T5's too much for softies/LPS?

[Orm Embar]

Still in the planning stages for a new tank - a 37 gal Oceanic, 24" long, 21" high, 18" deep. Am debating between a 2x65 PC setup for lighting versus a 4x24 T5 setup (Tek). I plan on having a 1" to 2" sandbed and keeping brightly colored softies and some LPS's, although if I had enough light a clam or SPS frag high up would be nice.

Is a 4x24 T5 setup too much light for a predominately softie/LPS tank? Should I go with the PC's, or the Tek? Advice from anyone with experience using both kinds of setups would be great!

BTW, other tank specs - 3-4 small fish, a Precision Marine HOT-1 skimmer on as needed, macroalgae nutrient export, and Phosban in a bag as needed. Live rock - still deciding between standard Pacific and aquacultured Florida.

Thanks in advance!

[Demasoni]

I'd get the T5's. My softies are doing better with the 4X24 T5 compared to my 2X65.

[thrlride]

As long as the T5's have good reflectors that would be a better option. Not sure if you can get away with clams though, that 37 is a deep tank.

[redspot321]

I am having problems with too much light on my softies. They are growing like MAD but also turning brown. I got a zoo frag with 8 polyps 4 weeks ago, its now over 20 polyps! It has faded in color though. yesterday I turned off two bulbs, Ill see what happens

[Ti]

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=561864

[redspot321]

So whats the conclusion? Too much light or the wrong kind?

[Fuegofish777]

i highly doubt they're turning brown from having too much light. most likely something else. i just started using t-5 instead of pc in very beggining of march, and most of my corals have unbrowned...no the other way around. and i do have a clam and a few sps frags. but i have the 48" 4x54w tek light. 20 inches might be kind of deep to keep a clam in, but some like to be on the rocks which is what i did, and mine looks better than it ever did in the store, and my once brown acro is now green, so i would definitly go with the t-5.

[redspot321]

From what I understand corals use zooxanthellae as a sunscreen when conditions get too bright, like humans getting a tan. zooxanthellae covers up the bright colors turning the corals brown.

I will post a question so others can debate this issue, I cant speek intelligently about it.

[Ti]

Originally posted by redspot321
So whats the conclusion? Too much light or the wrong kind?
hard to say.

[chrismunn]

you know, questions like that are best answered by trial and error

[Tomzpc]

Not at all too much light. My tank is all softies and LPS and everything is doing well. It's a 90 gallon with an 8x54 watt Tek-light.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/21321full_tank_apr05.jpg

[Orm Embar]

Will be going for the Tek 4x24 T5's, then. I figure that I can run 2 bulbs instead of 4 if there's too much light, or raise the lights, or put some kind of filter over the glass.

I'm a little worried about the T5's being too bright for softies/shrooms, but I'd rather use fewer bulbs or elevate the lights rather than have insufficient light and need to buy additional setups or (worse) a better lighting hood entirely.

[Ti]

All my softies and LPS grew and multiplied like weeds under PC.
When T5's came in, it all stopped.

[redspot321]

I turned off 2 aquablue bulbs for two days now.

So now Im running 1 aquablue and 1 blue+. I have already noticed a big difference in mt BTA, the green color is comming back fast.

Also, I see 100x more critters running around on the sand. I always was dissapointed because my skunk cleaner would hide in the rocks, now he is king of the hill and proudly hops from rock to rock.

I am going to try this for a couple weeks. Ill alternate bulbs back and forth.

[Orm Embar]

bump

[dhoch]

Well I chimed in on the other thread, and I'll chime in here...

I have had great growth with my softies and LPS under T5...

Frogspawn in 2 months has gone from 2 heads to 6
Torch in same 2 months has gone from 8 to12 heads
I had 2 clams at the bottom of my 180... 1 has continued fast growth... The other when I got it was showing no new growth and I was concerned but now 2.5 months later it's got a fair amount of new growth.
I have a basketball sized hammer that keeps sprouting new heads all the time.

Xenia is growing like crazy in my tank I frag every week to keep it under control
Kenya Tree... dropping frags like crazy (got 2 small frags in January, now I have 3 big colonies and about 8 frags I'm mounting for sale)
GSP growing like crazy
I have a couple of mushroom leathers... the bigger one has a beautiful yellow color and is growing for the first time since I got it (it's about a year old)...
Small green/yellow mushroom leather frag is also growing like crazy.
Zoos... Some are doing greath others not as good (not sure why)
Anthelia growing like crazy
Couple of tree leathers (one flourscent green which is growing fast)...one a brown/maroon which has really not grown a lot, and just seems to do its thing.

Of course I have some SPS in there as well (mostly small frags, but a couple of caps that are growing fast as well....

If you want pics let me know and I'll post some of what I have (I took some this morning, but I still have to go through them and resize them).

Dave