T5 lighting

[dobz55]

good evening all,can some one pls help me I have recently set up my 55 gall tank was supposed to be FOWLR and stupid me bought an Anemone so now I have a reef set up , I am told I need more lighting ,I have one x 20000 marine glow blue and 1 x 20000 marine white(or what ever it,s called) my tank has 2 x 1 inch tomato clown
1 x caral beauty ??????
1 x bubble tip Anemone
I am told I need at least T5 lighting
question, what the hell is T5 lighting

[dobz55]

sorry should read 1 x coral beauty

[charlie]

T5's, the newest technology. It's a super skinny bulb that packs a big punch. They are so small you can often run 8 bulbs in a hood for maximum light output. PFO and Sunlight to your left both have some retro and hood options. Excellent alternative to metal halide.

That is a quote from one of our sponsors, Premium Aquatics. Do a little search on them and you will probably find that alot of people are using them. The only drawbacks I have heard is that the bulbs don't last as long as advertised, and you have to replace them, which runs into $$$$$$$. If you don't want to put out the money, what are the chances of returning the anenome?

[dobz55]

thank you I love the Anemone he is a character so I shall improve my lighting

[charlie]

Good luck, let us know what you end up with.

[Mr.Firemouth]

You have the old school option also....A shop light with 4 T8 bulbs from home depot. The lamp is a cheap way to get 160w. I remember in the late 80's setting up many 75 and 120's with these types of lighting.
PC/T5 systems for 48" can run between $100-$200. They are a better choice.
Check the for sale ads in reef forums for a deal. You may get lucky!

[reef_obsessed]

Is it Wattage that is important or Lumens?? Very confusing to me!?!? I have a Compact Flor 260W for my 55gal and I was informed today that might not be enough to sustain certain corals, namely Flower Pot corals. Might take that sucker back to the store, he is not flourishing like he did at the store. Are T5's better than CF's?? Help me out on this one-please

[Ninong]

question, what the hell is T5 lighting

T5 lighting is fluorescent lighting. T5 refers to the diameter of the fluorescent tube in eighths of an inch: T5=5/8" diameter, T8=1", T12=1.5"

T5's come in either NO (normal output) or HO (high output). You want HO.

It is very important that each tube be mounted in it's own individual reflector. This greatly increases the efficiency.

[Ninong]

Is it Wattage that is important or Lumens??

Wattage is a measure of power consumption. Lumens is a measurement of the intensity of the light in terms of human perception. It's a decent number to use, especially for fluorescent lamps. A more important measurement for the reef aquarium hobby is PAR (photosynthetically active radiation). Then you would need to know exactly how that PAR is distributed across the spectrum of photosynthecially active radiation (400-700nm).

Very confusing to me!?!? I have a Compact Flor 260W for my 55gal and I was informed today that might not be enough to sustain certain corals, namely Flower Pot corals.

Goniopora spp. (flower pot corals) are difficult to keep under the best of circumstances. Very few of them survive more than 18 months in captivity. They simply starve to death. This is a lagoonal species that lives in turbid water. It's diet is not well known but in it's natural habitat it feeds constantly on phytoplankton and particulate matter.

Your lighting is adequate for many corals, especially if they are located beneath the center of the fluorescents and high up in the tank. It is adequate for most soft corals even at the lower levels of the tank.

Just stick with what you have and get some experience first with corals that are easier to keep. Then after a year or two if you want to upgrade to something better you will know what you're doing.

Might take that sucker back to the store, he is not flourishing like he did at the store. Are T5's better than CF's?? Help me out on this one-please

A T5 fluorescent is the same diameter as a CF but it isn't bent in the middle and doubled back on itself. It's actually more efficient if placed in an individual reflector because more of the light is directed down into the tank. It's a more efficient design that the doubled up PC design. The reflector is very important. Without an individual reflector for each separate T5 tube, you lose a lot of the potential.

[reef_obsessed]

Thank you very much Ninong. Your information is priceless to me being so early in the Reef game and all. Good man!

[dobz55]

High guys well I havn,t bought a T-5 set up yet but I have added another 30000 k Marine blue fluro, to my set up I now have
1 x Marine glow?/ 30000
2 x Marine Blur, each at 30000
so a total of 90000 kw or what ever of light, my Anemone moved to a darker spot at the back of the Tank yesterday , I don,t know if it was light related or he just felt like a move,
currently have in my 55 gall
2 x Tomatoe Clowns (very small 1 or 2 inch max)
1 x Rabbit , fox face 4 inch
1 x Bubble tip Anemone around 6 or 8 inches when fully opened,

how does this sound, oh yea, clowns have been in for 4 weeks now
Anemone for 3 weeks
Fox face for 2 weeks

[dobz55]

sorry guys lights are all 10000 k not 30000
so a total of 30000 k

[Poseidon]

sorry guys lights are all 10000 k not 30000
so a total of 30000 k

The 10000K that you are looking at refers only to the color of the bulb, in degrees Kelvin. That number does not directly correlate to light output, just how yellow, or blue the bulb appears.

Usually the lower the K rating the "brighter" a bulb looks. 10K bulbs are great combination of light that makes more PAR then the higher K rated lamps do, but they do appear more yellow. The trick is to find a mix of white and blue lights that make the tank appear "nice" to you.

Anyway, if you have 3 10K bulbs, you still have 10K lighting, not 30K. ;) (which is a good thing)

As for your anemone, are you feeding it?

[dobz55]

yes am feeding him fish but he does not eat it all I find it around his foot quite often,
ps today he looks very bad all curled up it is difficult to get food to him in his current position, but the tank colour looks nice to me