Lighting a 48x48x24 tank

yerboy · 01/11/2010, 06:32 PM

I will soon be starting a new tank in my new house. I love the cube look and im looking at either a 48x36x24 or a 48x48x24 sized rimless tank.

With such a large footprint i feel limited to the lighting, i like the ATI Powermodule T5 fixtures but not sure if a 10 bulb would provide enough coverage for an sps dominated tank, and purchasing 2 fixtures really isnt an option with the upfront cost and replacement bulb cost.

With the tank being rimless i will not consider a canopy option as that just defeats the purpose.

what do you think my options are? Do you think a 10 bulb fixture is possible or should i just grab a few 250/400 watt pendents?

kvosstra · 01/11/2010, 06:36 PM

I used a 10 bulb on my 48x36x24, full SPS reef with clams, etc.

yerboy · 01/11/2010, 08:18 PM

Did the tank feel like it needed more light in the front and back or was the light distributed well?

dmilne85 · 01/11/2010, 08:25 PM

would you rather have t5 or mh? i can say right now i have a 36x36 with a 12 bulb t5 set up*however under a canopy* and it is almost too much light. Also when you get to the point you have 10+ bulbs, there really isnt any cost savings to mh when it comes to bulb replacement. if it were me, and in your case i would prefer doing a few 250 watt mh's in pendants.

redfishsc · 01/11/2010, 08:52 PM

I have seen two of these tanks locally that are going great, one all T5 and one a MH/VHO combo.

Both of these tanks came from glasscages. One is an LFS and the other is a personal tank.

The one at the LFS has a LOT of halide lighting plus VHO actinics. The tank looks great and growth is crazy.

However the guy with the 10X54 T5 seems to be getting fantastic growth as well, at less power consumption.

Between the two I prefer the look of the Halide/VHO combo but that's honestly b/c of the neato halide shimmer and the look of the VHO actinics.

sedor · 01/11/2010, 09:01 PM

I would probably go hybrid and do 1 250 10Ks in the center and a pair of T5 Figi Purple or Blue Plus on each side. Think of the fun your going to have building a light rack

yerboy · 01/11/2010, 09:27 PM

i think a light rack is out of the question, wife has shot down any and all DIY lighting. Its either pendents or fixtures.

jimrawr · 01/11/2010, 10:06 PM

What about a couple Odyssea units? They are cheap and people are reporting good things about them as of late..

yerboy · 01/12/2010, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimrawr

What about a couple Odyssea units? They are cheap and people are reporting good things about them as of late..

Just not a risk im willing to take.

zachfishman · 01/12/2010, 01:21 PM

4x250watt MH pendants on the 48"x48", it'll look beautiful, nice and minimalistic too.

quickgray02 · 01/12/2010, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zachfishman

4x250watt MH pendants on the 48"x48", it'll look beautiful, nice and minimalistic too.

I would go this way.

chefmike · 01/12/2010, 02:26 PM

That is how mine was lit as well...only I used 400w halides

TellyFish · 01/12/2010, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redfishsc

Between the two I prefer the look of the Halide/VHO combo but that's honestly b/c of the neato halide shimmer and the look of the VHO actinics.

What else is there?

If power cost isn't a huge concern I think most people will agree that some combo of MH and VHO will still produce the "ideal" look. Of course, taste cannot be controlled by popular opinion.

Shakes · 01/12/2010, 03:47 PM

Giesmann has nice wide lamps. (Infiniti) I have seen a 24" model on a 36" cube. It was sufficient. so 1 48 in model on a 48 x 36 would easily work. on a 48 x 48 it will be a little light on the edges but the way you aquascape and how high you hang it could easily fix it. They also have an ability to focus the MH on different areas (DYMAX) so it may give you some options. This is the light I was going to purchase had I not chosen the KR-92 LED lamp

yerboy · 01/12/2010, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shakes

Giesmann has nice wide lamps. (Infiniti) I have seen a 24" model on a 36" cube. It was sufficient. so 1 48 in model on a 48 x 36 would easily work. on a 48 x 48 it will be a little light on the edges but the way you aquascape and how high you hang it could easily fix it. They also have an ability to focus the MH on different areas (DYMAX) so it may give you some options. This is the light I was going to purchase had I not chosen the KR-92 LED lamp

eh oh wow 48 inch Giesemann Moonlight Infiniti 2x250W HQI + 4x54W T5 Light Fixture $3118.99 from marinedepot.com ouch. not sure i want to drop that much coin on a light.

yerboy · 01/12/2010, 05:02 PM

48 inch Giesemann Infiniti 2x250W HQI + 4x54W T5 Light Fixture $1648 a little more reasonable. I will have to look around marine depot doesn't offer the 250w in silver.

zachfishman · 01/12/2010, 05:07 PM

4 x 250watt Reefstar pendents (so long as keeping with the 48"x48" setup) would do very well, and much cheaper than the Giesmann option: $289 each

http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp...S&Category=650

For only $10 more you can go 400watts each.

