t5 light question

[mcfeefer]

In a 90 gal. tank 4 foot long, would an 8 bulb current t5 be enough light to grow all sps or would 2 400 mh. be better. trying to keep electric bill down.

[Chiefsurfer]

It's likely that the t5 should be fine. I don't know if they can quite get sps all the way to the bottom, but pretty much anywhere else should be fine.

I bet the MH would be better, but if trying to get a cheaper electric bill, this will help greatly. The 4 ft t5's should be 54 watts per bulb. 8-bulbs, 50 watts, 400w total power. Half of what the MH use. Also t5's get their depth penetration from their length, so at 4 ft, you should get fairly good penetration.

[SecGenGSX]

You will most likely get mixed answers on this one. Both will work so it would be more of a person preference. The shimmer effect is nice from MH but t5s are more energy efficient. Personally I would go with t5's but like I said, you are going to get mixed answers.

[Beaun]

I have a Tek 6 bulb with individual reflectors over my 65 and grow some SPS near the bottom ~18" under water, but most is near the top. I dont see why you would have problems in a 90 with 8 bulbs.

[thegrun]

For a 90, two 250 watt MH would be fine, but I would also plan on two 48" actinic PC bulbs for color.

[IslandCrow]

Which Current fixture were you looking at. The Nova Extreme Pros are the best of their series, but still considered on the lower end as far as T5 fixture quality goes. I don't have any personal experience with them, so I couldn't say for sure whether or not that fixture would work. A Tek I'm almost certain would work, and I'd have no doubt that a similar Aquactinics, Icecap Retro or ATI fixture would be more than enough. You can also check the Equipment and Lighting forum. Look for the T5 Q&A Thread. Grim Reefer has personal experience with most of the fixtures out there, and could give you more specific information. The question has probably been asked before, so I'd recommend reading through a few pages of the thread first (it's far too big to read through the entire thing).

[mcfeefer]

I have read the lighting threads and I am more confused now. It seems most cant agree on the subject. Some swear buy t5s others at them. Personal preference aside all I want to know was if there is enough light throughout the tank for good growth. I know the shimmer is great but so is electric consumption I have them now. Wanted to try another way but not if it means risking my corals. thanks to all for your replys.

[jimbo78]

i have the 6x54w nova extreme pro and have no problem getting sps frags to encrust plugs on the bottom of my bare bottom 90g. the growth from the middle to the top of the tank is better but sps will still grow at the very bottom

hth

[mcfeefer]

jimbo78 thanks for the reply that is what I wanted to know. I will miss my halides but at this time I must be more practical. A big thank you to everyone for your help.

[Bigshow]

The Grim Reafer knows best. There's a t5 thread in lighting section. Ask Grim he's awesome and knows a lot about lighting.

[nikon187]

Either would work as others posted. and 2 X 250w would be a better comparison to the 8 T5 not 400's.

[DaveAngie79]

i have 4 t-5 and 2 supper blues 6 total in my 75 havent had much luck with sps but roses and lps and soffties to great i think if u are going to use 8 total that would make the difference, i also have a 55 same deminsions other that front to back with 2 250's they work great with not much difference in the bill

[IslandCrow]

Just about any tank can be run as successfully with T5s as it can be with metal halides. But like metal halides, that doesn't mean that you can use any T5 setup and expect the same results. So that's part of the discrepancy you're getting among opinions. If anyone tells you your tank cannot be run with T5s, you can pretty much discount anything they have to say. After that, you're just going to have to do your research into the various T5 fixtures and decide what will work best for your tank. There really is not simple answer to your question. One person may be able to keep well fed, immaculately maintained Acropora tank with a 4-bulb Nova Extreme, so that may be what they suggest, but it certainly doesn't mean it will work for your tank. The first time I tried keeping Acropora in my 46g under a 4-bulb Tek, they'd almost immediately lose color. Try #2 was very successful under the exact same lighting.

[Chiefsurfer]

^+1. I have found that a lot of things that you would think are "standard" are anything from. The reason is because the slightest variation from tank to tank, even up to what else is in the tank stock/coralwise, can have a MAJOR effect on the system. NO 2 systems will work the same way. That's just how it goes.

[qfrisco]

mcfeefer - ignore those people who say T5s won't be enough to support SPS - they likely don't have firsthand experience with raising SPS under T5s.

I've done both and can say that over my 90g (should be same dimensions as yours), T5s produce at least equivalent growth to when I ran 2x250w MHs with 14K DE bulbs. Perhaps some folks get better growth with using 10K bulbs, but I don't have experience with those.

Specifically, I run 6 54w T5s over my 90g with Icecap SLR reflectors - but 4 are overdriven with an Icecap ballast. The other two are just normally driven.

You will be fine with the T5s. However, as it was with me, you just might have to prove it to yourself by trying both approaches. :-)

Recent FTS below with all T5s. Though it doesn't show in the FTS, I had SPS colonies all the way down to the sandbed, and they were fine. I've since relocated those colonies in an effort to reclaim more sandbed.

[IslandCrow]

Icecaps reflectors and ballasts are awesome. I never got around to taking PAR measurements with the Icecap retro I did, but just visually, the increase in lighting over my Teks was quite significant, as was the increased growth and coloration in my SPS. It did nearly kill my xenia until they got better acclimated, but some would look at that as a good thing.

[mcfeefer]

Your tank looks great , looks like I will give t5s a try.