75gal T5 lighting recommendations

kniquy

Member
Hi all - i am back and forth with my lighting upgrade for my 75g reef. As much a i would like to purchase LED's after doing some research they are a bit over what i want to spend. I could purchase them but then would have no $$ to purchase and live stock for my tank. I am planning on purchasing T5 retro 48" It seems like people are happy with the Tek (which is that made by sunlight supply?) I search for Tek and that is what comes up as part of the product make. Any ways i want to keep an array of corals so i am going to try and see if 6 bulbs will fit in my hood. I also want a strip of moon lights as well.
My question is to get the best lighting with these bulbs what do you recommend for the best color and appearance as well as coral growth. Right now i have 2-250W MH both 10K on the tank and it almost seems too bright so i was thinking of going to a 12K bulb. How do you think i should set them up from front to back of tank? I have read that the ATI purple brings out a lot of color in the coral -- but i am guessing that it doesn't do much for growth. Are true actinic best for growth?
I am thinking of going with one ATI purple, two 12K current USA truelumen, and 3 ATI actinic. Or should i go 3 12K, and 3 actinic -- so confused!!!!
Really not sure what i should do. If anyone has pic of their tank with T5 please post and let me know what your lighting is.
 
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abeandlulu

Guest
I love my MH. I have them on my 265 and 90 gallon tanks. I have t-5s on my 75 gallon and I just dont think they bring the color out as well. JMO. I am sure someone That has more experience with t-5s will soon respond.
 

acrylic51

Active Member
Haven't run T5's personally, but they are more than capable of keeping SPS.....As far as bulb combinations that could be all over the map really depending what you like and what your after.....Yes MH's will be brighter than T5's, but there's trade offs to anything.....
 
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mikelombardo

Guest
If you go with T5's, they will run cooler than the MH. There are alot fixtures out there that take 4-6 bulbs with a built in timer to regulate which bulbs come on and when. Actinic (14000k) bulbs are definitely a must for corals, most people have half Actinics, and half 10,000-12,000k bulbs for a larger spectrum of light. You'll save money doing it this way too because the bulbs are cheaper to replace. I'd recommend changing the bulbs every 6 months or so because they start to lose their punch even though you cant normally tell with the naked eye.
I think the pro's of T5's are:
Cheaper Unit
Cheaper ballast
Run's cooler
Consumes less electricity
If you're going to do a lot of coral's think about the moon light too. The more expensive LED units, such as the Acan ones, cycle with the moon and really help the coral to thrive. You'll do fine without this but it is definitely an added bonus. More cheaply, some people even use dim blue lights on a dimmer and just up the intensity following the moon schedule. There is a connection between corals and the moon that is currently being studied, they definitely love it. Perhaps they're witches!

This is my tank a little while ago when I had just purchased the light system. It's a 36" long tank and it uses 4 bulbs. 2 are Actinics and the other 2 are 10,000k. I'm most likely going to bump the others up to 12,000's.
I honestly don't have experience with MH bulbs in aquaria although I use them all the time as I'm an electrician LOL
But anyways T5's aren't bad so I wouldn't rule them out!

 

kniquy

Member
Ordered tek t5 lights which come tomorrow !!! I figure I will have to play with the lighting to perfect the look that I want. I ordered 2-12k bulbs, 2 actinic and one purple. I have never used a purple bulb but had read it creats a good look for flouresing corals. We shall see. I'll post some before with my MH and with the new lights.
 
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mikelombardo

Guest
Good to hear! I think you'll love em, keep us updated for sure :)
 
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