4 or 6 bulbs tek t5?

[nathenvan]

hi, right now I have mixed reef with mostly softies, Lps and some Sps. my tank is a 65 AGA 36x18x24 . I have a cheap nova extreme light on it right now... and my corals seem like wanting more light. I am thinking about buying a tek t5 fixture, but my question is will the 6 bulbs be overkilled on my tank. or should I go with the 4 bulbs. thanks

[Rustylugnuts]

I'm runnin a 4 bulb (39w the endcaps hang over the edges till I get the 40 runnin) retrofit from hellolights for the softies in my 29 . Everything looks vibrant n happy and are growin away with 3 actinics and 1 10k. I would think 6 bulbs on a 65 wouldn't encroach upon overkill territory but I could be wrong.

[cy88]

I think it'll be alright. You can place the LPS and softies closer to the bottom because it might be too harsh for them. The light would be strong enough to get to the bottom, though.

I just got the same fixture, it's coming in the mail My tank is 48"x18"x21".

[nathenvan]

how hot does it gets for the 6 bulbs? If I get the 6 bulbs can I use 4 bulbs at first and gradually increase it to 6. will that work? cause I don't want to buy the 4 and later have to upgrade it to 6 again.

[crab0000]

I would suggest the 6 bulb for the reasons you mentioned. I have a 6 bulb Tek on my 37 and love it! My fixture does not get very hot at all.

[Fish_wiz2]

The more the better so i recommend 6 bulb.

[martinphillip03]

6 bulb tek. With the 24" height, you will need the individual reflectors.

Marty