Need some opinions on T5's

[rtspeed]

I am setting up a new reef taqnk and am looking at doing t5's, i have alot of experience with MH's but not with t5's.
The tank is going to be a 135gl 72''x18''x25'' and i am worndering what wil;l be enough light to keep sps.
Any info will be a great help as to fixture, watts or just anything.

 

[rtspeed]

no one has any opinions

 

[rotarymagic]

Get the ATI fixture with the most bulbs (10 or more) that you can afford... Stock SPS wherever you want in the tank.

 

[mr_x]

25 inches deep? i'm curious to see what t-5 fixture is going to reach the sand bed like mh will.
maybe the aqactinics constellation fixture? even with 14 t-5's, there are only 7 per side of the tank.
i'd still suggest a combination fixture with hqi's for daylights, and t-5's for supplement, unless you want to keep your sps off of the sand bed.

 

[rotarymagic]

Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2785458
25 inches deep? i'm curious to see what t-5 fixture is going to reach the sand bed like mh will.
maybe the aqactinics constellation fixture? even with 14 t-5's, there are only 7 per side of the tank.
i'd still suggest a combination fixture with hqi's for daylights, and t-5's for supplement, unless you want to keep your sps off of the sand bed.
no no.. 10 T-5s per fixture per side... for my recommendation and the ATI's are good for at least 24inches depth..

 

[mr_x]

i just went to that website and viewed those fixtures. so, you think 20 t-5 bulbs totalling 780 watts are better than 3 x 250 watt halides, which is only 750 watts? i don't agree.

 

[rotarymagic]

Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2785480
i just went to that website and viewed those fixtures. so, you think 20 t-5 bulbs totalling 780 watts are better than 3 x 250 watt halides, which is only 750 watts? i don't agree.
780watts of T5HO is equivalent to way more than 750watts of MH.. The emphasis is growing SPS and what I recommended will have him selling frags every other day in no time LOL..

 

[mr_x]

that's completely false. if your bulbs have enough PAR, having more bulbs is not going to make anything grow faster. it's redundant.

 

[emilaya101]

 

[stanlalee]

corals have a light saturation point at where adding more isn't going to do a thing. ALL corals species have different saturation points and how much artificial light that would take is as good a guess as any (I did read data just dont remember). Interesting enough leathers had higher saturation threstholds than SPS so they are actually able to use more light than SPS even thouth they can survive much lower light levels. anyway adding up watts to MH is redundant. If you are using one 250w MH you have the intensity of a 250w MH wether you have one or ten. you only add more for coverage. with MH you either have the intensity of 70w, 150w, 175w, 250w, 400w or 1000w. you can add a hundred of any one and you still have the intensity of whatever watt bulbs you are using. this is why 750w of T5 vs 750w of MH makes no sense, there is no such intensity for MH (comparing PAR of 750w of T5 to three 250w MH is just like comparing 750w of T5 to 250w of MH).flourescent bulbs you can add intensity with adding bulbs.
anyway back to the topic. you should consider the aquactinics constellation

its not ATI but its the next best thing readily available here and about half the price (still almost a grand not to mention the 14 39w T5 bulbs you'll have to buy plus $40 for hanging or riser kit). you can keep whatever you wish with it.

 

[mr_x]

i disagree with your statement about 1 halide being the same as 2. why don't they place t-5's in a fixture one on top of the other then, in the same reflector? light is light. the reason we use 2 halides over a 4' tank is because the light is not strong enough to reach end to end. if your statement is true, then all i need to do is fasten a single 250 watt halide to the ceiling and then i can light all of my tanks with it, or with the right reflector, all i need is 1 halide over my 5' tank.

 

[vince-1961]

I am a newbie, so this may not mean much, but I got a 72" long by 24"wide by 30" deep tank with a T5 fixture on top. It contains twelve 39 watt bulbs.
Seems to do just fine, but it's really too early for me to tell.

 

[stanlalee]

Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2787024
the reason we use 2 halides over a 4' tank is because the light is not strong enough to reach end to end. if your statement is true, then all i need to do is fasten a single 250 watt halide to the ceiling and then i can light all of my tanks with it, or with the right reflector, all i need is 1 halide over my 5' tank.

