75 Gallon SPS Mixed Lighting

75gal · 10/11/2006, 06:40 PM

I have a softie tank (only a few) Im looking to mix in some SPS eventually. Now i have 4 39watt bulbs. Not by any means enough for SPS so i was wondering what people who are in the know have to say about T5s. Im trying to stay away from Halides because i DO NOT want a chiller, more so i cant afford one along with the lights. So what does everyone recomend. Thanks

PelagicMagic · 10/11/2006, 07:01 PM

you can run metal halides without a chiller, I did for years and I know others who still do. Having a fan in the canopy helps alot

Serioussnaps · 10/11/2006, 07:03 PM

6x54Watt T5's on that 75..make sure you have individual reflectors...look out for Sunlight supply there customer service sucks.....but my vote is the Tek fixture 6x54

you can run MH without chiller....but that statement is LOADED....maybe not on a 75G..you would need lots of fans....and distance between bulbs and water.....most people that say they ran MH without a chiller had a LARGER TANK and thus it was much harder to overheat the water

PelagicMagic · 10/11/2006, 07:08 PM

When I had my 75g tank I ran two 250's. I did keep 4 fans in the canopy and the a/c on 76. Chiller would have been nice back then but I didnt have the funds. It is easier to keep the larger tanks cooler.

Good luck

afex · 10/11/2006, 07:13 PM

on my old 75g softie tank, i was able to successfully keep half a dozen montipora corals with just 4x96w PC. so you dont necessarily have to go T5 or MH. (but they will make it easier)

depending on how many and what species, T5 lighting should be fine.

PelagicMagic · 10/11/2006, 07:17 PM

yep T5's show great results. I just like the shimmer from halides

mysis · 10/11/2006, 07:19 PM

i have a 75 gal with a 400w MH, and one fan, my tank rarely goes above 26 celcius.

yamaha racer · 10/11/2006, 07:59 PM

i have a 55g with tek light which is sunlight supply 4x54w and it is so bright, imo brighter than my 2x175w mh setup

NuclearReefs · 10/11/2006, 10:12 PM

i have 2X250's MH over a 40 breeder ( 3 foot tank ) with NO chiller and only two of the aqualight replacement fans,, my tank never goes above 82. I keep it at 80 anyway... AC is set on 74 .. I just have more humidity than I care for, thats my only issue

manosdr · 10/23/2006, 04:20 PM

I have a 100 gal reef tank with 4x54 w T5 and 2x40 w T8 and
everything is OK with the growth of corals (sps and lps) but during the Summer I use chiller.

makoJ · 10/23/2006, 04:58 PM

Here is my wife's 75gal with 2-175w mh's and 2-36" VHO's no chiller.

PL-Reef · 10/23/2006, 06:29 PM

i also have 75g with two 250w mh and two 54w T5s. i keep the heat in check with one fan blowing across the water. my tank temp never goes above 82F, and no AC in the room. good luck with your new lights.

reefredy75 · 11/07/2006, 10:04 PM

Im running 175w halides on my 75 with 2 fans Temp stays between 78 and 79

bigt0706 · 11/07/2006, 10:24 PM

i also run three 175 w halides with two 96 w pc and i just run a fan on the sump temp stays at 80-82 wich i like if i turn the fan up it runs cooler

JJohn · 11/08/2006, 01:11 AM

Me too. 75G with two 175W MH and 2 x 40W NO Flour's. One 4", high speed, low noise fan in the hood. No chiller here. I do run my tank hot in the summer. It often hits 83 degrees F. All SPS's are doing great. I keep my house AC set at about 82 degrees during the summer. Been doing this for about 11 years. It works for me.

John

concept3 · 11/08/2006, 01:18 AM

Ditto, 2 X 250watt halides and 220W VHO's, no chiller. I have a fan blowing down in my sump in the summer (and fans in my hood), sump fan gets turned off in the winter because it gets too cold. House temp is usually around 74 and the warmest tank temp is about 82, heater is set to kick in at 78 degrees.

