40g breeder lighting ?'s

Seaweed Brain · 06/15/2011, 01:46 PM

I am about to start up a new tank and am not sure how much light I will need. It is going to be a 40g breeder and will be mostly sps with minimal/spacious rockscaping. I've been thinking of using a Tek Light ELITE 36" 6 x 39W T5 High Output fixture. I'm not too sure what the difference is between the Elite fixture vs. their other one though. My main question however is will the 6 bulb be enough or will it be too much light. I was also thinking of adding a reefbrit LED strip to it as well but am not sure if I need/should to.

Seaweed Brain · 06/15/2011, 01:49 PM

Also was wondering how hight off the water the fixture should be. I keep my other fixture about 5 inches off the water on my 75 but its only a 4 bulb and I do not have many sps in that tank, mostly just lps.

Seaweed Brain · 06/15/2011, 08:07 PM

No one?

Saltwatercoral2 · 06/15/2011, 08:11 PM

I just purchased a 24 inch 6 bulb ATI fixture for my 40 breeder. I plan to keep all corals, was recommended by a couple people to go with a 24 inch over a 36 inch

allsps40 · 06/15/2011, 08:13 PM

I use a 250w MH pendant over my 40B, 12 inches off the water but I may lower it some. I works great my sps are very happy with it.

Seaweed Brain · 06/15/2011, 08:25 PM

Thanks for the replies! Saltwater, why did they recommend a 24 instead of the 36?.. I don't really know too much about MH but I've been thinking of going that way too. Do your sps do good on the outer sides of your tank? The way I was going to do my rock was to have about 3 Islands on the outsides and have the center clear for a large brain and elegance I have.

Saltwatercoral2 · 06/15/2011, 08:48 PM

I havent gotten my tank up yet, im still waiting on the light, i just bought it yesterday, but with the light hung about 5 inches from the top of the tank, it should cover everything, and you can place lower light demanding corals on the sides. and sps in the middle.

ForSaleByAndy · 06/15/2011, 09:33 PM

I used 3 Par38 LEDs for mine and things look great.

allsps40 · 06/15/2011, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seaweed Brain

Thanks for the replies! Saltwater, why did they recommend a 24 instead of the 36?.. I don't really know too much about MH but I've been thinking of going that way too. Do your sps do good on the outer sides of your tank? The way I was going to do my rock was to have about 3 Islands on the outsides and have the center clear for a large brain and elegance I have.

Yes my sps do fine on the ends of the tank. I get enough light spread.

reefmanmatt · 06/16/2011, 04:56 AM

i would look for an all in one unit , dual 175 halide with t-5 actinic if you are considering that route . if your going t-5 the led's would put it over the top ! maybe just a 250 halide and a few led's for moons + actinic ....these are all great choices . it comes down to what kind of a budget do you have / space / diy or buy / etc...

rkaires · 06/16/2011, 05:04 AM

IMO a 24" 4 bulb t5 will be plenty for anything you want to grow in a 40b.

Ken_S_NY · 06/16/2011, 11:25 AM

I have a 36 inch DIY light from reefgeek over my 40B. Its about 6 inches off the water. Its more than enough light. I actually needed to run it less than 8 hours a day to prevent pale corals.

Seaweed Brain · 06/16/2011, 01:45 PM

Thanks for all the input. I think I'm going to go the MH route and add some reefbrites to it. someone in my area has an Ice Cap 250 watt HQI pendent,Ballast,New 14k Phoenix Bulb and an extra 12k Icecap bulb for sale for $200 and it seems like a good deal so I'm gonna jump on it.

Jfannin · 06/28/2011, 02:49 PM

Any up dates on you tank. I always love seeing 40breeders being that I have had one for a few years know.

Btw if you didn't already buy the Mh a 4 bulb teck unit works great for sps and some less light needy corals. 6 bulb to me would be SPS only.