I dont get your point. In other words you add additional halides for full coverage which is EXACTLY what I said.
If you are using one 250w MH you have the intensity of a 250w MH wether you have one or ten. you only add more for coverage
it is universally accepted that most MH reflectors are designed to cover a 2x2" area at 8-12" above the water with higher end reflectors capable of 3x3" coverage with appropriate intensity when raised appropriately. So if you want to include make believe scenario's about halides 20ft in the air or 2" above the waterline so be it but 216w of T5 over a 4ft 90g gives the intensity of 216w of T5 over a 4ft 90g. adding 216w more of T5 over the same tank (at the same height with same reflectors and bulbs of course

) gives you 432w ish of T5 intensity where as a 250w halide over a 4ft 90g gives you 250w of halide intensity over a 2ft range while adding another 250w halide only gives you 2ft more coverage instead of the intensity of a 500w bulb. Now if you put two halides 4" apart from each other instead of appropriately to cover a 4ft area like they are designed to be and/or right off the ceiling or any other unideal manner outside the acceptable working range or stack 54w T5 bulbs on top of each other because you like double stacks at Wendy's then yes you are 100% correct

 

[mr_x]

then this setup, is exactly as bright as a single bulb one?
http://homeharvest.com/hydrofarmradiantgrowzilla.htm
then why do they make it?

 

[addicted4life]

I have T5's over all my tanks.
8 x 60" bulbs over a 6'x2'x2' 180G, stager-stepped to cover the entire tank.
6 x 48" T5's over my 48"x16"x12" frag tank,
4 x 48" T5"s over my 30G Long tank, 48"x?x?
I have sps growing in the main 180G and also in the frag tank with 6 bulbs.
Had this setup for about 2.5 yrs and had sps from the get go.
Alot of people siad it wasn't gonna work, but it will.
T5's are less hot, mine are all 4" above the water surface and my tanks stay under 80 without any chiller.
T5's may not break growth speed records, but they light up your tank from end to end, not spotlighted like a halide.
I'd get the constellation for wall to wall lighting.
I honestly only got the T5's to save electricity and to save from buying a chiller, I wasn't out to break growth records. If I had to do it all over, I would do my t5's again. So many colored bulbs, and the ati blue+ and aqua-blue specials make a great combination.
Remember it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks, and most halide users will flat out refuse to use t5s and vice-versa.

 

[addicted4life]

Forgot to mention you can leave your T5's on longer each day ie: when T5 lights come on, I have 4 72W T5's come on and stay on for 12 hours. My aqua-blue specials run midday, for 8 hours.
I'm not sure, but most halide users dontt run their halides 8 hours. I could be wrong.

 

[mr_x]

i have both. t-5's over 1 frag tank, and halides over other tanks. none of my tanks look like the "spotlight effect". all but the t-5 tank have the "shimmer" effect. i don't use a chiller, and my tanks are all at 80 degrees, all year round. it's all up to preference, and the individuals' setup.

 

[wangotango]

I'd go with the Constellation then. Bulb replacement costs will get you, but IMO you can't beat the versatility of mix and matching bulb combinations.
As long as you're using a mix of good bulbs like ATI, Geisemann, and UVL with a few 10,000ks in there you should be fine.
-Justin

 

[stanlalee]

Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2787844
then this setup, is exactly as bright as a single bulb one?
http://homeharvest.com/hydrofarmradiantgrowzilla.htm
then why do they make it?
because its a horticultural set up designed for intensity. once again you have chosen an improbable and impracticle example for the aquarium trade as I dont know anyone wanting to deal with the heat or expense of running twin bulbs and ballast per reflector or even require that sort of intensity for that matter. I already conceded it you are talking about two bulbs impractically close or any other variation from aquarium purposes you are right. does using that example really answer the question about 750w of T5 vs 750w of MH as it relates to aquarium purposes. I have seen ONE home aquarium use a twin bulb reflector in all my life.

 

[privatejoker]

If I could do it all over again I'd go with MH and t5 mix. I love the look of the MH and the choices you get with t5's. Mr X has a two frag tanks set up next to each other, one with MH and the other with t5's, the MH tank looks so much better.
As for the heat, if you hang the lights high enough and run a fan in the sump or over the tank you should be fine. It also depends on where you have in the house and if you have A/C or not.