have a quick light question...

[artman230]

I am planning on eventually setting up an old 45 gallon tank you knoe the 24 inch deep kind....I was thinking of going with a 6 bulb T-5 fixture for it to grow pretty much anything but sps ( maybe some easy sps)...But what I wanted to know is would that be overkill? should I just go with the 4 bulbs...I am trying to calculate the watts per gallon, and the 4 bulb is only 156 watts while the 6 bulbs are 234 watts...and way more expensive... I dont know what to choose so I need someones advice who knows more about T-5's than I do

 

[BCT182]

Hey Bro. Don't fall victim to the WPG scam. Its all about intensity. 175 watts of halide is going to be better than 175 watts of florecent. I had a 250 double end over a 30 gallon and it wasnt overkill. Steven11 had a 175 over a 10 gallon and was fine. All you need to be aware of is possible heat issues and also acclimating your corals to the more intense light.

I dont know what T-5's cost but I just went to hellolights for ya and priced out a 175 watt ballast, bulb, reflector and socket and I came up with $198.

peace brotha!

 

[danno14]

also consider the configuration of a tank- On 18" and 24" deep tanks, the WPG may be the same if they have the same overall volume. The penetration will be vastly different between the two because of the depth.

 

[artman230]

I would'nt mind a MH light but I dont really want to deal with the heat issue that much, also I am not to great on the DIY hood ideas but let me know if you have any sollutions as I would prefer a nice hood...I also need a nice stand as well to match and since the tank is oak I guess id have to go with something similar....I just want to set this one up right...I was planning on going with a good canister filter and a HOB skimmer too anybody got some suggestions??? I am thinking as little noise as possible...thanks for the help

 

[Scooterman]

I have an outer Orbit 4 T5's & one 250W HQI over it. It has legs that I just Plop on top of the tank, plug it in with the supplied timers & Bam done!
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showpost.php?p=395525&postcount=38 I modded it by adding a fan at the end of the hood blowing across the water surface to deal with the heat, It comes on when the MH comes on & basically eliminates heat issues but does Evap water & that is handled with an ATO!

 

[burning2nd]

very nice... i see that fan at the end.....

i had a 70hqi over a 5g
now im 150x2 over a 30g (18")

An Ato and a fan will be your best friend.

i had a fan on a separate timer but came on a few min after my lights turned off and shut off a few min after... but the ATO was the key to that hole thing....

now insteed of a chiller on a probe and controller, i use a fan on a controller...along with the ATO.

 

[artman230]

anyone with T-5's out ther help me please????

 

[Scooterman]

very nice... i see that fan at the end.....

An Ato and a fan will be your best friend.

I just replaced that tiny fan for an Omeron 4" A/C fan, mounted it to the Outer Orbit, awesome cooling, no chiller needed.

Artman, 6 T5 would do well in your tank, I've seen people keep most anything they want, high light demanding corals you'll need to keep them higher up but shouldn't be a problem. The bulbs will make a big difference in what PAR you get into the tank, you want some in the 10K range to punch deeper into the water.
But having a combo unit & running the MH only a few hours a day does help with growth but not completely necessary. JMO! I think If that is what you want, you'll be fine! Just make sure you get a unit with Individualized reflectors, this is very important with T5's.

 

[artman230]

what do you mean individualized reflectors???

 

[Scooterman]

In a 6 lamp light unit, each lamp as a individual reflector, so the unit would have 6 tiny reflectors, one for each lamp. Read up on the unit you want, they should actually boast that, or post us a link to what you want.

 

[artman230]

do you guys think the 175 watt MH set up would be good for my 45? also I really like the whole deep purple color of the actinics but what MH bulb would be closest to that without being actually actinic.. u know the 420nm or the 460nm i cant remember. I also wouldnt know how long to have the mh bulb on during the day thats why I was leaning more towards T-5's

 

[trido]

do you guys think the 175 watt MH set up would be good for my 45?

