t5 lighting suggestions?

[surfnturf]

I will be setting up a 75 gallon tank (48" long, 18" wide, 20" deep).

I want this to be a reef tank, with the capability to hold soft corals, LPS, and SPS. I have been debating between MH and t5 lighting, and I have decided to go with t5's. Does anyone have suggestions for a unit? I was thinking Nova Extreme Pro 6x54 watt 48" fixture.

Does anyone think I should go with something else, or is that a good choice?

Thanks

[charlie]

I have that same fixture, only 36" over my 40 gallon breeder frag tank. So far so good!!! I had a 4' 4 bulb fixture on my 80 and I loved that.

[surfnturf]

When you had the 4 bulb on your 80, how did your corals do? How was the growth?

[charlie]

This pic help?

[surfnturf]

looks good

[charlie]

The only problem with this theory is, lights aren't the only thing that grow corals. Water quality and flow rank right up there also.

[cwoods5]

How often do you change your bulbs in your t5 charlie? and what bulbs are you using?

[charlie]

I had that fixture for a year, and never changed bulbs, just used the ones it came with. Not being the real T5 guru around here, I can't really say what I would have changed them to, probably Geisemann bulbs.

[returnofsid]

I used to have the same tank, 75 gallon, that was predominately SPS, with some LPS, some soft corals and several clams. I lit the tank with a 6 bulb, Tek5, T5HO fixture. I think you'd be more than happy with that particular T5 light fixture!!

[surfnturf]

I've been hearing a lot of god things about that one. It's a little more than I want to pay for lights, but I might just have to man up and go for it.

[charlie]

You could be set for a while though if you did !!!!!!!

[gregony]

According to bulb manufacturers, 54W T5's last appx 20K hours and put out 95% of their rated light output over that time. I have a 6 lamp nova extreme 36" on a 40 regular and I turned a brown montipora ($18 on clearance) into a yellow margined, pink bodied neon green polyped marvel. It tripled in size in about 8 months. Then I added a fish to the tank and it died in two weeks . I don't have any coral in it right now. Just a lush growth of halimeda. 54W T5's put out around 5000 lumens each - less for blue, 250W Ushio's put out around 11000 lumens each. Unless your using 400W metal halides, you're not going to get anything more out of MH than you would out of T5.

[cwoods5]

so based on those cal. if you run your lights 10 hours a day then your bulbs should last 5.4 years??? I might better let my better half (who is a math teacher) recheck my math. but that seems pretty high(long ) to me. if so great!!!!!

[gregony]

The 20000 hours is the manf's spec. Its really for comparison only. The Ushio's spec is 5000 or 6000 hours and we all know most people don't get that out of metal halides so prudent cynasim would have us be skeptical of the full 20000 hours. That said, it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect 50 to 70 percent of that, or as your math would show 2.5 to 3.5 years. I think reef hobbyists are just so used to getting shafted for lighting costs that they can't believe something might have come along to aleviate their suffering. I've been running a 6 bulb Nova Extreme for 20 months now with no appreciable reduction in light. (Now that I've put that in writing, one of my bulbs will probably fail).
I spoke to the owner of the Reef Shop in Rochester NY, and he switched his smaller tanks (not the big one that uses three MH's) to T5 HO's, got the same results - light wise - and was saving a couple hundred dollars a month in electricity costs alone.
I can't wait for the high wattage LED's to come down in price. Those really do last 50000 hours - provided you keep them cool. Imagine, in 5-10 years you'll probably be able to light a 72" tank for less than $1000 and not have to worry about anything (bulbs or otherwise) for 10 years!

[Ramer]

I have thought this out before.MH or T5's Got rid of pc and went for the T5's. I use the Geisemann bulbs. I have had great luck with them. I highly recommend them

[charlie]

Brandon, how long have you had your existing bulbs in there and do you notice any color change in the bulbs?

[Ramer]

I think I have had these bulbs in for 8-9 months. I haven't noticed a color change yet! I just have a 4 bulb and thinking about adding two more.

[charlie]

I think I have had these bulbs in for 8-9 months. I haven't noticed a color change yet! I just have a 4 bulb and thinking about adding two more.

Better get them some sun tan oil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!;);)

No......................I think you would be just fine with the 2 more. Are you sure you don't need any frags???

[Ramer]

NoIm not sure!! I did lose the mystery frag. It fell back into the rock work. So maybe I have a bit of room!!

[charlie]

Oh........................I know you got room.

I will see what I can do for you on the mystery, plus I got some nice frags of an unidentified acro with blue tips.