What lighting (fluorescent) for my 30 gallon long?

xreflux · 01/10/2008, 08:54 PM

Hi guys, i gotta a 30gallon long. Dimensions are probably like this: 36W x 12D x 12H (it's really 16", but I have a lot of sand on the bottom)

I've been using a cheap ebay PC fixture (130Watts of PC), which seems to work okay, but I dropped it in the water, and now only one bulb (out of two) works.

so i figure i might as well upgrade my lighting, cause i think that might be why i have such crappy luck with my coral growth. (i'm good on water quality and flow issues).

here's the deal. i can't do metal halide, because in my apartment, my tank will be superhot, even with a chiller and fans and all that jazz.

so i figure i'll t5s, though compared to PCs they're expensive! also, my concern is this.
since my tank is so shallow (12" from sand to top, 6" from the live rock to top) are T5s overkill?
i've been researching different options, i'm the type that does too much research. below are my parameters for this light purchase and the pros and cons for each option, and questions beside them.

parameters:
tank is 36" long, and 12" high, 6" to top from live rock (which cover half the tank)
i would like to keep zoas, LPS, and maybe simple SPS likes birdsnest.
I cannot upgrade my tank size for at least 2.5 years.

possible fixtures:
1. another 130watt PC fixture
pros: cheap, probably $120 with bulbs
cons: dont' know if it's enough light for what I what.
question: is this enough light, considering the height of my tank? how come i didn't get much growth? (maybe it was water quality issues?) was it possibly too much light and I was stressing the coral? was it a problem that I bought a cheap ebay fixture (odyssea) and used cheap bulbs? (in terms of raw PAR, i thought it wouldn't be much difference between $30 bulbs and $12 bulbs, so long as the wavelengths were fine, i use 6500k and 10000k).

2. A Nova Extreme 4x39Watt fixture
pros: not terribly expensive $200 with bulbs shipped. And, if you donâ€™t count reflectors, it's a nice complete system with a water shield, legs and fans. There are people who have tried this setup and liked it.
cons: no individual reflectors (there is one aluminan reflector that is slightly bent around each light to make it a cheap bootleg reflector), so less effective that proper T5 setups.
question: would this be sufficient on such a shallow tank like mine to grow LPS and SPS?

3. Solar T5 4x39 Watt fixture setups by Catalina
pros: not terribly expensive $200 with bulbs shipped (on ebay). It has individual reflectors, though I'm not sure on the quality
cons: No Fans, also I can't find anyone who has used this product so I don't know how good these fixtures actually are.
question: would this be too much light on my tank??? Will I bleach my coral?

4. Tek T5 4x39 Watt fixture na
pros: quality fixture, lotsa light
cons: $400 shipped with bulbs. So very expensive for my budget. Possibly too much light for my tank, No Fan
question: Is this fixture overkill for my tank, especially compared with my other options. I'm willing to invest in a quality fixture if necessary, but if I'm paying for something I don't need, then there is no reason.

So what would be the best fixture for my shallow tank.

xreflux · 01/11/2008, 06:13 AM

bump

JGross4 · 01/11/2008, 06:22 AM

To be honest, for such a shallow tank, I would go with the Nova Extreme. The Tek is an great light, but you will burn your corals unless you offset your bulb color selection accordingly.

I lit a 20H Frag tank/Coral QT with a 2x39 watt T5 HO Tek Retro kit with the same spread of corals you mentioned above plus I had about 10-12 SPS frags at any given time. It was too much light, I played with bulbs and eventually decided to just remove the reflectors. After that everything colored up and grew much better. Just my experience.

Mark75 · 01/11/2008, 06:32 AM

I have the exact size tank as you. I am using a Nova Extreme 4-39watts. I think it is more than enough light for sps, I have even bleach some frags that came from a metal halide tank. I would buy the Nova Extreme and 2 or 3 spare bulbs to customize the spectrum. You will be much happier with the Nova after you remove the stock bulbs.

