Anyone do this with lights?

Drewcipher · 03/30/2006, 02:05 PM

So I have finally bought and received my new 225. It is 72x30x24. We are going to keep LPS and some clams. This will not be an SPS tank.

I was thinking that we put 8 60 inch T5s all the way to one side of the canopy. This leaves a foot on one end, that would be darker. I could put a single MH on that end to brighten up that end. What bulb do you think would be good there? 150, 175, or 250?

We really like the look of the T5s and it gives tremendous control over the spectrum with so many bulbs.

merk1_99 · 03/30/2006, 02:06 PM

why couldn'y you do that?

Drewcipher · 03/30/2006, 02:10 PM

No reason, I am wondering if anyone has had experience doing this and which MH wattage would make for the smoothest look. In other words, I don't want the one corner of the tank to look like it is noon while the rest of the tank looks like it is late afternoon

PiNaPLeX · 03/30/2006, 02:18 PM

why don't you stagger the T5 bulbs in the canopy, it should give you better coverage without having to worry about matching color/wattage and spending money on a new light.

Is there any reason that all your bulbs are on one side of the canopy?

Drewcipher · 03/30/2006, 02:24 PM

I thought about staggering, but then I have to do all the individual wiring and I was trying to avoid that part. I am a little lazy sometimes.

The reason they would all go on one side is because I read some people that placed 60 inch T5s in a 72 inch tank and the sides were not bright enough.

There is one company I saw that makes a 72 inch T5 setup, which is 60 inch bulbs staggered. The picture they show is not staggered though and the company I have read quite a bit of negative feedback on, so I was going to avoid them.

putman201 · 03/30/2006, 02:41 PM

any reason why you wouldn't want to go with metal halides? i dontwant to start up the whole debate of mh vs t5.. i hve both of them and i like both of them for different reasons. I wouldn't pick one over the other (which is why i have both). i'm just thinking that 3 250 watt mhs or 2 250 watt mh will work. if the canopy is high enough a mh can be spread over 36 inches. if you really want t5's, why not just put 2 36 inch fixtures together of you are so worried about the last 6 inches on each side? i don't think it'd make that uch of a difference in a lps and clam tank though. have any pics to post of the tank, canopy, etc so i could perhaps give a better recommendation to suit your needs?

Drewcipher · 03/30/2006, 03:06 PM

The only reason we wanted to go with T5s was to have more bulbs and greater flexibility on spectrum. We can really play around with the various colors and tweak it more than with just 3 bulbs. I thought about the 36 inch ones end to end, which would give us 16-20 bulbs, which would be a little tough, as changing the bulbs is going to be a chore.

I don't have the pics to post right now, but if you go to Our Tanks and look at the 225 gallon reef pictures you can see the tank and stand as we carried it in.

putman201 · 03/30/2006, 03:30 PM

i've always leaned towards mh cause with each manufaturer no matter what the spectrum, is a lil bit different. If i were you i'd go with mh because of the depth and length. I dunno i guess it really is all personal preference. what about a t5, mh combo? keeps us posted...

Drewcipher · 03/30/2006, 04:43 PM

I have been thinking about the MH T5 combo, then I thought of the T5 array and 1 MH on the other side and thought to ask if anyone didn't like it. Also, the T5s are much cooler than the MH, and we have T5s on 2 of our tanks and love how they look on the LPSs.

putman201 · 03/30/2006, 07:50 PM

i have 4 65 watt pcs and a 175watt mh over my 92 corner, on my 25 i have 4 24 watt t5's. the t5s are very cool and brighter then the 2 65watt pcs over it before but i still prefer mhs i think over t5s. maybe its the glitter lines, i dunno... I looked at my friends tank today that is 72 inches long and has 2 175 watt mhs over it. it spreads pretty well over the whole span with pc actinic supplementation. i'd say t5s and mh is the way to go. 2 39watt t5s put end to end to make 72 inches in front and 2 put end to end in back along with 2 250 watt mhs is what i would do. yeah mhs add heat and all but i dunno... t5s are great and all but i still prefer mhs glitterlines i guess. if there were a way to get glitter lines with t5s, now that would be something... hmmm... new project idea!! hehehe

putman201 · 03/30/2006, 07:50 PM

i've always leaned towards mh cause with each manufaturer no matter what the spectrum, is a lil bit different. If i were you i'd go with mh because of the depth and length. I dunno i guess it really is all personal preference. what about a t5, mh combo? keeps us posted...

03/30/2006, 02:05 PM	#1
Drewcipher Premium Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bailey, CO Posts: 896	Anyone do this with lights? So I have finally bought and received my new 225. It is 72x30x24. We are going to keep LPS and some clams. This will not be an SPS tank. I was thinking that we put 8 60 inch T5s all the way to one side of the canopy. This leaves a foot on one end, that would be darker. I could put a single MH on that end to brighten up that end. What bulb do you think would be good there? 150, 175, or 250? We really like the look of the T5s and it gives tremendous control over the spectrum with so many bulbs. __________________ Drew I'm growing older but not up My metabolic rate is pleasantly stuck Let those winds of time blow over my head I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead--Jimmy Buffett Current Tank Info: 75 gallon, Red Sea Max, setting up a 180

