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tank lighting suppliment - T5's

B

bconn

Hi,

Our fixture has 3 250 mh & 2 96 pc. Would like to add a T5 fixture to sumppliment lighting and add moon lights if possible. The tank is a 215 72x24x29 Oceanic. Any recommendation on brand/manufacturer based on experience? Also what do you think for T5 watts? This tank s/b display only for corals

Thanks in advance on your thought.
 
H

harryk

T5's would be great. they produce almost no heat and you can get some great colors out of your corals with the different bulb options. I'm not a big fan of CF lighting, they add extra heat and don't last as long. I have the same tank as you. Did you go retro or did you buy a fixture

Harry
 
B

boontonbob

I have been pricing up T5 systems for a few months (sadly enough, didn't buy one yet)

I found that Prem Aquatics had the best pricing on a 300w Nova Pro Extrem. set up, even before the group buy discount and savings on shipping. I think we are there is another GB planned for April/May

I say if you have room, I agree t5 sounds like a great route due to the minimal heat
 
D

DaveK

My question to you is, why do you feel you need any supplemental lighting?

You already have MH and PC which can be configured in many combinations. You should be able to get what you want out of that without adding T5s. Unless you have some very specific lighting application or problem, save your money.

Moonlights could be nice. While I don't consider them critical, they would make a nice addition.
 
A

AnDom1

Bconn

DaveK makes a good point as it appears that at a 24" height the 250 MH's are plenty while the 96 watt PC's should do the job regarding actinics.

I have a 135 Oceanic with the same 24" height but only an 18" width. I use 3x150 10K MH's and 2x70 20K MH's. Since I placed
some SPS corals near the back wall, I felt they might not be getting enough light. So, I added two 24" double bulb T5 fixtures
at the rear of the tank between the overflows. Each uses a 24 watt 10K and 03 for a total of 96 watts. While they have helped
with regard to the corals holding their color, I do not think they helped at much all regarding growth or enhancing their color.
Perhaps I do not have enough wattage or the wrong combo of bulbs.

While the heat is minimal from the T5's, the fixtures are hot to the touch. I use 2 small fan to move the air above the aquarium.

Dom
 
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