Lighting

Mr.Ghostly

Mr.Ghostly

New member
T5 fixture or a T5 MH combination and could you guys tell me some pros and cons for doing either or. Also some links to different fixtures will help also
 
It would depend on the set up you have. Is your tank really tall? MH would have better penetration to reach the sand bed. But, MHs also give off more heat than T5s if that's a concern of yours. Would you be going with a 4,6 or 8 bulb T5 fixture? What kind of reef tank will you be keeping?
 
More info would be helpful. I'm a huge fan of T5s alone. I don't thing I would ever do halides. Too much power consumption and too much heat for my taste. I feel like they kill color although they grow stuff like weeds imo. What are your plans on the tank? What kind of coral do you plan on keeping? and like the previous post how deep of a tank?
 
Sorry forgot to provide the rest of the info it is currently a 65g tank dimensions are 36 long 18 wide 24 high. I plan on keeping it roughly mainly SPS maybe a clam or 2 if I feel i'm good enough at taking care of it. So I would need alot of penetration of light for whatever fixture i use
 
A 6 or 8 bulb T5 fixture with individual reflectors will work just fine on your 24" tall tank, just be sure to install quality bulbs. Tek makes excellent and very affordable fixtures and you can get leg kits for them if you don't want to hang the light. Obviously everyone has a personal preference on bulb selection, but you can sort that out once you decide what kind of lighting you want.
 
I agree with Fishbeard. A 6 bulber should be sufficient. Although the 36" fixture bulbs are only 39W per bulb. With a 8 bulb fixture you would be rock n rollin :rock: Individual reflectors I would say will give you a boost but I don't think they are a necessity . I run a 8 bulb nova extreme on a 90 with no problem what so ever.
 
Cubbies said:
Individual reflectors I would say will give you a boost but I don't think they are a necessity . I run a 8 bulb nova extreme on a 90 with no problem what so ever.
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'Au contraire mon frere'

Individual reflectors will provide approx. 40% more output. I too have an older 8 bulb nova extreme over my 90 and the PAR readings are almost identical to that of a 6 bulb nova extreme PRO with individual reflectors.

We'd both get the same PAR if we ran 6 bulb pro's, and we'd save $50 everytime we replaced bulbs :)
 
Mr.Ghostly said:
Sorry forgot to provide the rest of the info it is currently a 65g tank dimensions are 36 long 18 wide 24 high. I plan on keeping it roughly mainly SPS maybe a clam or 2 if I feel i'm good enough at taking care of it. So I would need alot of penetration of light for whatever fixture i use
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A t5 with 6 bulbs with individual reflectors will grow just about everything under the sun.
 
Yep, definitely get individual reflectors, it's amazing the difference in amount of light that makes it into the tank. In perspective, I had a 4 bulb Finnex with individual clip-on reflectors. With all ATI bulbs, the fixture easily produced 200+ PAR at 22" depth. Along with the built in royal blue led strip, boosted that number to 250+ under the fixture. Right now this same fixture is over a 40 breeder which has the same footprint as your tank, just shallower and everything in that tank is doing amazing.
 
No need to buy reflectors, if you read the description, it says that fixture comes with individual parabolic style reflectors. This means that each bulb will have a reflector over it inside the fixture.
 
SaylorsReef said:
I prefer T5 over MH. However, T5 isn't always the best option. What do you plan to keep, and what size tank? I prefer T5 because IMO it gives off less heat, and the bulbs last longer.

All of my T5 fixtures came from reefgeek.com, here is an example of one of my fixtures. I've used it on a 90g, 75g, and a 55g. I've kept both soft coral and SPS without issue.

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5...t_Fixture_w!_Bulbs_(Black)_by_Sunlight_Supply
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I tought MH bulbs last longer then t5 bulbs?
 
Mr.Ghostly said:
What t5 bulb combination would you guys recommend
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I would try this combination (top front, bottom back)

ATI Blue+
ATI Blue+
KZ Fiji Purple (or) ATI Purple+
KZ New Generation 14000k
ATI Actinic 03
ATI Blue+

This should provide more than enough light for SPS and Clams, and will give you a really good variety of color.

Replace the Actinic for another Blue+ if you want a really blue tank and a little extra par output, at the cost of some purple.

Use the KZ Fiji for more red with a little orange, or the ATI purple for some orange and a little red.

For a crisper white daylight use an ATI aquablue special in place of the KZ new gen, or if you really want to bring out a LOT of green you can try a GE 6500k daylight bulb.

This is just my recommendation based on the advise of other members here and from advice I found online while I was trying to decide on the best bulb combination for a 6 bulb fixture. In my case I installed 2 actinics since i have mostly nems and zoa/paly and the extra par of more blue+ wasn't a big concern. My fixture is also Dimmable and I notice running both channels at 60% still produces more than enough light to keep everything happy.
 
ATI Blue+
ATI Blue+
ATI Purple+
ATI Coral+
ATI Actinic 03
ATI Blue+
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Purple+ and Fiji purple are not the same bulbs. ATI produced more PAR and has a slightly deeper color.

ATI Coral+ is a much more well rounded bulb than the KZ New Generation. I used to recommend the New Gen, but that was when ATI's only viable daylight choice was the AB Special.

Please do a significant amount of independent research regarding your lighting choice. There is a whole lot of so/so information going around on lighting these days. One excellent resource is the Advanced Aquarist blog. They have a variety of articles on a variety of lighting options including fixtures, bulbs, ballasts, etc. Also make it a point to get out and see the bulb combos you may choose in person. Photos on a computer screen are NEVER an accurate representation of tank lighting.
 
For all practical purposes, the biggest difference I found while reading reviews on the new coral+ is that it brings out a little more of the "pink" in your corals over the KZ NewGen 14000k, other than that there is not much difference between the 2. I haven't used the Coral+ myself, so I can't say one way or another. I have read of quite a few people switching to the Coral+ when they were released and already removing them because of personal preference being unhappy with the color. Again, not personal experience, just what I have read. But you know how it is, you hear more negative feedback from people that aren't happy than positives from those that are...

Finding the time to actually meet up with other members running T5 is a great suggestion. You will get to see what different bulb combinations look like and what kind of colors you can expect from your tank. You are more than welcome to swing by and check out my tank if you ever find yourself out in my area. Cubbies is only a short drive from my place, and you may be able to check his tank out as well while you are out this way.
 
Ballast choice also factors heavily into the bulb choices. I have used all of the bulbs in question personally. Mr.Ghostly. I sent you a PM.
 
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