5x 18" T8 bulbs in a 20 gal reef - bad or good?

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surge_worm

Guest
Background: I currently have a 2x 20 gal tanks setup, both tanks share a sump w/ skimmer and a small fuge, and have independent lighting. I found a very cheap supply of 18" T8 fixtures and built a custom hood for one of the tanks to house them. I'm running 2x7,500k, 1xAntic, 2x10,000k bulbs. The aquarium in question houses a bubble coral, 3 leathers, a clown fish and a brittle star. The light setup cost me just under $100 total.
Question: How will everything react to this lighting system? So far everything looks happy, but will the system work in the long term?
 
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surge_worm

Guest
May be helpful to mention that each of the T8 bulbs is ~ 15 watts.
 
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surge_worm

Guest
Update on the current state of the experimental lighting system:
So far there has been nothing but good news about the lighting system. All of the corals seem to be doing great, the experiment has been running for 10 days now.
One thing I dislike so far about the system is that the entire top of the tank is covered in bulbs. T8s have a much larger diameter than T5s, are are lower output, so you need more of them.
 
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surge_worm

Guest
One month update:
The current lighting system is still working great. All of the corals are looking very happy with their new (cheap) lighting system. The bulbs seem to run cooler than my old lighting setup, which is good, with hot summer days just around the corner.
 
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