lighting indecision

[Jayelle]

Hi everyone,
I need some help making a decision on lights. I currently have a 75 gallon tank, dimensions are 48"Wx21"Hx18"D. It has 60 pounds of live rock, 2 clownfish, 3 hermit crabs a green mushroom, some zoas and a few feather duster worms in it. There's a photo of the rock pile in my gallery if that matters.

I am looking to upgrade my lighting to something that can support corals since I only have the fluorescents that came with it right now. I don't think I am interested in stony corals so much, but having that option down the road would be nice but not necessary. After much shopping around I think I have decided to go with this: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12772&Ntt=t5&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&N=2004&Nty=1

The problem is, I can't remember how many watts per gallon you're supposed to have for corals, so I don't know if I should buy the 216 watts or the 432 watt one. Has anyone dealt with this brand or type of light before and have any input?

[BillyJoeJimBob]

I run a 130W Orbit on my 20L and think it is a great fixture. It comes in at 6.5 watts per gallon, and my tank is only 12" deep, so it is pretty darn bright.

There's a large wattage difference between the (2) 48" fixtures your link points to. If you can afford it, I'd say go with the 432 watt fixture. You could keep probably any softy or LPS under that, maybe even some SPS.

The 432 watter will yield you 5.76 watts per gallon. The 216 watter is 2.88 watts per gallon.

[kau_cinta_ku]

if you go with T5's don't get the nova's as they are no better than pc's IMO due to the fact they only have one reflector for all the bulbs. watts per gal. don't work in this situation.

I suggest either a 4 54 watt t5 retro either icecap or tek would do your best option then if you want to add stony corals all you have to do is add another relcetor and bulb and maybe a ballast depending on what ballasts you already have. if you need a fixture go with a tek.

here are my choices. altho the icecap are more spendy they overdrive the bulbs so they are much brighter than the teks. if you get the tek ask them to upgrade the reflectors to srl reflectors (reefgeek only)

http://www.reefgeek.com/products/categories/lighting/104434.html
http://www.reefgeek.com/products/categories/lighting/104192.html
http://www.reefgeek.com/products/categories/lighting/104068.html

[Jayelle]

No canopy so I can't do the retrofit. I looked at the Tek fixture that you mentioned but because it doesn't come with everything I would need it ends up being about $150 more expensive for the equivalent setup. Is it really worth the difference in price?

[kipher]

From what I've read. If you want the advantage that T5's give you, then you really should have each bulb in its own individual reflector. JMO.

[kau_cinta_ku]

IMO yes it is worth the extra money otherwise your not really getting the benifits from T5's

[goreefer]

Individual reflectors is the way to go.

[six.line]

T5's are a very safe bet. However, the Nova fixture, as has been said, has only one reflector. So, the money you'd be spending on that fixture could be put into a PC fixture, and save you some money. If you want what T5's give you (less heat, less power consumption, lower power bills, strip source of light) then do it the right way. ReefGeek.com is very often recommended to those exploring the T5 route.

It's hard to get sold on a price only to find out you have to pay more, but think of it this way. If you wanted to buy a big house, and you found one for a great price but found out the plumbing was bad, or the wood was rotting, etc... You'd have no problems spending the extra money on a house of the same size without the problems of the other one.

If you get that Nova fixture, odds are you'll be fine, but then again you could get another lighting fixture for less money that would perform the same way. I say go with the reefgeek setup.

HTH :D

[Jayelle]

Grrr, this is what has been driving me crazy. :) I originally started out thinking I wanted a PC fixture, but then I heard that VHO was better. Then it seemed that the T5s basically ARE VHOs, only cheaper and cooler. I'm not set against any particular type, I just need something that can perch above my tank without a canopy and that will enable my corals to thrive, while not costing the earth. Is that so much to ask???? hehehehe

It's a little frustrating because everyone has different opinions of what the best thing is and there's so much information out there that my head is spinning right now. Now I'm wondering if I should go back to thinking about power compacts.

[goreefer]

I think that you also need to think about the technology aspect.
VHO's have been around for a long time. PC's have been around for about 10-15 years, but never paned out the way most thought they would.
T5's have been in Europe for about a decade, and are the newest technology for florescent bulbs.
You will have more bulb color choices with the T5’s than any other bulb. They run cooler, give better PAR ratings, and will be cheaper in the long run than any other lighting

[rooroo]

Get this fixture instead. (http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=SL-960035&Category_Code=SunlightT5)

[Jayelle]

Ok, so that's a few votes for the Tek fixture. So far everyone recommends the one with 4 bulbs. You don't think I need more than that?

[rooroo]

No more than that unless you think you want SPS. I have 2 T5s on my tank with 2 VHOS and I have plenty of light. So 4 bulbs is enough.

[robrich342]

I like the current orbit pro series t-5 mh/hqi mix Doc Fosters

[drillsar]

Since where on this topic whats good for a 55gal tank the same?

[Alaska_Phil]

As someone who designes building lighting for a living, the 2 major benifits of T5's over T12's or T8's come from the diameter (The T number is the diameter in 1/8", so a T5 is 5/8" diameter)

1. They're closer to being a true single dimentional source, so it's easier, cheaper and more compact to make good efficient reflectors.

2. You can pack more to a case, so they're a lot cheaper to ship.

The efficency is about the same as any other linear fluorescent, whether your talking about NO, HO or VHO.

PC's are just a folded T5 or T6 and let you put more watts in a smaller space. For example you can run two 55W PC's in the same space as a 4' T12. However, the shape doesn't lend itself to very good reflectors. All the ready to go PC fixtures I've seen use a flat, or C-channel reflector that's not very efficent. Best PC reflectors I've see are in the AHsupply.com DIY kits. But I've only been able to look at a couple different brands.

So, I'll have to agree with several people above that a good T5 fixture is probably your best option. Just bit the bullet and make sure you get one with parabolic or multi face reflectors for each lamp.

Phil

[kau_cinta_ku]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8907110#post8907110 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drillsar
Since where on this topic whats good for a 55gal tank the same?
same 4 bulb tek fixture will work fine. depending on what you want to keep.

[Jayelle]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8904532#post8904532 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kau_cinta_ku
if you get the tek ask them to upgrade the reflectors to srl reflectors (reefgeek only)



Well, you all talked me into it. I am going with the Tek 4x54W fixture, with Giesemann bulbs (1-6000k Midday Sun, 1-11000k Aquablue Plus, and 2-Pure Actinics).

It says it comes with individual parabolic reflectors. What is the difference between those and the SLR reflectors?