Best non metal halide lights for 6ft tank

poon415 · #1 03/15/2004, 12:48 AM

What are the best lights for a 24 inch deep tank? Not including metal halide. I just bought a 190 gallon tank. Never had a tank 24 tall. What lights are people using that work well?

Herbert T. Kornfeld · #2 03/15/2004, 01:35 AM

Uh, I think halide would be just about your only choice...IMO, and many other's, Power Compacts and the like arent verry effective as main lighting on tanks more than 18" deep...unless all you ever want to grow would be shrooms and algae...

Chris Witort · #3 03/15/2004, 02:23 AM

I don't know why I see responses like this all the time? There are several options for lighting an aquarium besides halides. There are many people growing light loving sps using T-5 lighting, and even VHO. I would think either of these would work fine. A tank that is 36" deep with SPS on the bottom may need the oomph that metal halides can put out; otherwise there are choices.

poon415 · #4 03/15/2004, 02:58 AM

Anywhere I can get lighting ideas with T-5's for a 6 foot wide tank? All the retro's I see advertised only go 48". Are T-5's that much brighter than PC? Sorry for questions, I never had to look this kinda stuff up with a small tank.

Aaron1100us · #5 03/15/2004, 04:08 AM

It all depends on what you want to keep as far as corals and or anemones. I've heard really good things about T-5's but never seen any in person. VHO are very popular and don't put out much heat. Power compacts suck IMO. I had some (120W) on my 29 and hated them. Horrible color and no power at all IMO. May I ask why you are so against halides? My 400w halide that I put on my 29 was my best investment so far. Its hard for a flourescent buld to penetrate a deep tank.

asmodeus · #6 03/15/2004, 10:10 AM

VHO 'S ARE the best i think before turning to MH'S
\Dependiong on you depth of the tank,.
JIMO

Mike

stealyourhouse · #7 03/15/2004, 11:46 AM

While it is possible to light that tank with T-5s or other types of non MH lighting, you really need to think hard before making a purchase. I went through 2 lighting setups before finally moving to Metal Halides, costing me hundreds of dollars in equipment -- and that was on a 36g! Redoing a lighting setup on a 190 would be much more costly.

If you have no intent on keeping SPS, then it's safe to stay away from MH. But if you have any inkling of a hope to keep SPS, then I'd say to go with MH straight off.

Sure - you can keep SPS and clams under non MH lighting, but you'll never achieve the amazing colors and growth that you get with MH.

Marc

tszetela · #8 03/15/2004, 12:59 PM

I had MH (2-250, 1-400 and 2 VHOs) on my 120 (24x24x48) when I had lots of acros. I got tired of the work and cost involved in an sps tank and changed my set-up.

Now I have a few M. dig and some various acros under (4)T5s and (2) VHOs. (I do plan on adding two more T5s once I get my IC 660 back from a local I lent it to.)
My purple and peach/pink M. dig GLOW and are the best I have seen! (The green is ok but was brighter when I got it)
So you can keep sps under T5s and they will grow and have nice color. Heck the Germans do! (But what the heck do they know LOL)
Granted a table top from shallow water might not get enough light unless you have a lot of bulbs, but there are a lot of sps corals that will do fine.

I also have a large H. crispa, carpet and two BTAs.
The H. crispa and carpet are on the bottom and both are thriving!
So anyone who says you must have MH to keep things on the bottom of a 24 inch deep tank can come see the LTA I have had for 6+ years!

As for length, I think the longest T5s are 58 inches.

lduncan · #9 03/16/2004, 05:18 AM

Why are you ruling out halides?

Layton

gwrulzmylife · #10 03/16/2004, 09:25 AM

halides will be your best bet... cost i'd think would be the limiting factor. You can find several on ebay (complete) for less than $150 for a 250watt.

poon415 · #11 03/16/2004, 11:55 AM

My canopy is to short for MH. It also seems like a lot of work trying to control the heat.

Herbert T. Kornfeld · #12 03/16/2004, 06:45 PM

Well...how short? It is amazing how small some halides can be...you just have to know where to find the right parts...

And as far as cost...Over time esp, I have spent less with halides than I did with compacts and VHO. Bulbs last longer, less watts needed (more intensity per watt of better spectrum light), less bulbs to replace, and honestly, LESS heat problems because I use pendants that leave more of the tank's surface open for cooling and keep the bulb farther away.

All in all, I would say a reef tank's canopy should be no less than 6" tall...even for just VHOs/PCs. That is plenty of room for a 250wattDE halide bulb with the right fixtures...a few of those, or maybe as many as 6 over a 190 would be right on the money. And ventilation will be the same issue if you go with VHO, PC, or MH with that many watts...

poon415 · #13 03/17/2004, 01:30 AM

Well my canopy is 6 inches. I was told by LFS that I needed more space for MH fixture...are they wrong?

poon415 · #14 03/17/2004, 02:11 AM

H...do you know something about shallow MH I might want to look into? Point me in the right direction. I look into it.

Herbert T. Kornfeld · #15 03/17/2004, 03:38 PM

It might depend a little on how confident you are with DIYing things, but there are two ways that I am thinkin off the top of my head...

One way would be the full DIY method. I would mount fans in the canopy blowing from one end to the other, or both blowing in on each side and venting out the back...depends on your canopy...(say, could you post a pic? then we would be more exact). Buy one long reflector that runs the distance of the tank. Buy how ever many 250wattDE sockets you want to use (on a 190g somewhere between 3 and 6 depending on your goals) and attach them to the inside of the reflector. Wire the leads from these sockets out the back of the canopy to the ballasts. You can insert your bulbs at this point. Now, this whole aparatus should only hang a few inches down from the top of the canopy. The only challenge is the UV glass. I would buy a few 2'x12" pieces from a glass shop and simply hang them a few inches under the bulbs. This setup allows for lots of light, with the glass to protect the bulbs from vapor, as well as the critters (and you) from UV. The venting is also effective because the bulbs are open to the cross ventilation that the fans produce...instead of stuck inside some fixture...radiating more heat...

The second option would be to buy the slim profile (3.5" tall) hamilton 'reefstar' fixtures and mount them inside the canopy if you arent much of a DIYer. Personally, I would go with the DIY...less $$bling$$.