T5 lighting for a 30" tank.

pyrocreep

pyrocreep

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Oct 26, 2008
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I really need to stop posting at 1AM, but hey I'm here. If it's not clear please ask a question and I'll get back to you in the morning :P

So I've been looking at a possible upgrade from FW to a SW reef set up on my 29G tank. I have decided to go with T5 lighting for it due to several factors; size, heat, cost, efficiency etc... However, I can't seem to find
to many that actually fit a 29G tank. Everything is 24 or 36 inches.

The only one that I have found that I think may work for me is below. I haven't done any other research besides that it will fit though. More of that to come later.
Current Sundial T-5 Canopy Light Fixtures

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13822+18486&pcatid=18486

So...my question for you all is this. Do you have any opinions on the brand and also its ability to grow corals? I would not be keeping any SPS (or if I did it would be some that require lower light and that would be a ways down the line), though I do want some LPS from what I've seen. Really beyond the fact that I want a brain coral of some type I'm pretty flexible. I just don't want my light to limit me to much.

Oh...also beyond drfostersandsmith and marinedepot what are some good stores?

Thanks
 
first off.... you need to quit looking at switching from FW to SW as an "Upgrade" lol

not an upgrade... simply a change-- and a difficult one at that

not saying anything bad about saltwater-- but freshwater aquariums can be just as cool


as far as the lighting goes-- if your doing a full on reed.. I would reccomend 5WPG of T5 light (sounds like a lot.. but you wont regret it trust me) I tried to set one up with 2WPG.. and nothing would grow-- I ended up making it into a planted FW tank lol

have you looked into a single metal halide fixture-- there are lots of them that size available.. and they have no problem putting out the 150w your gonna want- otherwise your probably gonna need a T5 fixture with at least 4 bulbs.. and im not sure what wattage the 30" T5s run...
 
That is a lower-end brand name fixture. It doesn't have individual bulb reflectors, which is a big reason why T5HO can be so efficient. If you get a fixture that has them, or add them to that fixture, it should be sufficient for growing many of the easier corals like softies, zoas, and LPS.
 
Fair enough sploke I don't mean it as a derogetory term against FW. I do have a 55 planted tank.

I have thought about a metal halide light, but I'm going to have...ok well not have to, but have fewer problems to deal with with T5 lighting. The 29G tank that will be converted is directally under my 55. This would make a lot of heat and evaporation issues on both tanks.

So beyond that...if I can rig it up what does everyone think about maybe just running 2 24" strips over the tank? I can get much higher quality and stager them over the tank to provide somewhat even lighting.

Any thoughts on this?
 
Your best bet is to look into a retrofit with good reflectors (they also offer pre-wired retrofit kits). Making a small frame to fit the tank is straightforward (not always aesthetically pleasing, though) and you can simply mount the lamps in there. You will get far more light for less money that way. Otherwise, if you are looking to get an equivalent amount of light and efficiency out of an enclosed fixture, you are going to pay quite a sum of money. Something to think about.
 
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I’m in agreement with Amp. A 24” deep tank requires overdriven bulbs with quality reflectors. I personally would go with an IceCap retrofit. Here’s another post about T5’s that you might find useful.

http://www.reefmonkey.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=12168&highlight=
 
I may have stated some things unclearly here. The tank isn't 30" deep; it's 30 inches wide. The depth is only 18". As far as I've seen this isn't to deep of water for most T5 lighting. I just simply am not finding very many (much less high quality) lights in this size.

Though I guess really I could get around it with MH...but my question here is...would it be bad to keep the MH only a few inches 4ish from the top of the water? I know heat would be the possible issue. Though if I tried it with a 150W or 175W with out any overheating would this still be ok for fish and corals? Im just curious if the heat is the only problem or if there could be other things that would happen to them.
 
pyrocreep said:
I may have stated some things unclearly here. The tank isn't 30" deep; it's 30 inches wide. The depth is only 18". As far as I've seen this isn't to deep of water for most T5 lighting. I just simply am not finding very many (much less high quality) lights in this size.

Though I guess really I could get around it with MH...but my question here is...would it be bad to keep the MH only a few inches 4ish from the top of the water? I know heat would be the possible issue. Though if I tried it with a 150W or 175W with out any overheating would this still be ok for fish and corals? Im just curious if the heat is the only problem or if there could be other things that would happen to them.
Click to expand...

Sorry for the bad link, but I didn't misunderstand what you were saying. The link was (supposed) to 24" IceCap SLR retrofits without a ballast. This is because you don't need an Icecap ballast for your tank. I was suggesting one of their normal T5 ballasts. The amount of light you'll get from this setup is substantial--much more than most of the fixtures on the market--and for a substantially lower price. This setup would allow you to keep virtually anything in terms of corals, etc. FWIW.
 
over a month ago I got some polyps which would have probably been fine under my florescent lights-- but I knew I wanted some corals later on which would need more light so I got some T5's. - I got current USA 2X24 watt lights which are working very well at this point-- They aren't absolutely the best lights ever but they are cheap and affordable-- and get the job done- they only have one power cord so both lights go on and off together- and you need your own auto timer-- heres a link-- I like them so far!!! and so does my coral.

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_viewi...O10K460nm&utm_campaign=mdcse&site=google_base
 
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