Little T5 confusion here

[Future]

I was under the impression that lighting went by gallons, like 3 gallons per watt, but the basics on the tfivetesting site are saying

By depth, meaning the distance from the back to the front of the tank. Basic guidelines:
12” 4 lamps
18” 6 lamps
24” 8 lamps
30” 10 or 12 lamps

Does this mean that for T5's we calculate it out as inches per watt? or the same basic rule applies in the gallons per watt?

I like the overall looks of T5's, but it's these confusing things that just keep pointing me towards VHO combo units and/or MH

[Poseidon]

Never use watts per gallon!!! It is a useless tool! Do a search here, on watts per gallon, it has been covered many times.

As for that table, the ONLY thing they are telling you is how many bulbs will fit across the tank, with a single reflector attached. That table does not account for PAR or color of the bulbs, so I find it useless as well.

What are you trying to keep?

[Future]

Well I bought a 24watt double strip for $60 new for the 36gal. and it didn't really matter because I was in dire need of a light upgrade anyway from the old double strip florescent bulbs.

My lighting went from a yellowish tinge to a crisp color contrast with the T5's so I just started reading about them. Recently I had asked someone what I could keep under T5's and I was getting so many mixed responses I started looking it up even more.

This is just on a FOWLR right now, but I have a 75 I'm planning out. I'm not going to buy anything until I have a set curriculum on knowing the different equipment. The lighting however is obviously the big thing because the wife like a wide array of coral from mushrooms to brains to hammerhead and bubble.

Basically I'm just trying to take in all the info I can this way I have a darn good idea of what I'm doing/looking at.

[Poseidon]

You can keep whatever you want with the right choice of bulbs and reflectors under T5. I have an SPS reef and use 5 T5's over my 90 gallon tank. I overdrive 4 of the bulbs with an IceCap 660 ballast, and the 5th is on a Workhorse 5 ballast.

My bulb choices seem to change, but switching out even 1 bulb can drastically alter the appearance of the tank. Right now I use these bulbs, from front to back:

True Actinic
True Actinic
ATI Pro Color
Aquablue +
Actinic Plus

All the bulbs have an individual reflector, and all are Geismann bulbs except the Pro Color bulb.

T5 like halide are not created equal, make sure to get good bulbs, ballasts, and reflectors. I use both Ice Cap and TEKII reflectors, the Ice Caps clean up better.

[Future]

OK Probably a stupid question here, but here goes anyway...

Typical florescent house lighting. Can the ballast packs from these be used to do anything or are the icecaps and workhorse ballasts something different? I can't do electrical to save my life so the ballast thing kind of gets me too.

When I first heard "Ballast" years ago I simply thought the whole light strip unit itself, but then found out the ballast is basically the main power unit.

Anyway I have these brand new ballasts for house lighting I'm just wondering if they are worth the headache or what?

[Poseidon]

Nope, those ballasts are usually junk. A Workhorse 5 ballast is really CHEAP and can drive T5 very well. The 5 is usually around $25-30 from a local electrical supply house. The IceCap is much more expensive, but drives the bulb to 80W giving more lumens/PAR then the Workhorse does. I can 't quantify this but my observation suggests that 4 overdriven bulbs = the output of 6 regular bulbs. The math works out with power consumption, but WATTS do not directly translate into LUMENS all the time. (Most of the time, unless you are talking LED.)

[Future]

Interesting. What would you suggest for a 75gal.? I like the T5's and I'm not partial to hanging fixtures, so I plan on building a canopy that will house lighting. My idea of a nice look is a clean crisp look, almost like when looking down from a plane that baby blue coastal coloring.

[Poseidon]

Here are images of mine:









All T5's....

Here is full tank w/stand and canopy shot:


Another shot from the end:


Maybe that will help?

[Future]

Yup Yup, nice taste in lighting

I might have to copy your setup. I'm not partial to the canopy, but the lighting is almost right on the money

Thanks

[Poseidon]

My canopy was originally built for halides... that is why it is so tall. (12") With T5, the lights are about 3" off the water, so your canopy could be much shorter.