light panel for corals

[gravit13]

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to recondition the old tank T5 panel. It will be intended for my new reef tank with various corals. Do the corals need only LED light or I can leave my fluorescent bulbs?

Thanks a lot.

[jestep]

Do you know how many, and what color temperature, the bulbs in the fixture are and is it normal T5 or T5 HO?

For reef tanks, you'll normally want bluer spectrum bulbs than what is normally used on a FW tank. For daylight, 6700K is still probably the best color for growth but it gives a tank a yellowish color. Most people aim for more like 10,000K - 12,000K daylight bulbs, some prefer up to 20,000K though, and supplement with blue actinic bulbs which make colors pop more.

Coral do not need LED's. Actually in many cases such as cheap LED fixtures or ones using less than optimal LED colors, corals will not have good growth. LED's are still relatively new, and there's been decades of success using fluorescent and metal halide lighting with coral.

[gravit13]

Do you know how many, and what color temperature, the bulbs in the fixture are and is it normal T5 or T5 HO?

Thanks jestep for your reply,

There are 4 lamps now in my T5 fixture. I do not know what temperature they are but I found them in the Internet https://www.mrosupply.com/lighting/ballasts/fluorescent-ballasts/1854545_flft513w841_fulham-lighting/

I’m not really sure they can work for corals. What is your opinion?

[FarmerTy]

The link provided doesn't work for me but either case, I'd buy new bulbs... especially if you don't know the exact age of the bulb or if it is a good spectrum for corals. T5 bulbs need to be replaced annually anyways... with some that replace them every 9 months.

You can order them from bulk reef supply, just Google what a good 4-bulb combo is for your tank. You can't go wrong with ATI and Geisemann bulbs. I used to run a coral +, blue +, purple +, and another coral + back in the day but you may want to get more updated advice.

[jestep]

What size tank is this for?

Briefly looking those bulbs are 12in, standard T5, either 8W or 13W each. Let me know if the length sounds about right or if the wattage is on the bulb.

If it's a small enough tank and you can find the right color bulbs, which may not be easy, they should work for lower light coral. Softies, zoas / paly, and most LPS should be fine under those. Probably not enough for SPS or other high light demanding coral.