But anyways. Wouldn't mind seeing some photos with what ever you bought

jeff@zina.com · 06/28/2011, 10:02 PM

4 bulb or 6 bulb is fine, 6-12" off water. A 24" will cover a 40B but I always recommend a 36" for best coverage.

Jeff

Charley Diesing · 06/28/2011, 10:49 PM

I'm dealing with the same decision. Whats the real difference between a 36" 4 bulb fixture vs a 36" 6 bulb fixture? Just Color variety?

Jfannin · 06/29/2011, 10:44 AM

Color has a little to do with it yah. Just more bulbs to work with but also and more importantly a 36" light will produce better par then a 24" bulb.

But I guess if your getting the par you want with a 24" unit then go for it. But a 36" unit is going to put out more par. I read a thread where a person done par testing with different size units someplace on RC that showed a 24w vs a 36w produce majorly less par. And the gap was even crashed between a 39w unit vs a 54w unit. Good read but no clue how to find it.

Another thing is, your going to mostlikely get much higher par readings on the side edges of your tank with a 36 inch unit simply because the bulb is going to extend over that area more unlike a 24" unit.

With my 40g breeder I use the teck 39w x 4 bulb unit. With the lighting about 6" above the water. Light covers the tank great. I can keep SPS just about any place I want depending on the SPS of course. Like for instance a birdsnest I tend to place low and to the side of the tank or center on the tank but in shade. Light hungry corals mid tank and up and kinda away from the edges.

Know the only thing that I have maybe noticed a little is that with the 4 bulb unit is that I loose a little light coverage from front to back near the upper part of the tank. I fill the 6 bulb unit would have covered that better but the question is would everything in the tank be bleached out? IDK but would guess YES. so my with a 39w 5 bulb unit.

06/15/2011, 01:46 PM	#1
Seaweed Brain Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: WNY Posts: 243	40g breeder lighting ?'s I am about to start up a new tank and am not sure how much light I will need. It is going to be a 40g breeder and will be mostly sps with minimal/spacious rockscaping. I've been thinking of using a Tek Light ELITE 36" 6 x 39W T5 High Output fixture. I'm not too sure what the difference is between the Elite fixture vs. their other one though. My main question however is will the 6 bulb be enough or will it be too much light. I was also thinking of adding a reefbrit LED strip to it as well but am not sure if I need/should to.

06/15/2011, 08:13 PM	#5
allsps40 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Arizona Posts: 4,627	I use a 250w MH pendant over my 40B, 12 inches off the water but I may lower it some. I works great my sps are very happy with it. __________________ __________ Current Tank Info: Past reef tanks: 20H softy, 29G mixed reef, 55G mixed reef, 40B sps dominant mixed reef and 75G sps dominant mixed reef. No tank currently

06/16/2011, 05:04 AM	#11
rkaires Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Dingmans Ferry, PA Posts: 1,083	IMO a 24" 4 bulb t5 will be plenty for anything you want to grow in a 40b. __________________ Bob Current Tank Info: 200gal system, 150gal & 58gal reef, ATI Powermodule & Sunpower , ATB Deluxe skimmer, KZ zeo reactor, Geo 618, FX1500 return, Tunze 7095, Tunze Streams.

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06/15/2011, 01:49 PM	#2
Seaweed Brain Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: WNY Posts: 243	Also was wondering how hight off the water the fixture should be. I keep my other fixture about 5 inches off the water on my 75 but its only a 4 bulb and I do not have many sps in that tank, mostly just lps.

06/15/2011, 08:07 PM	#3
Seaweed Brain Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: WNY Posts: 243	No one?

06/15/2011, 08:11 PM	#4
Saltwatercoral2 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 1,617	I just purchased a 24 inch 6 bulb ATI fixture for my 40 breeder. I plan to keep all corals, was recommended by a couple people to go with a 24 inch over a 36 inch

06/15/2011, 08:25 PM	#6
Seaweed Brain Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: WNY Posts: 243	Thanks for the replies! Saltwater, why did they recommend a 24 instead of the 36?.. I don't really know too much about MH but I've been thinking of going that way too. Do your sps do good on the outer sides of your tank? The way I was going to do my rock was to have about 3 Islands on the outsides and have the center clear for a large brain and elegance I have.

