How many watts needed?

wilioli

wilioli

Member
I was told 4 watts per gallon is a good way to go for keeping a reef tank. I am looking at lighting for a 40 gallon im going to get, and the coralife ho t5 fixture that'll fit my 40g produces 75w....? Why would they say this lighting is for reef aquariums?
the advice i received was for my pc mini 50/50 lights.. so is there a difference as far as how many watts are needed when you go from pc to t5 ho to MH?
 
rkonicek

rkonicek

New Member
I've actually heard that you need 6 watts per gallon on the tank, it also depends how deep your tank is....how deep is your tank?
 
J

jstdv8

Guest
It really depends more on the lighting itself than the wattage.
For instance, my mom has a biocube 8 gallon with 2 x 18 w power compact lighting on it which is about 4.5 watts per gallon. but it won't grow much more than softies with that lighting. She had a rainbow monti in there and it started to show skeleton after about 2 weeks.
I have t-5 lighting on my 120g 6 x 56w for only 2.8 watts per gallon but i grow just about anything i want in there. i have acros, sunset and rainbow montis, staghorns.
Watts per gallon is not a very good tool to use.
Furhtermore if you get into LED's they use far far less wattage than anything else and are compareable to Metal Halides as far as strength
 
wilioli

wilioli

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by rkonicek http:///forum/thread/381564/how-many-watts-needed#post_3324477
I've actually heard that you need 6 watts per gallon on the tank, it also depends how deep your tank is....how deep is your tank?
bout 12 inches deep
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jstdv8 http:///forum/thread/381564/how-many-watts-needed#post_3324484
It really depends more on the lighting itself than the wattage.
For instance, my mom has a biocube 8 gallon with 2 x 18 w power compact lighting on it which is about 4.5 watts per gallon. but it won't grow much more than softies with that lighting. She had a rainbow monti in there and it started to show skeleton after about 2 weeks.
I have t-5 lighting on my 120g 6 x 56w for only 2.8 watts per gallon but i grow just about anything i want in there. i have acros, sunset and rainbow montis, staghorns.
Watts per gallon is not a very good tool to use.
Furhtermore if you get into LED's they use far far less wattage than anything else and are compareable to Metal Halides as far as strength
yea ive been reading and reading and seeing just that... .this is an insane concept to figure out... everyone has different lighting and having different success/failures with it!!!
 
luvmyreef

luvmyreef

Active Member
Well, there are many options for lighting. But first, I would have to ask....what kind of corals would you want in your reef tank?
 
wilioli

wilioli

Member
ooo, im glad u asked! :D
i have a 10 gallon that id like to keep with soft corals.. and a 40 gallon that im getting later that id like to ... expand beyond the soft corals... sps.. maybe lps..
 
luvmyreef

luvmyreef

Active Member
Well, soft corals do not require high lighting. A good t5 fixture would work for you with the 10g. If you want sps in the 40, metal halides or a really good t5 fixture like the ati brand would work (placing the sps corals at the top). But sps require near perfect water conditions, I would start off with some lps before venturing into the sps. And some on here prefer LED's, I cant tell you anything about these. But Watts per gallon is a good rule of thumb to go by, but it is rarely used anymore. It is based more on the par level of the light. (kind of like, how much light is actually penetrating the depth of your tank).
 
wilioli

wilioli

Member
gotcha -- i thought sps was easier than lps.. but got it, thanks for the clarification.. i came across this site... kinda answered my questions, and i think might help a lot of people.. i just don't know if its more of a marketing thing, or if its honest 'suggestions'
http://bit.ly/a9PSfV
 
luvmyreef

luvmyreef

Active Member
Well, the people on here have nothing to gain by giving you suggestions/advice. Many of us have been there and done that, so we can speak from experience. I think most of us just like the hobby and want anyone who attempts it to be successful.
 
wilioli

wilioli

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by luvmyreef http:///forum/thread/381564/how-many-watts-needed#post_3324531
Well, the people on here have nothing to gain by giving you suggestions/advice. Many of us have been there and done that, so we can speak from experience. I think most of us just like the hobby and want anyone who attempts it to be successful.

and thank you for that! i hope i didnt insult by putting that link up? everyone's experience is just so different.. and the general consensus seems to be 'get a good fixture'.. but amongst all the good fixtures' there's just so many differences -- in price as well!! I mean i was looking at a 'good brand' with 78watt total... then i find out watts dont matter! lol, but on the chart there it seems to point out what each type of lighting can sustain... at least i hope its accurate!
 
