors. I was able to do it for $2 per bulb with my retrofits.
 
Goby: I just got a 4 x 39w Tek unit w/ the individual reflectors for my 38 gal. after my dual 96 w PC fixture had a failure a few weeks ago. The Tek unit is very bright.

I acclimated with 4 screens over the tank, taking one off every couple days. I took the last one off and it still seemed like some of my softies were getting too much light and not extending polyps for a week. It took a while for them to get used to it. LPS love it. I've got zoos on the bottom of the tank that are looking MUCH better now with this light. Haven't had it long enough to get any idea on increased growth but the colors look great. I'm not over driving it with an IC ballast either.

I got an ATI Blue Plus, 11,000 k Aquablue, a geisman 6,000K? midday, and an ATI pure actinic, on advice from the lighting forum. It's kind of a white tone with slight blue in it. You can really tell everythings under T-5s now. I love T-5s so far. The reflectors don't look like much on first impressiong but when you turn the thing on it's BRIGHT. Only downfall is, is the Tek doesn't have cooling fans or moonlights. The bulbs burn relatively cool but last longer if you keep them cooler I've heard. Then if you need moon lights, I bought this moon tube that has 2 bright LEDs that comes with it's own auto dimmer that runs on a 29.5 day lunar cycle automatically, off ebay. It has awesome color too. I also keep the room very cool. I'm sure not having the fans or moon lights helps keep the price down on the Teks though. It seems like a good value and has a very thin profile. It's VERY light but wider front to back than I expected.

Probably too much info, but this was what I ran into once I went with the Tek. HTH
 
I recently upgraded from Coralife PC bulbs to a tek t-5 (with individual reflectors) on my 46 bowfront. All the zoas seem healthy, I made sure to put some mesh on the top and slowly pulled one layer out at a time over the period of a month. Everything acclimated great and my zoas and shrooms love it, not to mention my crocea ;) . Good luck.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8022103#post8022103 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by K-Dubbs
I recently upgraded from Coralife PC bulbs to a tek t-5 (with individual reflectors) on my 46 bowfront. All the zoas seem healthy, I made sure to put some mesh on the top and slowly pulled one layer out at a time over the period of a month. Everything acclimated great and my zoas and shrooms love it, not to mention my crocea ;) . Good luck.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I'm doing as well. I have a Coralife 4x96W PC setup, and things were going good, but I am looking for a little more, and the 6x54 Tek T5 retro kit I just ordered should do the trick.

Dana
 
If anybody wants to see how my bulb configuration looks over my tank, I just updated my photobucket page. You can click on my litte red house to see my updated pics. I took one of the water's surface showing the color of the bulbs and how I put them in. I have the pic labeled left to right so you know which bulb you're looking at. It will give anybody who wants to know a good idea of the color of an ATI Blue +, an 11,000k aquablue, a Geismann 6000k midday and an ATI pure Actinic 420nm. The actinic is very purple as you can see. I really like this combination.

I don't have a lot of zoos but the pics of the ones I have are on page 2. The eagle eyes got pushed into a shaded area by tank inhabitants so they look a little dark.

BTW, the outside switch on the back controls the two outside bulbs. The inside switch controls the two inside bulbs. Something to consider when putting your bulbs in if you plan on using timers.
The switches also have water proof covers on them.
 
Fantastic posts, everyone! Exactly the info I was looking for.

I am leaning toward ordering from Reefgeek after all the good things I have heard about them.

I read that the Icecap reflectors are the way to go. Thanks for the info on the mod- sounds like it's worth the extra $8.

What about the acrylic splash lense or upgraded hanging kit: are they worth purchasing?

I never imagined that the light would be so much brighter that corals would need to be acclimated to it. Thanks for all the acclimation tips.

Vessxpress1: Thank you for sharing the bulb mix info. It seems like getting the spectrum mix right is very important with T5's. I'm glad you found one that works well for you.
 
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