03/30/2006, 02:10 PM	#3
Drewcipher Premium Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bailey, CO Posts: 896	No reason, I am wondering if anyone has had experience doing this and which MH wattage would make for the smoothest look. In other words, I don't want the one corner of the tank to look like it is noon while the rest of the tank looks like it is late afternoon __________________ Drew I'm growing older but not up My metabolic rate is pleasantly stuck Let those winds of time blow over my head I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead--Jimmy Buffett Current Tank Info: 75 gallon, Red Sea Max, setting up a 180

03/30/2006, 02:18 PM	#4
PiNaPLeX Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 439	why don't you stagger the T5 bulbs in the canopy, it should give you better coverage without having to worry about matching color/wattage and spending money on a new light. Is there any reason that all your bulbs are on one side of the canopy? __________________ PiNaPLe X - If fate really exsists, then it HATES my guts! Current Tank Info: 29g glass tank, Penguin 330 filter, AquaC Remora Skimmer, 2x65w PowerCompacts (10k & actinic), 90g RR AGA tank /w Megaflow(in progress), 40g Sump/Fuge, 2 x Seio 1500, Dolphin 800, 2x250W MH (XM 10k), 2x54W T5 (Actinic Plus + True Actinic)

03/30/2006, 02:24 PM	#5
Drewcipher Premium Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bailey, CO Posts: 896	I thought about staggering, but then I have to do all the individual wiring and I was trying to avoid that part. I am a little lazy sometimes. The reason they would all go on one side is because I read some people that placed 60 inch T5s in a 72 inch tank and the sides were not bright enough. There is one company I saw that makes a 72 inch T5 setup, which is 60 inch bulbs staggered. The picture they show is not staggered though and the company I have read quite a bit of negative feedback on, so I was going to avoid them. __________________ Drew I'm growing older but not up My metabolic rate is pleasantly stuck Let those winds of time blow over my head I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead--Jimmy Buffett Current Tank Info: 75 gallon, Red Sea Max, setting up a 180

03/30/2006, 03:06 PM	#7
Drewcipher Premium Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bailey, CO Posts: 896	The only reason we wanted to go with T5s was to have more bulbs and greater flexibility on spectrum. We can really play around with the various colors and tweak it more than with just 3 bulbs. I thought about the 36 inch ones end to end, which would give us 16-20 bulbs, which would be a little tough, as changing the bulbs is going to be a chore. I don't have the pics to post right now, but if you go to Our Tanks and look at the 225 gallon reef pictures you can see the tank and stand as we carried it in. __________________ Drew I'm growing older but not up My metabolic rate is pleasantly stuck Let those winds of time blow over my head I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead--Jimmy Buffett Current Tank Info: 75 gallon, Red Sea Max, setting up a 180

03/30/2006, 02:06 PM	#2
merk1_99 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: massachusetts Posts: 270	why couldn'y you do that?

03/30/2006, 02:41 PM	#6
putman201 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: BOCA RATON, fl Posts: 104	any reason why you wouldn't want to go with metal halides? i dontwant to start up the whole debate of mh vs t5.. i hve both of them and i like both of them for different reasons. I wouldn't pick one over the other (which is why i have both). i'm just thinking that 3 250 watt mhs or 2 250 watt mh will work. if the canopy is high enough a mh can be spread over 36 inches. if you really want t5's, why not just put 2 36 inch fixtures together of you are so worried about the last 6 inches on each side? i don't think it'd make that uch of a difference in a lps and clam tank though. have any pics to post of the tank, canopy, etc so i could perhaps give a better recommendation to suit your needs?

03/30/2006, 03:30 PM	#8
putman201 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: BOCA RATON, fl Posts: 104	i've always leaned towards mh cause with each manufaturer no matter what the spectrum, is a lil bit different. If i were you i'd go with mh because of the depth and length. I dunno i guess it really is all personal preference. what about a t5, mh combo? keeps us posted...

03/30/2006, 04:43 PM	#9
Drewcipher Premium Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bailey, CO Posts: 896	I have been thinking about the MH T5 combo, then I thought of the T5 array and 1 MH on the other side and thought to ask if anyone didn't like it. Also, the T5s are much cooler than the MH, and we have T5s on 2 of our tanks and love how they look on the LPSs. __________________ Drew I'm growing older but not up My metabolic rate is pleasantly stuck Let those winds of time blow over my head I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead--Jimmy Buffett Current Tank Info: 75 gallon, Red Sea Max, setting up a 180

03/30/2006, 07:50 PM	#10
putman201 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: BOCA RATON, fl Posts: 104	i have 4 65 watt pcs and a 175watt mh over my 92 corner, on my 25 i have 4 24 watt t5's. the t5s are very cool and brighter then the 2 65watt pcs over it before but i still prefer mhs i think over t5s. maybe its the glitter lines, i dunno... I looked at my friends tank today that is 72 inches long and has 2 175 watt mhs over it. it spreads pretty well over the whole span with pc actinic supplementation. i'd say t5s and mh is the way to go. 2 39watt t5s put end to end to make 72 inches in front and 2 put end to end in back along with 2 250 watt mhs is what i would do. yeah mhs add heat and all but i dunno... t5s are great and all but i still prefer mhs glitterlines i guess. if there were a way to get glitter lines with t5s, now that would be something... hmmm... new project idea!! hehehe