T5's will be OK for softies, LPS and some acros.
I believe, however, that halides are more versatile since you can pretty much keep anything under them plus they have the cool glitter lines

here's a pic of my hood and the fans behind the lights and above

concept3 · 11/08/2006, 01:23 AM

oops, sorry you can't see the above, see it here:

GSMguy · 11/08/2006, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by yamaha racer
i have a 55g with tek light which is sunlight supply 4x54w and it is so bright, imo brighter than my 2x175w mh setup

i use 2 175 watt metal halide over a 29 gallon tank and dont use a chiller i have a 2 degree temp swing but never goes above 83 just use airflow to cool it by the way everyone here keeps forgetting the best setup is metal halide and T5 all blue on the t5 and 10k on the halide

cmc0814 · 11/08/2006, 01:26 PM

I have 6x54W t5's on my 75 gallon and I have SPS in there. I LOVE them. I have amazing color, and great growth. Plus I can keep my temp in the tank at 78 F easily. In fact, I have an underrated heater so when it got cold in the house, I had trouble keeping it warm enough!!

10/11/2006, 06:40 PM	#1
75gal Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Connecticut Posts: 141	75 Gallon SPS Mixed Lighting I have a softie tank (only a few) Im looking to mix in some SPS eventually. Now i have 4 39watt bulbs. Not by any means enough for SPS so i was wondering what people who are in the know have to say about T5s. Im trying to stay away from Halides because i DO NOT want a chiller, more so i cant afford one along with the lights. So what does everyone recomend. Thanks

10/11/2006, 10:12 PM	#9
NuclearReefs Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Fort Lauderdale Florida Posts: 2,606	i have 2X250's MH over a 40 breeder ( 3 foot tank ) with NO chiller and only two of the aqualight replacement fans,, my tank never goes above 82. I keep it at 80 anyway... AC is set on 74 .. I just have more humidity than I care for, thats my only issue __________________ Kalkwasser in Coffee Current Tank Info: 125 RR SPS, LED's & T-5 O3's

10/23/2006, 04:20 PM	#10
manosdr Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: RETHIMNON-GREECE Posts: 160	I have a 100 gal reef tank with 4x54 w T5 and 2x40 w T8 and everything is OK with the growth of corals (sps and lps) but during the Summer I use chiller. __________________ MANOS Reef Central Tank of the month (December 2006) Current Tank Info: I have a 100 g reef tank with sps,lps and soft corals,a lot of snails,shrimps, clams and 17 fish.

10/23/2006, 04:58 PM	#11
makoJ Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Texas Posts: 1,472 Blog Entries: 3	Here is my wife's 75gal with 2-175w mh's and 2-36" VHO's no chiller. __________________ TOTM March 2008 It takes a strong man to cry, but it takes an even stronger man to laugh at that man. --300Gal SPS tank long gone but new tank on the horizon Current Tank Info: Custom 110g, Lights: Radion's Flow: 2 Vortechs

10/23/2006, 06:29 PM	#12
PL-Reef Awesome Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Chaplin,Ct Posts: 4,345	i also have 75g with two 250w mh and two 54w T5s. i keep the heat in check with one fan blowing across the water. my tank temp never goes above 82F, and no AC in the room. good luck with your new lights. __________________ Jas tested, mother disapproved. Current Tank Info: 2 gallon goldfish bowl with a happy 7" Naso tang and 2 small Beluga whales. Just added a baby dolphin, large Trigger, a herd of Sea Horses and just fragged my first Manatee. All fish safely hand caught using organic cyanide.

10/11/2006, 07:01 PM	#2
PelagicMagic Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,671	you can run metal halides without a chiller, I did for years and I know others who still do. Having a fan in the canopy helps alot

10/11/2006, 07:03 PM	#3
Serioussnaps Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: North Carolina Posts: 3,703	6x54Watt T5's on that 75..make sure you have individual reflectors...look out for Sunlight supply there customer service sucks.....but my vote is the Tek fixture 6x54 you can run MH without chiller....but that statement is LOADED....maybe not on a 75G..you would need lots of fans....and distance between bulbs and water.....most people that say they ran MH without a chiller had a LARGER TANK and thus it was much harder to overheat the water

10/11/2006, 07:08 PM	#4
PelagicMagic Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,671	When I had my 75g tank I ran two 250's. I did keep 4 fans in the canopy and the a/c on 76. Chiller would have been nice back then but I didnt have the funds. It is easier to keep the larger tanks cooler. Good luck

10/11/2006, 07:13 PM	#5
afex Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 542	on my old 75g softie tank, i was able to successfully keep half a dozen montipora corals with just 4x96w PC. so you dont necessarily have to go T5 or MH. (but they will make it easier) depending on how many and what species, T5 lighting should be fine.