Probably be just fine depending on the types of corals you want to keep.
Keep in mind. 175 watt bulbs are less popular than the 150, 250, and 400s. There arent that my brands and color spectrums to chose from when its time to replace the bulbs. Id go with T-5s or 250 MH if I was setting up a small tank.

Actually Id go with a single MH. Replacement cost on six T-5s once a years costs about 120 bucks. A single 250W mh cost from 60-100 bucks. The pheonix DE MH 14k which has great color and par as a stand alone MH without actinics costs as little as $65 if you shop around.

 

[artman230]

ok i feel like im beatin a dead horse here but I want something I am going to enjoy, can anyone reccomend something for me....I was looking at single ended 250 watt MH retrofit kits which I am totally new to, and that would include building a hood....but whats a good bulb, and whats a good K rating I like those blue to purple looks....but I dont know what good that would do. I am a little confused i guess...as far as corals I am pretty much interested in growing anything....but I wouldnt get much into SPS....the only real SPS i enjoy are montie caps and birds nest...and a few others not big on acros...even though i think they are beautiful....let me know what you come up with I am also wanting clams...i love em

 

[returnofsid]

T5s would be just fine in your tank, as well as allowing you to keep most SPS...not just the "easy" ones. I have a 6 bulb Tek5 unit on my 75 and my Acros, Clams and Sebae Anemone thrive.

The secret of T5 success is individual reflectors. Each bulb either has it's own reflector or there's a single reflector that consists of individual reflectors welded together. In this way, the reflector has a "gull wing" pattern and bends around each bulb. This is a very effecient system and allows for A LOT of light directed into the water.

In a tank of your depth, the only caution I'd give you is to keep the higher light demanding SPS in the upper half of the tank.

 

[burning2nd]

not really beating it dead yet... but

any reason why you want single ended?
i think t5's with a combo of Mh's is your best best best bet

not that t5's alone work... i keep a Gta for a long time under t5's (dont follow me)

my personal thing is i dont like the look of hoods... i want that ocean water reflection on the walls and ceiling, that you get from a open top Mh lit tank.....

the 2nd thing that comes 2 my mind is heating... i hear meny more issues with people and heating (who have hoods) along with top off, then open top tanks

im a fan of the hung from the ceiling, look


if your feeling sps's and your sorta like "ya i like that"
dont go half way now.... wait, do it all the way at once... or your gonna end up with a lotta left over junk saying i wish i would have done it that way first.


ALSO impotent impotent LIght acclamation is super impotent

 

[BCT182]

can anyone reccomend something for me.. but whats a good bulb, and whats a good K rating I like those blue to purple looks....but I dont know what good that would do.

The best way to look at it is this: The lower the K the higher the par, and if you like a more blue-ish tint, then the lower the K the uglier. Meaning the more ascetically pleasing the bulb, the slower the growth of your corals.. kinda.

There are many variables though. First, not only does the bulb affect par, but the brand and type of ballast also. Whether or not you shield a single end bulb with glass will also affect the par.

My personal opinion is the even 10k is too yellow. Even some of the 12k's There are some 14k bulbs that still have a decent par rating but also have a blue tint that brings out the metallics in corals as well reduces the need for an actinic (visually) but I am not sure they give the true 420nm.

Sanjays website can help you to build a combo that will be sufficient.

 

[BCT182]

here ya go:

http://nycreefs.com/selectcolortemp.php

 

[BCT182]

like the par on a hamilton 14k 250 watt bulb (single end) with a PFO HQI ballast is 99. Pretty darn good and a nice colored bulb too!

 

[artman230]

If I go with a blue er bulb though are the fish going to die....when I was new to the whole reef idea I had a 20 gal that i only ran an actinic light on because I was under the impression that was a good idea.....anyways long story short pretty much all the fish died from lack of light....does anyone understand that at all???

 

[trido]

If I go with a blue er bulb though are the fish going to die....when I was new to the whole reef idea I had a 20 gal that i only ran an actinic light on because I was under the impression that was a good idea.....anyways long story short pretty much all the fish died from lack of light....does anyone understand that at all???

Ive never heard of a fish dieing from lack of light. No. alot of reefers like and run the bluer light.