luvmyreef

luvmyreef

Active Member
No insult at all. If you really want to save money...ditch the idea of the 10g and just go with the 40g mixed reef, and research the different fixtures that will fit it. That way you are not buying two fixtures, just one nice one for the 40...
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Is this a 40G breeder we're talking about? If so you probably wouldn't need a super high end fixture since those tanks are pretty shallow.
 
wilioli

wilioli

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by luvmyreef http:///forum/thread/381564/how-many-watts-needed#post_3324536
No insult at all. If you really want to save money...ditch the idea of the 10g and just go with the 40g mixed reef, and research the different fixtures that will fit it. That way you are not buying two fixtures, just one nice one for the 40...
ok good!
<-- i didnt just want to give a thumbs up... yea the 10 has 2x20watt pc mini 50/50 screw in bulbs.. wasnt gonna change it, and just leave it.. but wanted to know what i could actually do with it... as far as soft corals go... the research and questions is really just for the 40!
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///forum/thread/381564/how-many-watts-needed#post_3324539
Is this a 40G breeder we're talking about? If so you probably wouldn't need a super high end fixture since those tanks are pretty shallow.
yea its a breeder...
 
wilioli

wilioli

Member
so how do you guys differentiate light fixtures? lets say t5's.. thats what im looking at... specifically coralife. There's a fixture that is a t5.. says 78 watts... another one that says 192 watts.. but the general watts per gallon rule doesn't apply.. .how do i know whats better? I cant find anything that gives me a par listing for each light fixture. Lets say we can assume that the 192 watts is better.. higher price, more watts, etc etc.. but lets say a coralife, nova, and wavepoint.. each producing roughly around 150-200watts... how do i know which one is better to get? price difference is +/- 60 bucks..
 
wangotango

wangotango

Active Member
Watts/gallon is irrelevant so don't even take it into consideration when choosing lighting for your tank.
The differences in wattage for the fixtures simply has to do with how many bulbs it has. T5ho bulbs come in wattages of 24w, 39w, 54w, and 80w. More wattage doesn't necessarily mean "better," it just has more bulbs. For a 40gal breeder, six bulbs would be plenty. You aren't going to find a decent T5ho fixture for a 10gal tank. I'd suggest looking at the LED PAR38 lamps. two of those would be perfect.
Honestly, Coralife, Nova, and Wavepoint all suck. The quality of the reflector, the ballasts, and the quality of lamp have much more to do with the quality of the fixture than how many watts of power it consumes. If you're on a budget, then the new TEK fixtures are pretty good.
You aren't going to find any manufacturer that advertises the PAR of their fixtures. It's dependent on too many variables. The only way to figure out how much PAR you're getting at different depths in your tank is to measure it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wilioli http:///forum/thread/381564/how-many-watts-needed#post_3324736
so how do you guys differentiate light fixtures? lets say t5's.. thats what im looking at... specifically coralife. There's a fixture that is a t5.. says 78 watts... another one that says 192 watts.. but the general watts per gallon rule doesn't apply.. .how do i know whats better? I cant find anything that gives me a par listing for each light fixture. Lets say we can assume that the 192 watts is better.. higher price, more watts, etc etc.. but lets say a coralife, nova, and wavepoint.. each producing roughly around 150-200watts... how do i know which one is better to get? price difference is +/- 60 bucks..
 
J

jstdv8

Guest
when looking at T-5's one of the most important things is to see if each bulb has it's own formed area on the reflector around the bulb or is there just one big flat sheet of metal behind all the bulbs.
Furthermore not all formed reflectors are created equal either. The tek lights have a reflector for each individual bulb on thier pro models and each reflector is a prabolic (sp?) which puts more light in your tank than just a curved reflector. the more light the reflectors can get in the tank the better off you will be of course.
There are also different higher end ballasts that can drive the lights better than others, again puting more light in the tank.
Besides the overall quality of the unit you buy those are likely the two biggest factors for T-5's
That being said I have the Nova extreme pro 6 x 54w and I'm very happy with it. it has a single reflector that is countoured to the shape of each bulb. not as good as the lights that have thier own parabolic reflectors, but still better than a flat piece of metal. the bulbs arent that great for color but they will get you by for your first year till you need to replace them.
mine is a 4' tank so your 3' 40 gallon tank will have a differnt wattage per light.
 
