Please show me your t5 retro!?

[tigerarmy40]

I am in the middle of mounting my t5's to a hanging wood pendant that I built to match my stand. I want to see your retros and how you wired them up, how you mounted them and what you did to make it work for your application. I am going to be running 4x39w t5's powered by a icecap 660. I am also considering mounting the ballast in the pendant so all that needs to come down from it will be the poser cord!!!

enough about my setup lets see some pics...

[tigerarmy40]

c'mon guys and girls, how hard is it to snap a shot!?!? ttt for some pics to look at...

[saltydragon]

first lets see pics of the pendant you built....so we get an idea....

2 bulb sls readyfit ...diy canopy on a 10g

[MrSquid]

Check out my build thread in my sig. I JUST (literally - like 30 seconds ago) posted pics of my T5 retros torched up for the first time. There's pics of the mount/wiring too.

[tigerarmy40]

thanks for the replys fellas, I have been messing with my kighting for a fw months now. I tested a few different mh bulbs until I found the one I liked. then I tried a single lumenarc 3 over the tank to see how the coverage of the light was. It looked pretty good but I still wanted to see what 2x250 would look like so I bought 2x lumenarc mini's and the overlap in the middle of the tank is amazing. My tank is 36x24x24 so I may be going a little overkill on the lighting but I just cant help it.
here is the link to my thread, that needs some major updating
http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...1#post11526221

quick question mrsquid, couldnt you have run all four t5's with a single 660? Ill be running 4x39x t5's on mine!!! your setup is coming along nicely!

Ill add updated pics a little later...anyone else want to share??

[MrSquid]

Originally posted by tigerarmy40
quick question mrsquid, couldnt you have run all four t5's with a single 660? Ill be running 4x39x t5's on mine!!! your setup is coming along nicely!

Yes - I could have. Live and learn. The retrofits I bought were kits - and I bought 2 of them so that meant 2 ballasts. Oh well - that gives me options for the future if needed.

[tigerarmy40]

just a suggestion but maybe you could rewire to one ballast and have a back up for a rainy day!!!

[MrSquid]

I thought about that, but it'd be effort NOW or effort LATER. Kind of a tie there. Plus my 3x250w MHs would be a decent backup if I need to do it later.

[dc_909]

[Duff Man]

dc 909,

Have you fired that thing up yet? If yes, how hot does it get? Thats almost exactly what I want to do, except 1 T5 per side. Do you have a fan in each hole or are they gravity vents? Do you need a chiller?

[das75]

Didn't get all worked up over maximum ballast performance as just using the T5 to supplement my MHs. Ballast are the GLO with the waterproof endcaps and mounted under the tank.

About all I'm considering changing is going with either the TEK2 or Icecap SLR reflectors as narrower than the ones I have now and would allow me to add another 2 bulbs. Also since the endcaps hang free, I need to secure the reflectors so another change would be to have the phenolic blocks as a wedge shape so I could angle the reflectors towards the center of the tank rather than pointing straight down as they are now.

[dc_909]

Duff man,

I've had it up and running for 3 months now. I have 2 fans in the canopy. I have never had a chiller. In the summer I just turn my lights on later in the day.

[tigerarmy40]

looks good guys, thanks for sharing! das75 do you have a shot of them fired up?

dc_909, do you have them mounted on some type of railing system? looks like you can slide them back and fouth if you want to...


loving thepics guys, keep them coming

[das75]

Shots from both sides, 2x250W PFO ballast and mini-pendants 14K Hamilton bulb, 2x54w T5 actinics. Lights sure plays with the camera metering.

[Raul-7]

The loose wiring was secured using clips and the ballast is mounted in the stand.

[dc_909]

Yes they are on gliders.

I had to make them roll in order to get better access to the tank

[tigerarmy40]

raul, do you have a pic of the finished prduct? lets see them fired!!!

[Kermit]

I can try to get a close up if you like. Hope you like it.

[tigerarmy40]

absolutely!!! who made yoru rimless tank? looks really nice, dont hesitate to add many more pics

[Kermit]

This is actually an old All Glass 30 long I had around and I ripped the rim off . I chipped the top edge a few times but it is still solid. Glad you like it. Here are a few more shots.

[Kermit]

Oh yeah I custom built the stand to fit the tank.

[tigerarmy40]

Kermit, I really dig your setup! looks like it lights up the tank pretty well...are you overdriving the bulbs?

alright folks, lets keep this one going. I have seen the t5 q&a thread and there are thousands of replys so I know there are tons of us with t5's. Lets add something now, tell us what ballast you are using what your bulb configuration is and if your happy with you growth and color. then add a few pics of your setup

[Kermit]

No, I'm just using the stock electronic ballasts from hellolights. The tank is fairly bright but it is mostly softies. Everything has been happy and is growing so no complaints.

[tigerarmy40]

Id like to keep this one going, I am planning on mounting my ic660 in my hood and running fans across the entire lighting setup. with fans cooling the ballast should I have any worries?

here is a pic of what I have so far...finally got them wired up!







I cant wait to get them mounted inside with the l3 mini's and halides all fired up

[hahnmeister]

I just used aluminum coil flashing... bent it up to make a fixture for my 2x54wattT5s flanking my halide...






I put a 120mm fan on the top, and made an acrylic sheild/box for below to act as ducting for the airflow as well as protection from salt...