Buying New Lighting. Some questions, Need Advice...

rastaangel

rastaangel

Member
So the time has come for me to upgrade my lighting fixtures to suit my future plans of having a full blown reef tank.
I currently only have 2 T5 HOs.
My supplier just upgraded his lighting from MH to LED so he has a 6' 3x250w MH w/ to VHO T12 with ballasts and every that he would sell me for $500
My tank is only a 90g so I would have to modify the hood to fit my application.
My other thought line is 8 T5HO fixture.
So my question is which of these following ideas would suit my application best? I plan to have alot of SPS, LPS, a BIG BTA, some clams, the whole shabang.
1. Modify hood and run just 3 250w halides
2. Modify hood and run 2 250w halides and 2 T12 VHOs
3. Modify hood and run 2 250w halides and add in my 2 T5 HOs
4. Buy complete 8x54w T5HO fixture
thanks
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
I don't see any reason or need to have 3x250w MH's on a 90G. 2 should give you all the spread you need if you do go the MH or even MH/T5 route. What brand of 8 bulb T5 fixture are your considering?
 
tlsohio

tlsohio

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///forum/thread/381279/buying-new-lighting-some-questions-need-advice#post_3320464
I don't see any reason or need to have 3x250w MH's on a 90G. 2 should give you all the spread you need if you do go the MH or even MH/T5 route. What brand of 8 bulb T5 fixture are your considering?
Ditto, I can't see needing 3 - 250 MH's on a 90g. I like both the MH and T5 VHO combination as well as the T5 VHO's on thier own. I run Current Nova T5 VHO and am very happy with them. I have two 48" 6 bulb fixtures on a 140g system. Good Luck!
 
rastaangel

rastaangel

Member
I would have to tear it down and remove one of the halides and make my T5's fit or use the T12
The T5 fixture would be a TEK Elite 8x54w T5 HO
What would be my better choice? Also how much more power to halides take over T5?
Would just the 2 250w halides be good enough?
 
tlsohio

tlsohio

Member
As a general rule of thumb, figure 2 to 4 watts of light per gallon for low-light corals, and as much as 5 to 8 watts per gallon for light-loving corals. Some of your decision is going to depend on your personal preference and from the sounds of it a little extra work on your part. If you do a quick calculation on wattage you can determine your lighting requirements (@ 6wpg you would need 540w generated to grow most all corals) 2 - 250 MH's give you 500w, 3 - gives you 750w, my tank does well on about 5.5wpg, so this is why I think that the 3 MH's are too much. If you were to take one of the MH's out and ad T12's or T5's depending on wattage you should be able to make up the differnce that way. I don't think that the T5 fixture by it self will produce enough light if you want lps & sps. But, if you can ad two 54w T5 VHO actinics to your Halides, I think you would be happy. Electric consumption is based on wattage, so just ad total wattage to see which combination consumes the most. Make sure that you are cooling your canopy, no matter what combination you choose. Hope this helps.
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Wattage isn't what your looking for.....It's lumens.....Wattage is old school and inaccurate. (2) 250W MH's would be plenty......T5's would be another excellent choice.....What are your stocking plans for the tank? IMO....best option run 2 MH's add your T5's in.....
 
tlsohio

tlsohio

Member
I was just trying to keep it simple, this is the "New Hobbyist" forum.....................
Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///forum/thread/381279/buying-new-lighting-some-questions-need-advice#post_3320920
Wattage isn't what your looking for.....It's lumens.....Wattage is old school and inaccurate. (2) 250W MH's would be plenty......T5's would be another excellent choice.....What are your stocking plans for the tank? IMO....best option run 2 MH's add your T5's in.....

If you really want to get technical:

PAR - Polysynthetic Available Radiation.
While PAR might be an unfamiliar term in comparison to the more often seen Lumens or Lux, it is by far the most appropriate way for us to assess light in connection with the reef tank since it measures the light intensity of the spectrum that is utilized by the corals. Lumens and Lux are measurements of how bright a light source appears to the human eye and as such has little relevance in the reef aquarium. I believe that a PAR meter is an instrument that all serious reef aquarists should own. Buying one that has a submersible sensor allows you to measure the amount light that’s actually reaching your corals. This in turn gives you the information you need when positioning or repositioning your corals to ensure that all the various species are receiving light that’s optimum for their requirements.
I'm just sayin...............
 
tlsohio

tlsohio

Member

Choosing the right lighting
Choosing the right light fixture for your reef aquarium depends a lot on the type of corals you intend to keep. Generally, the VHO (Very High Output) fluorescent , PC (Power Compact) fluorescent and T5 fluorescent lighting systems are great for corals that require low to moderate lighting, such as leather corals, mushrooms, polyps, and LPS corals. The Metal Halide systems are better for corals that require intense lighting. SPS corals, clams, and carpet anemones would best survive in a system with metal halide lighting. Many hobbyists will supplement metal halide lights with VHO or power compact bulbs to simulate a dusk/dawn effect and to add more blue coloration to the tank. Moonlights can also be added for nighttime viewing and beautiful nighttime affects. As a general rule you should have between 2 to 5 watts of lighting per gallon of water. Again this depends on the type of corals you intend to keep. You should also count on a 12 hour cycle for best results.
 
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