01/11/2010, 06:32 PM	#1
yerboy Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Huntsville AL Posts: 275	Lighting a 48x48x24 tank I will soon be starting a new tank in my new house. I love the cube look and im looking at either a 48x36x24 or a 48x48x24 sized rimless tank. With such a large footprint i feel limited to the lighting, i like the ATI Powermodule T5 fixtures but not sure if a 10 bulb would provide enough coverage for an sps dominated tank, and purchasing 2 fixtures really isnt an option with the upfront cost and replacement bulb cost. With the tank being rimless i will not consider a canopy option as that just defeats the purpose. what do you think my options are? Do you think a 10 bulb fixture is possible or should i just grab a few 250/400 watt pendents?

01/11/2010, 06:36 PM	#2
kvosstra Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 995	I used a 10 bulb on my 48x36x24, full SPS reef with clams, etc. __________________ "To him, all good things, trout as well as eternal salvation, come by grace and grace comes by art and art does not come easy." -Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It, 1976 Current Tank Info: recently set up my 40G sps tank again!

01/11/2010, 08:52 PM	#5
redfishsc Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Wake Forest, NC Posts: 3,696	I have seen two of these tanks locally that are going great, one all T5 and one a MH/VHO combo. Both of these tanks came from glasscages. One is an LFS and the other is a personal tank. The one at the LFS has a LOT of halide lighting plus VHO actinics. The tank looks great and growth is crazy. However the guy with the 10X54 T5 seems to be getting fantastic growth as well, at less power consumption. Between the two I prefer the look of the Halide/VHO combo but that's honestly b/c of the neato halide shimmer and the look of the VHO actinics. __________________ "The measure of a life is not its duration but its donation." Corrie Ten Boom “The tyrant dies and his rule is over, the martyr dies and his rule begins” -- Søren Kierkegaard Current Tank Info: ghetto grad school reef.....11g rimless tank, 36X9X9, lit by Cree and Rebels scobbled together. Stocked mostly with free stuff I got from panhandling my fellow reefers.

01/11/2010, 09:01 PM	#6
sedor Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 4,689	I would probably go hybrid and do 1 250 10Ks in the center and a pair of T5 Figi Purple or Blue Plus on each side. Think of the fun your going to have building a light rack __________________ Ryan

01/12/2010, 01:21 PM	#10
zachfishman Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: St Petersburg, FL Posts: 3,577	4x250watt MH pendants on the 48"x48", it'll look beautiful, nice and minimalistic too. __________________ Patience is a reefer's best tool. Secret Xenia lover. M.S. Marine Biology Staff - Marine Discovery Center, St. Petersburg FL Tampa Bay Reef Club BOD 2018 Current Tank Info: 34g modded Solana

01/11/2010, 08:18 PM	#3
yerboy Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Huntsville AL Posts: 275	Did the tank feel like it needed more light in the front and back or was the light distributed well?

01/11/2010, 08:25 PM	#4
dmilne85 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Arizona, now in Pittsburgh :0( Posts: 602	would you rather have t5 or mh? i can say right now i have a 36x36 with a 12 bulb t5 set uphowever under a canopy and it is almost too much light. Also when you get to the point you have 10+ bulbs, there really isnt any cost savings to mh when it comes to bulb replacement. if it were me, and in your case i would prefer doing a few 250 watt mh's in pendants.

01/11/2010, 09:27 PM	#7
yerboy Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Huntsville AL Posts: 275	i think a light rack is out of the question, wife has shot down any and all DIY lighting. Its either pendents or fixtures.

01/11/2010, 10:06 PM	#8
jimrawr Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Palm Beach County, FL Posts: 1,887	What about a couple Odyssea units? They are cheap and people are reporting good things about them as of late..

01/12/2010, 02:26 PM	#12
chefmike Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 71	That is how mine was lit as well...only I used 400w halides

01/12/2010, 03:47 PM	#14
Shakes Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Okinawa, Japan Posts: 70	Giesmann has nice wide lamps. (Infiniti) I have seen a 24" model on a 36" cube. It was sufficient. so 1 48 in model on a 48 x 36 would easily work. on a 48 x 48 it will be a little light on the edges but the way you aquascape and how high you hang it could easily fix it. They also have an ability to focus the MH on different areas (DYMAX) so it may give you some options. This is the light I was going to purchase had I not chosen the KR-92 LED lamp __________________ Shakes 58 gallon Rimless Current Tank Info: 58 Gallon Rimless

01/12/2010, 05:02 PM	#16
yerboy Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Huntsville AL Posts: 275	48 inch Giesemann Infiniti 2x250W HQI + 4x54W T5 Light Fixture $1648 a little more reasonable. I will have to look around marine depot doesn't offer the 250w in silver.

01/12/2010, 05:07 PM	#17
zachfishman Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: St Petersburg, FL Posts: 3,577	4 x 250watt Reefstar pendents (so long as keeping with the 48"x48" setup) would do very well, and much cheaper than the Giesmann option: $289 each http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp...S&Category=650 For only $10 more you can go 400watts each. __________________ Patience is a reefer's best tool. Secret Xenia lover. M.S. Marine Biology Staff - Marine Discovery Center, St. Petersburg FL Tampa Bay Reef Club BOD 2018 Current Tank Info: 34g modded Solana