How many T5's for an 8' 240g?

[95harley]

I'm getting ready to start converting my 240g Long (96x24x24) from a FOWLR to a semi-reef tank with 40-50+ various Damsels/Chromis and a Dragon Moray Eel.
I plan on housing some of the easier corals:
Xenia
Kenya
Colt
Shrooms
Zoo's
And hopefully a few Monitpora Capricornas. Possibly others..still TBD,
I was thinking 2 either retro or panel 48" T5's on either side of the tank. But I'm not sure if need to go 6 full T5's (3 - 10k, 3 - Actinic) or on of the Ice Caps sets with 8 T5's (2-10k, 2-Actinic, and 4 Blue LED) on each side.
And is there any benifit to going with a Retrofit vs a single unit? I have a canopy on the tank that sits 10-11" above the water line.
Any Advise would be helpful.

 

[geoj]

Well sounds like you are going in the right direction. Fixture is all done for you and you have to live with the way the lights are switched and the ballast. You want at minimum two power plugs or banks of bulbs one for your 10k and one for 440nm.
A retro you got to put together or spend some dollars to get a plug and play kit. With the retro you get to pick and choose how many ballasts and type the switching pattern. If you fill the hood with HOT5s and some moon lights You will get most of the corals you want and if you go Icecap and over drive even more sps.

 

[95harley]

Overdrive? Sorry bare with the coral novice.
Do I still have to go with 5w per gallon, if so I can't get there from here with HO T5's.
HELP!

 

[wangotango]

Ignore watts/gallon. It's meaningless.
I'd go with two 48" 6 or 8-bulb retrofit units from either Aquaillumination or Icecap. Overdriving is running the bulbs at a wattage higher than their spec. A 48" 54w T5ho can be overdriven by an Icecap ballast to about 82-3w. While you will get more output out of them, you will also hurt lamp life. On a 24" deep tank that isn't SPS from surface to sand I don't really see the need to overdrive the bulbs.

 

[95harley]

Per some of my other post I am taking the first steps to convert my 240g FOWLR to a reef.
I need some things cleared up about lighting. The tank is 8'x2'x2'. I am current running 8x65w PC's under the canopy.
I want to start off with some soft corals: Xenia, Colt, Kenya, shrooms, etc.
Then move into Star Polyps, Zoos, Leathers.
And eventually into SPS like Montipora Capricornas, staghorn, etc.
I started to take off my PC's and replace with T5's. But when I ran the #'s Watts per Gallon I would need 16 bulbs (8 on each side).
I also thought about leaving my PC's and adding a single 250W MH on each end over the LR ledges. But I worry about the heat it might put out. I don't want to buy a chiller.
I also thought about LED arrays on the ends. Now I'm just confused.
Can someone help and give some advice on the best lighting for what I need without overdoing it?
HELP..

 

[95harley]

I'm just getting SUCH conflicting info from the LFS and the web.

________________________________________________________________
One place said T5's are not any better than PC's and I should just add a couple of MH's.
Another place said PC lights are on the (no longer carry) list and will be dead shortly and to go with T5's.
I was told LED arrays don't put out good blue spectrum, they are not tested long term yet, they are too expensive, and unliable.
Now I'm just confused...very confused.

________________________________________________________________
OK let's say I convert to T5's say 6-8 on either side of the tank. Do I need to worry about heat under the canopy or heating the tank up too much?
Is this the best bang for my buck?
More info is appreciated.

 

[wangotango]

Originally Posted by 95Harley
http:///forum/post/3220828
I'm just getting SUCH conflicting info from the LFS and the web.

________________________________________________________________
One place said T5's are not any better than PC's and I should just add a couple of MH's.
Another place said PC lights are on the (no longer carry) list and will be dead shortly and to go with T5's.
I was told LED arrays don't put out good blue spectrum, they are not tested long term yet, they are too expensive, and unliable.
Now I'm just confused...very confused.%

%
________________________________________________________________
OK let's say I convert to T5's say 6-8 on either side of the tank. Do I need to worry about heat under the canopy or heating the tank up too much?
Is this the best bang for my buck?
More info is appreciated.