J

jstdv8

Guest
Also, if i had to do it over i might consider a good quality T-5 light that had built in timers. extra money for sure, but you will likely spend a minimum of 50 dollars on some good timers for 2 lights anyways so throw the 50 bucks at a better light with the timer built right in. Moonlights are also something that is desireable, but i woudlnt let that affect your purchase as much as the otehr things stated above :)
 
wilioli

wilioli

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by WangoTango http:///forum/thread/381564/how-many-watts-needed#post_3324756
Watts/gallon is irrelevant so don't even take it into consideration when choosing lighting for your tank.
The differences in wattage for the fixtures simply has to do with how many bulbs it has. T5ho bulbs come in wattages of 24w, 39w, 54w, and 80w. More wattage doesn't necessarily mean "better," it just has more bulbs. For a 40gal breeder, six bulbs would be plenty. You aren't going to find a decent T5ho fixture for a 10gal tank. I'd suggest looking at the LED PAR38 lamps. two of those would be perfect.
Honestly, Coralife, Nova, and Wavepoint all suck. The quality of the reflector, the ballasts, and the quality of lamp have much more to do with the quality of the fixture than how many watts of power it consumes. If you're on a budget, then the new TEK fixtures are pretty good.
You aren't going to find any manufacturer that advertises the PAR of their fixtures. It's dependent on too many variables. The only way to figure out how much PAR you're getting at different depths in your tank is to measure it.
thanks.. ill look into TEK fixutres..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jstdv8 http:///forum/thread/381564/how-many-watts-needed#post_3324782
when looking at T-5's one of the most important things is to see if each bulb has it's own formed area on the reflector around the bulb or is there just one big flat sheet of metal behind all the bulbs.
Furthermore not all formed reflectors are created equal either. The tek lights have a reflector for each individual bulb on thier pro models and each reflector is a prabolic (sp?) which puts more light in your tank than just a curved reflector. the more light the reflectors can get in the tank the better off you will be of course.
There are also different higher end ballasts that can drive the lights better than others, again puting more light in the tank.
Besides the overall quality of the unit you buy those are likely the two biggest factors for T-5's
That being said I have the Nova extreme pro 6 x 54w and I'm very happy with it. it has a single reflector that is countoured to the shape of each bulb. not as good as the lights that have thier own parabolic reflectors, but still better than a flat piece of metal. the bulbs arent that great for color but they will get you by for your first year till you need to replace them.
mine is a 4' tank so your 3' 40 gallon tank will have a differnt wattage per light.
yea it seems like TEK and Nova are the ones ppl talk about for general t5 fixtures...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jstdv8 http:///forum/thread/381564/how-many-watts-needed#post_3324784
Also, if i had to do it over i might consider a good quality T-5 light that had built in timers. extra money for sure, but you will likely spend a minimum of 50 dollars on some good timers for 2 lights anyways so throw the 50 bucks at a better light with the timer built right in. Moonlights are also something that is desireable, but i woudlnt let that affect your purchase as much as the otehr things stated above :)
i was actually thinking of staying away from timers.. but now that u mention that.. ur right.. hmm.. thanks
 
J

jstdv8

Guest
just for the record the TEK's that have the individual reflectors are a nicer unit than the Extreme pro like mine and the extreme pro is as good a unit as Current USA makes. Tek also has a cheap unit with a flat reflector so stay away from that one. :)
Here's another thought if you are in this for the long haul.
You can get an Ecoexotic LED fixture for that tank for about $1000.00 and is more powerful than any of the T-5's, you could grow whatever you wanted and get that LED/metal halide shimmer that looks so awesome.
1000.00 is a big initial investment, but if you look at it over the life of the fixture you actually save ALOT of money.
LED's last approx 11 years before thier bulbs start going south on you. So, within that 11 year you will have changed your T-5 lights 11 times. a 6 light fixture will cost $30 x 6 lights = 180 x 11years = 1980.00 just in light bulbs over that time period.
Wattage usage would also probbaly save quite a bit of money as well.
And besides LED-s T-5's are the most efficient bulbs out of the metal halide and power compact groups.
So that number gows up with a MH and way up with a Power Compact setup.
Just food for thought :)
 
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