06/15/2011, 08:48 PM	#7
Saltwatercoral2 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 1,617	I havent gotten my tank up yet, im still waiting on the light, i just bought it yesterday, but with the light hung about 5 inches from the top of the tank, it should cover everything, and you can place lower light demanding corals on the sides. and sps in the middle.

06/15/2011, 09:33 PM	#8
ForSaleByAndy Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Livonia, MI Posts: 128	I used 3 Par38 LEDs for mine and things look great.

06/16/2011, 04:56 AM	#10
reefmanmatt Registered Member. Join Date: May 2011 Location: pennsylvania Posts: 396	i would look for an all in one unit , dual 175 halide with t-5 actinic if you are considering that route . if your going t-5 the led's would put it over the top ! maybe just a 250 halide and a few led's for moons + actinic ....these are all great choices . it comes down to what kind of a budget do you have / space / diy or buy / etc...

06/16/2011, 11:25 AM	#12
Ken_S_NY Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Plainview, NY Posts: 182	I have a 36 inch DIY light from reefgeek over my 40B. Its about 6 inches off the water. Its more than enough light. I actually needed to run it less than 8 hours a day to prevent pale corals.

06/16/2011, 01:45 PM	#13
Seaweed Brain Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: WNY Posts: 243	Thanks for all the input. I think I'm going to go the MH route and add some reefbrites to it. someone in my area has an Ice Cap 250 watt HQI pendent,Ballast,New 14k Phoenix Bulb and an extra 12k Icecap bulb for sale for $200 and it seems like a good deal so I'm gonna jump on it.

06/28/2011, 02:49 PM	#14
Jfannin Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Ohio Posts: 419	Any up dates on you tank. I always love seeing 40breeders being that I have had one for a few years know. Btw if you didn't already buy the Mh a 4 bulb teck unit works great for sps and some less light needy corals. 6 bulb to me would be SPS only. But anyways. Wouldn't mind seeing some photos with what ever you bought

06/28/2011, 10:02 PM	#15
jeff@zina.com Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Naples, FL Posts: 3,345	4 bulb or 6 bulb is fine, 6-12" off water. A 24" will cover a 40B but I always recommend a 36" for best coverage. Jeff

06/28/2011, 10:49 PM	#16
Charley Diesing Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Austin Texas Posts: 1,162	I'm dealing with the same decision. Whats the real difference between a 36" 4 bulb fixture vs a 36" 6 bulb fixture? Just Color variety?

06/29/2011, 10:44 AM	#17
Jfannin Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Ohio Posts: 419	Color has a little to do with it yah. Just more bulbs to work with but also and more importantly a 36" light will produce better par then a 24" bulb. But I guess if your getting the par you want with a 24" unit then go for it. But a 36" unit is going to put out more par. I read a thread where a person done par testing with different size units someplace on RC that showed a 24w vs a 36w produce majorly less par. And the gap was even crashed between a 39w unit vs a 54w unit. Good read but no clue how to find it. Another thing is, your going to mostlikely get much higher par readings on the side edges of your tank with a 36 inch unit simply because the bulb is going to extend over that area more unlike a 24" unit. With my 40g breeder I use the teck 39w x 4 bulb unit. With the lighting about 6" above the water. Light covers the tank great. I can keep SPS just about any place I want depending on the SPS of course. Like for instance a birdsnest I tend to place low and to the side of the tank or center on the tank but in shade. Light hungry corals mid tank and up and kinda away from the edges. Know the only thing that I have maybe noticed a little is that with the 4 bulb unit is that I loose a little light coverage from front to back near the upper part of the tank. I fill the 6 bulb unit would have covered that better but the question is would everything in the tank be bleached out? IDK but would guess YES. so my with a 39w 5 bulb unit.