PCs are antiquated. If you look at some of the successfull SPS dominated reef tanks out there NONE of them are using PCs. They are using either T5HO, halides, or a combination of both.
Halides are another good option. Four 250w bulbs would be plenty of light.
You're going to be able to mix and match T5 bulbs to get the color you want, which you cant really do with halides. Something else to think about; 4x 250W halides =1000W, 12x 54W T5=648W, 16x 54w T5=864W. Replacing 16 T5ho once a year is going to run about $320, and four halides about $300 (rough figures), so you might spend more on bulbs with T5, but you're using less power which will be cheaper to run long-term. You are going to want to fun some fans in an enclosed canopy to get rid of the heat any of the bulbs produce since it will shorten their lifespan.
LEDs are what's next, there's no question about it. The PAR and efficiency tests are out there on other forums. They are very expensive up front, but considering their lifespan, little power they consume, and little heat they produce, a higher initial cost is often worth it. Many people are building their own LED fixtures (which isn't that hard to do) using the 3W CREE XR-E and XP-G LEDs. Remember not all LEDs are created equally.

 

[geoj]

+1
Think of this in 2-3 years LEDs are going to dominate the reef lighting market. So spend what you will now or wait. Would you spend $600-$700 in 3 years to upgrade to get the LEDs or keep what you buy now…

 

[95harley]

So if I read all the above right, your recommending the 16x54 HO T5's for now with the plan to possible upgrade to LED's when they hit the market.
I'll get almost as much as 4 x 250W MH's without the heat issues.
Correct?

 

[wangotango]

Originally Posted by 95Harley
http:///forum/post/3221086
So if I read all the above right, your recommending the 16x54 HO T5's for now with the plan to possible upgrade to LED's when they hit the market.
I'll get almost as much as 4 x 250W MH's without the heat issues.
Correct?
At this point the only real economical way to go LED is the build it yourself, but in 2-3 years who knows... But there really isn't a point in spending the money on T5 or halides now and then again on LED two years later.
You are going to get heat with T5 which you need to take care of, but it's not going to be as bad as with 1000w of halides.
Honestly between the three it's more or less a matter of cost. Either will allow you to keep whatever you wanted.

 

[spanko]

I say do the T5 HO indivivually reflected. Less heat, less replacement cost, and better color spectrum control than with the halides.
For this size tank don't even concern yourself with LED's yet.
Some examples you say????????? Here is one. You can search some of the tank of the month articles on reefkeeping magazine for a lot more.
Main tank64” x 31” x 24” or 206-gallons)
Lighting: Ten 80w T5 bulbs in Powermodule Ati lamp

 

[reeferrookie]

+1 spanko
I was at a frag swap this past weekend and a factory rep from Current was speaking on this subject. There is no question LEDs are the future of reef lighting, but not now. He said there is way more testing and experimenting to be done yet. You can buy units on the market now, but they will be outdated by much better quality and less expensive units in the very near future. On average, these units will drop in cost around 20% annually in the next few years. Your best bet is T5 ho w/ir

 

[95harley]

I guess 16 T5's it is. 8 ice caps (individually reflected) on each side.
Now someone clue me in to overdriving T5's. The retro unit I'm looking at is the 660 ballast.
I plan to buy 4 of these.....Ice Cap T5 Prewired T5 Retro with 660-009 Ballast.

 

[wangotango]

The Icecap 600 will overdrive the bulbs to about 82W each (compared to 54W on a spec ballast).
Just make sure you have enough air movement in your canopy to get rid of all the heat or you are going to kill your bulb life.
-Justin

 

[spanko]

Originally Posted by WangoTango
http:///forum/post/3221889
The Icecap 600 will overdrive the bulbs to about 82W each (compared to 54W on a spec ballast).
Just make sure you have enough air movement in your canopy to get rid of all the heat or you are going to kill your bulb life.
-Justin
Agree. This is the perfect pick for your tank IMO.

 

[95harley]

Alright, I'm sold.
16 of these bad boys overdriven will put me above the 5wpg (I know this is no longer used).
16X82 = 1312w
1312w / 240g = 5.46 wpg
Now stupid question.....sorry.
How do you overdrive the lights? Is there a switch on the ballast or is it a different wiring config?
And as I'm sure it will shorten lifespan, how long will the bulbs last when over driving them - still 1 yr or less?

 

[wangotango]

Just using the Icecap ballast is going to overdrive the bulbs, there isn't any modification needed. If you were using a T5ho spec ballast like the Sylvania or Osram, then the bulbs would be driven at their spec wattage of 54W.
I would try to replace the bulbs at about one year.

 

[95harley]

Thanks. Now that is settled...on to picking out the correct bulbs.

 

[spanko]

Here is the combination another reefer from another site is running, and a picture of his tank. Keep in mind only 1 fixture on a 20 gallon high tank.
ATI Blue +
ATI Blue Special
UVL Actinic White
Fiji Purple

 

[spanko]

Any updates here????