10/11/2006, 07:17 PM	#6
PelagicMagic Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 1,671	yep T5's show great results. I just like the shimmer from halides

10/11/2006, 07:19 PM	#7
mysis Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Perth Western Australia Posts: 205	i have a 75 gal with a 400w MH, and one fan, my tank rarely goes above 26 celcius.

10/11/2006, 07:59 PM	#8
yamaha racer Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Gypsy Posts: 1,131	i have a 55g with tek light which is sunlight supply 4x54w and it is so bright, imo brighter than my 2x175w mh setup

11/07/2006, 10:04 PM	#13
reefredy75 Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Big D, Texas Posts: 179	Im running 175w halides on my 75 with 2 fans Temp stays between 78 and 79 __________________ ReefRedy75 A reef tank has a way of making any job a low paying job! Current Tank Info: 140 gal SPS, ASM skimmer PM sump/fuge 2x 250 MH 10K XM 220w VHO actinic icecap ballasts

11/07/2006, 10:24 PM	#14
bigt0706 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Dover , Fl Posts: 1,645	i also run three 175 w halides with two 96 w pc and i just run a fan on the sump temp stays at 80-82 wich i like if i turn the fan up it runs cooler __________________ if it dosent break the bank something else will Current Tank Info: 5'' 120 2x 250radiums vho atinics mp40 and tunse 6055 with multicontroller das dual resec skimmer , 70 tech oceanic with 6x36 teck t5 custom sump and miracle mud with bubble magnus cone skimmer

11/08/2006, 01:11 AM	#15
JJohn Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 229	Me too. 75G with two 175W MH and 2 x 40W NO Flour's. One 4", high speed, low noise fan in the hood. No chiller here. I do run my tank hot in the summer. It often hits 83 degrees F. All SPS's are doing great. I keep my house AC set at about 82 degrees during the summer. Been doing this for about 11 years. It works for me. John

11/08/2006, 01:18 AM	#16
concept3 Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: NJ---->FL Posts: 2,540	Ditto, 2 X 250watt halides and 220W VHO's, no chiller. I have a fan blowing down in my sump in the summer (and fans in my hood), sump fan gets turned off in the winter because it gets too cold. House temp is usually around 74 and the warmest tank temp is about 82, heater is set to kick in at 78 degrees. T5's will be OK for softies, LPS and some acros. I believe, however, that halides are more versatile since you can pretty much keep anything under them plus they have the cool glitter lines here's a pic of my hood and the fans behind the lights and above __________________ ====> FEED YOUR BRAIN <==== Home of the Little Brain that could http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-01/nftt/index.php Current Tank Info: 5' custom tank & BB, 20MDRLT ret pump, Deltec AP600, K2R reactor, 12K's on IC, 216W T5's, Tunze's 6100/6000

11/08/2006, 01:23 AM	#17
concept3 Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: NJ---->FL Posts: 2,540	oops, sorry you can't see the above, see it here: __________________ ====> FEED YOUR BRAIN <==== Home of the Little Brain that could http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-01/nftt/index.php Current Tank Info: 5' custom tank & BB, 20MDRLT ret pump, Deltec AP600, K2R reactor, 12K's on IC, 216W T5's, Tunze's 6100/6000

11/08/2006, 01:26 PM	#19
cmc0814 Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Moore, OK Posts: 1,102	I have 6x54W t5's on my 75 gallon and I have SPS in there. I LOVE them. I have amazing color, and great growth. Plus I can keep my temp in the tank at 78 F easily. In fact, I have an underrated heater so when it got cold in the house, I had trouble keeping it warm enough!! __________________ "The whole purpose of religion is to facilitate love and compassion, patience, tolerance, humility, and forgiveness." Educational Officer - C.O.M.A.S. 2007 Current Tank Info: 120 gallon reef tank w/ T5lights, Aqua C EV-120 skimmer, 2 Maxijet mods and a Tunze 6025, Mag 9.5 return pump. And a 12 gallon Aquapod.