30" deep tank lighting ?????

[zigis]

I have set up a 72"x24"x30" deep tank I was wondering if the aquatic life 8 bulb (8 by 39 watt T5HOs) or the 12 bulb (12 by 39 watt T5HOs) will support corals and what type.

[Amphiprion]

Well, if zoned properly, pretty much anything you want. By zoning, I mean placing corals in appropriate spots.

[greech]

I am not familiar with the specs on that fixture but if it has good individual reflectors either should work fine. The 12 bulb may even be a bit overkill.

Have you considered the cost of bulb replacement on these fixtures? Your looking at $180+ to $260+ per year. Are halide or even LEDs completely out of the question? You could supplement these with a few retrofit T5's is necessary for color, etc.

[zigis]

No Halides I dont belive the cost to run them make them worth the money. Every thing I have read gives T5s HO a two plus year life. The goal is softies and zoas and the thought was to do a couple bulbs a year as a standard replacement policy.

I looked at leds and feel they are just to expensive to set up even as a diy.

[greech]

You might get 2 years out of your bulbs but IME that would be stretch. The spectrum on the bulbs will start to fade long before then and you will start noticing increased algae growth after about a year of use. Rotating bulb replacement should help some.

[zigis]

The goal here is to support zoas,zenia,green star polps. The tank will be full of agressive fish eels and triggers lions ect. I am looking to keep some simpler stuff going just as a back ground cover. I think rock formations look best with some sort of growth. I was concerned about the depth and weather 8 bulbs would support this kind of life.

[Amphiprion]

8 lamps will work just fine. It would average roughly $200 per year or so in lamps, which would be close to the same for 2 halides, depending on the lamp. The brighter, lower kelvin halide lamps would usually run you a bit less, ranging from ~$180-$225 per year. You could get by on even less if you use cheaper lamps, though don't expect quality or intensity to be equivalent. If you are concerned about energy usage, you'll actually be looking at almost the same for 3-250w lamps, especially if you use an electronic or e-ballast, which usually gives you a slight edge on energy. In the end, you'll be looking at almost the same in terms of bulb replacement costs and energy.

To put a spin on things, you could use one of the larger Lumenarc reflectors and actually get a full spread on your tank with only two halide lamps. That will run you about 150w less than even the T5s. It won't be as uniformly intense, but there will be select spots that would be even brighter than T5s. You could even step down to 175 Iwasaki 15K lamps, which are extremely bright (as bright or brighter than many 250w lamps), which would save even more. Just showing you some options, as there are many alternatives that will pretty much accomplish the exact same job. I just wanted to dispel some of the bad rep that halides often receive.

Heat, however, is a valid concern. T5s actually produce the same amount of heat per watt, but they spread it out over the length of the lamp. This results in a much more easily cooled surface overall. Halides concentrate the same heat in a much, much more compact location, making it more difficult to cool that given spot.

This should give you some food for thought to consider in your decision. FWIW, I've used both halides and T5s and you can't really go wrong with either in terms of growing things. I tend to favor the "look" of halides, though, since it is closer to what I've seen on reefs in the wild.

[zigis]

Thank You
I have a aquatic life 8 bulb light bar now and must addmit love it. The built in timmer that works in three areas ( 10,000- atinic and leds ) is a breeze to use and it produces very low heat. I replaced the light bulbs when I bought this for my 180 planted tank and the thought was if I went with the same thing I have a set of replacements in the closet. The last reef tank I had set up I was still using PCs and it was only 16" deep hence all the concern.
Thanks Again for clearing this up.

[greech]

Didn't know you had the T5 already. Would have made my decision too :). Good luck with the new tank!

[zigis]

Thank again
I wanted an honest opinion without anyone knowing what I had.