T5 fixture for 100g mixed coral tank

krishj39

krishj39

Active Member
Hi, I know there's a lot of info on these threads but I am hoping to get some specific advice.
I have a 5' 100g aquarium with mostly soft and LPS but I do have a few SPS, clams and an anenome. My current light fixture (2-250w MH, 1-175w MH, 2-140w VHO T12) just blew a ballast and I'm thinking of switching to T5 to save on cooling and electrical costs.
My old fixture was more than enough light and I don't really mind if I have to replace it with a less PAR T5 fixture.
Can I get away with a 4' fixture suspended over the tank or will this create noticeable dark corners? I'd prefer to use the 54w T5's since it's a more common size.
However, I would also be fine with the 5' 80w T5s. How many would I need to use? I was thinking about this fixture:
60" 4x80W SunPower T5 High-Output Fixture
Will this give me enough light? It claims to be adequate for SPS up to 105 gallons. All my high light critters are within the top 8" of the aquarium. The 6x80w SunPower is about $200 more which I'd prefer not to spend if I don't have to.
Any other suggestions on fixtures? I would consider retro-fit as well if the cost was noticeably lower. I've heard that ATI has the potential of much more PAR than Tek, any opinions? Would a 4x80w SunPower be better than a 6x80w Tek?
48" 8x54W Tek Light Elite T5 High-Output?
60" 6x80W Tek Light T5 High-Output?
Please consider that I am trying to do this as cheaply as I can without buying a piece of junk.
 
wangotango

wangotango

Active Member
What are the other dimensions of the tank?
You can use a 4' fixture without a problem since the light will radiate out enough to light the whole tank, but if you can get a 5' fixture that would be ideal. 6-8 bulbs would probably be enough, go for an ATI fixture if you can. If not, then a retrofit is a cheaper alternative.
 
desertdawg

desertdawg

Member
I just went through this during the summer, I ended up buying the 6x48 ATI sunpower for my 60x18x24 deep tank, the corners are not dark, and the light penetration to the sand at 24 inches deep is very good. I started out with the light about 10 inches above the water surface.
If you have the 24" deep tank the I'm not sure the 4 bulb setup is going to cut it for anything light dependent sitting on the sand, but I will say I also had to cut my lighting time way back when I first turned on all 6 bulbs... Could I have gotten by with the 4 bulb ATI, I think so with a full 12 hour light schedule, and proper coral placement, everything probably would have been just fine...
Keep us posted on your decision.
 
krishj39

krishj39

Active Member
Thanks,
The tank is 60w x 18d x 24h.
Desertdawg, do you mean the 48" 6x54w SunPower?
If I got only a four bulb system it would be the 60" 4x80w SunPower which is only 3 less watts than the 6x54w. Of course, I have no idea if the longer bulbs are equivalently powerful per watt as the 54w bulbs.
I found out that my old MH ballast is still working, just the capacitor blew. That's a $40 part. I have one on order. For now I will probably make due with the old system. I know I end up paying a more per month on electricity but I don't have the $600 for a new fixture either.
Of course, someone could always talk me out of that...
 
desertdawg

desertdawg

Member
Yes I ment I bought the 48" 6x54w SunPower and I looked really hard at the 60" 4x80w SunPower, the lack of bulb choices for the 60" fixture swayed my decision.
I'll post a pic tomorrow evening when I get on my desktop again...
 
desertdawg

desertdawg

Member
Heres the picture I promised from the other day. this was pre tear down to tile the house, right now I have the light suspended about 16 inches above the water until the coral get's used to the lights again but I will say that everything is sure looking nice after sitting in a rubber tub on the bedroom floor for a month...
 
krishj39

krishj39

Active Member
Just thought I'd say I purchased an ATI Sunpower 6x80w fixture. Got it for a great price, it should arrive this Friday. I'll post photos. After reading more about the fixture I think I'll have to be careful not to burn corals even though I currently have almost 1000w of light running over the tank right now.
 
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