T5 Lighting

[jcheek2010]

I think I have settled on going with a T5 setup for my tank. I have a 75 gallon and was thinking of running 4 lamps. Would that be sufficient enough, or should I aim for 6? I've only ever used LEDS on my 30 gallon but the cost was much more affordable when I only needed one light fixture. Any advice on what you guys use and have experienced would be greatly appreciated. I've been stuck on what lights to get for weeks now -__-

[Juiceman]

You could get the 4 bulb ATI Hybrid Powermodule and do very well. Otherwise, if you do just T5, I would say 6 bulb.

[jestep]

For a 75 gallon, 6 - 8 T5HO, is what I would go with for a reef tank, at least 2 would be dedicated actinic bulbs. I would definitely not go with non high output T5's though, you'd need a ton of them to light a tank this large for anything but very easy soft corals. The term seems to be a bit ambiguous now, but there's definitely a difference between normal T5's which run at ~ 28W, each and T5 HO's, which run at ~54W each, just in case you weren't looking at the latter, I'm assuming you were.

One word of caution is that T5's are by far the most expensive option in the long run IMO. Bulbs basically need to be replaced annually, sometimes you can stretch them to 18 - 24 months. But, even if they look like they still work they lose a lot of their output and color spectrum which can lead to algae problems and potentially bleaching problems when you finally replace them. I'd figure annually replacing all daylight bulbs and the ballasts will roughly last between 2 and 10 years depending on the actual ballast and if they're allowed to stay somewhat cool or if they're stuffed into a hood.

But anyway, 6 bulb is the minimum I'd go with, and 8 would be preferable for better spread and color options. Definitely check out other bulb combos on tanks with the same front to back dimension and water depth. I think T5's still provide the best growth pattern for SPS as they are much more likely to table than with lighting from a more unified source like LED's or halides.

If you're looking for budget lighting, MH with LED supplementation is definitely the way to go. Bulbs are cheap and since everyone is moving to LED's, fixtures have lost most of their value in the reefing community. You could get a 2 x 250 W fixture, plusrite 20K bulbs, and a reef brite actinic strip for supplemental lighting, and both the setup and long term costs are going to be close to unbeatable.

[Sascha D.]

I don't know if I'm really qualified to talk on this subject right now, but I've seen it go both ways. Every lighting system has less expensive fixtures and a lot of them will be on sale until the end of the year. I've seen aquariums with $100 DIY LED's look healthier (to me) than similar aquariums with $1,200 Radions. Some outside factors may influence your decision. If you keep your house 75 degrees all year then you might run into a heat issue with T-5 or MH. It also depends if you have a canopy or if you're going to hang the lights and have an open top. If you're trying to keep clams on the sand bed then you'll need higher light penetration than if you're keeping polyps or acans.

I switched from T-5 to LED because of heat issues. Aside from that, I didn't like changing bulbs. You really have to be proactive with T-5 and MH bulbs. If you wait too long to change the bulb then the coral has already begun declining. The new bulbs will have an increased intensity and could shock the coral with more light than it's used to. A lot of people used to bleach their corals switching MH bulbs back in the day. The successful people that I have seen usually switch out their bulbs on a set schedule. For example, they might change 50% of their bulbs every six months. Bulb prices vary, but you're probably looking at $60 in bulbs a year. Take advantage of free shipping.

[mFrame]

+1 to what everyone is saying. I'll add that it wasn't just the cost that drove me away from bulbs, but the fact that my fixture was hanging from the ceiling over the tank. Changing the bulbs out was a pain in the butt. I haven't changed any bulbs other than my sump light in about 4 years now since switching to LED, and I haven't missed it once. And now that I think about it, I'm going to order an LED bulb for the sump.

[Neon Reefer]

I think I have settled on going with a T5 setup for my tank. I have a 75 gallon and was thinking of running 4 lamps. Would that be sufficient enough, or should I aim for 6? I've only ever used LEDS on my 30 gallon but the cost was much more affordable when I only needed one light fixture. Any advice on what you guys use and have experienced would be greatly appreciated. I've been stuck on what lights to get for weeks now -__-

You can get into 2 Chinese made dimmable LEDs to cover a 75 gal for less than you can get into a 6 bulb T5 HO plenty to chose from as far as configurations of Leds. Here is a nice link to a set that is dimmable programmable and uses brigelux chips and epistar emiters you can get a pair of 165 watts for < $250

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VIPARSPECTRA-165W-LED-Aquarium-Light-Built-in-Timer-Full-Spectrum-ReefCoral-Tank-/182347905591?hash=item2a74c83a37:g:XQsAAOSwNsdXR~mj

[Bpb]

I'll be the odd man out here. I've been just flat out happier with my tank health under t5ho than I was with LEDs or even metal halides

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[jestep]

I'll be the odd man out here. I've been just flat out happier with my tank health under t5ho than I was with LEDs or even metal halides

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I don't doubt that at all. I still think the grown pattern of SPS under T5's is way more desirable and consistent than anything else as well.

[FarmerTy]

Don't doubt it either but I'm not rich enough to swap 16 bulbs @ $28/piece every 9 months to have a pretty tank. One day though... [emoji4]

[FarmerTy]

That's an annual bulb change cost of $450/year on a tank my size. Ouch!

[Bpb]

Yeah there becomes a diminishing return. I just buy my bulbs once a year on Black Friday sale for $19 a piece...though I've had a different approach this year. Since getting the 8 bulb I've actually just been buying one or two through the year and setting them aside that way I don't take the hit all at once

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[FarmerTy]

Yeah there becomes a diminishing return. I just buy my bulbs once a year on Black Friday sale for $19 a piece...though I've had a different approach this year. Since getting the 8 bulb I've actually just been buying one or two through the year and setting them aside that way I don't take the hit all at once

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Its like a T5 payment plan! [emoji4] I still hold to the fact that T5s bring out the best color on SPS so fully agreed there.

[Sascha D.]

I was buying my bulbs at DFS for $12 each. I used them because they were great about returns. If you don't like the color or it comes in broken, then you don't have to worry about it.

[FarmerTy]

I was buying my bulbs at DFS for $12 each. I used them because they were great about returns. If you don't like the color or it comes in broken, then you don't have to worry about it.

Were these ATI bulbs? I use BRS because they'll replace broken ones in a heartbeat... And when you're dealing with 60" bulbs, its not too uncommon for that to happen.

[jcheek2010]

Thanks for all the info guys!! I guess I'm still undecided haha. I'll keep looking around and saving for some nice LEDS/T5 combo

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