FL.Joe · 01/11/2008, 06:33 AM

I like PC especially for such a shallow tank,

01/10/2008, 08:54 PM	#1
xreflux Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: chicago - north side Posts: 105	What lighting (fluorescent) for my 30 gallon long? Hi guys, i gotta a 30gallon long. Dimensions are probably like this: 36W x 12D x 12H (it's really 16", but I have a lot of sand on the bottom) I've been using a cheap ebay PC fixture (130Watts of PC), which seems to work okay, but I dropped it in the water, and now only one bulb (out of two) works. so i figure i might as well upgrade my lighting, cause i think that might be why i have such crappy luck with my coral growth. (i'm good on water quality and flow issues). here's the deal. i can't do metal halide, because in my apartment, my tank will be superhot, even with a chiller and fans and all that jazz. so i figure i'll t5s, though compared to PCs they're expensive! also, my concern is this. since my tank is so shallow (12" from sand to top, 6" from the live rock to top) are T5s overkill? i've been researching different options, i'm the type that does too much research. below are my parameters for this light purchase and the pros and cons for each option, and questions beside them. parameters: tank is 36" long, and 12" high, 6" to top from live rock (which cover half the tank) i would like to keep zoas, LPS, and maybe simple SPS likes birdsnest. I cannot upgrade my tank size for at least 2.5 years. possible fixtures: 1. another 130watt PC fixture pros: cheap, probably $120 with bulbs cons: dont' know if it's enough light for what I what. question: is this enough light, considering the height of my tank? how come i didn't get much growth? (maybe it was water quality issues?) was it possibly too much light and I was stressing the coral? was it a problem that I bought a cheap ebay fixture (odyssea) and used cheap bulbs? (in terms of raw PAR, i thought it wouldn't be much difference between $30 bulbs and $12 bulbs, so long as the wavelengths were fine, i use 6500k and 10000k). 2. A Nova Extreme 4x39Watt fixture pros: not terribly expensive $200 with bulbs shipped. And, if you donâ€™t count reflectors, it's a nice complete system with a water shield, legs and fans. There are people who have tried this setup and liked it. cons: no individual reflectors (there is one aluminan reflector that is slightly bent around each light to make it a cheap bootleg reflector), so less effective that proper T5 setups. question: would this be sufficient on such a shallow tank like mine to grow LPS and SPS? 3. Solar T5 4x39 Watt fixture setups by Catalina pros: not terribly expensive $200 with bulbs shipped (on ebay). It has individual reflectors, though I'm not sure on the quality cons: No Fans, also I can't find anyone who has used this product so I don't know how good these fixtures actually are. question: would this be too much light on my tank??? Will I bleach my coral? 4. Tek T5 4x39 Watt fixture na pros: quality fixture, lotsa light cons: $400 shipped with bulbs. So very expensive for my budget. Possibly too much light for my tank, No Fan question: Is this fixture overkill for my tank, especially compared with my other options. I'm willing to invest in a quality fixture if necessary, but if I'm paying for something I don't need, then there is no reason. So what would be the best fixture for my shallow tank.

01/11/2008, 06:22 AM	#3
JGross4 Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Orlando Posts: 475	To be honest, for such a shallow tank, I would go with the Nova Extreme. The Tek is an great light, but you will burn your corals unless you offset your bulb color selection accordingly. I lit a 20H Frag tank/Coral QT with a 2x39 watt T5 HO Tek Retro kit with the same spread of corals you mentioned above plus I had about 10-12 SPS frags at any given time. It was too much light, I played with bulbs and eventually decided to just remove the reflectors. After that everything colored up and grew much better. Just my experience. __________________ November 2009 nTOTM Current Tank Info: Elos System 70, Giesemann Infiniti Lighting, Profilux Controller/Dosing, Tunze Flow, Bare Bottom, SPS Reef

01/11/2008, 06:33 AM	#5
FL.Joe Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: St. Petersburg, Fl Posts: 158	I like PC especially for such a shallow tank, __________________ JoJo, Proud Pitbull Daddy Current Tank Info: 135g reef tank, 55g glass sump

01/11/2008, 06:13 AM	#2
xreflux Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: chicago - north side Posts: 105	bump

01/11/2008, 06:32 AM	#4
Mark75 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: East Tenn. Posts: 740	I have the exact size tank as you. I am using a Nova Extreme 4-39watts. I think it is more than enough light for sps, I have even bleach some frags that came from a metal halide tank. I would buy the Nova Extreme and 2 or 3 spare bulbs to customize the spectrum. You will be much happier with the Nova after you remove the stock bulbs.