t5 lighting

[ninnybone]

i have 75g tank would like to be able to keep all coral. my tank is 4' long 18"deep. i was thinking t5 lighting $ reasons would 6 bulbs be enough or should i go 8 bulbs :?:

 

[bleedingthought]

When in doubt, go bigger!

So 8 bulbs, if that's all you can do!

 

[ninnybone]

do you think t5 lighting will work if i go 8 bulbs or do i need mh :?

 

[bleedingthought]

Man, that's a hot debate right now. Some people say one thing and some people say another. What my conclusions are if you have good reflectors on the T5s then they're just as good as the MH. Now, I feel that if you have really nice/effective reflectors for MH, then they'll beat T5s but that's my view on it. So, go from there.

 

[Anonymous]

I ahve bought T5 for my tank, i have got four bulbs which will be enough to grow 90% of stuff. Your tank is not that deep, mine is 22inch's of water. I had to get T5 lighting as my girlfriend did not want MH lighting suspended above the tank. And the increased cost, the T5 units cost me in total £200. Big difference.

 

[ChrisRD]

You might want to verify dimensions - not sure an 8 lamp system would even fit over your tank.
Over that tank, a good 6 lamp system should be fine to keep most stuff IMO.

 

[josbur63]

I have a 75 gallon tank also,and have a nova extreme t5 h.o. 8 bulb system.It has 8-54watt bulbs,fits perfectly,and I have a clam,sps,and just about one of everything you can imagine.I love my lights,and recommend as many bulbs as you can afford.You can always mix and match bulbs,or remove some if it seems too bright.Good Luck.

 

[ChrisRD]

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I was thinking about systems with individual lamp reflectors (personally, that's what I would stick with). IIRC individual reflectors like Teks and IceCaps are at least 2" wide so you'd have to cram them pretty tight together to fit 8 over an 18" wide tank.

BTW, Josbur63 - :welcome:

 

[Ixthys]

Hi. I have a 30" deep tank and run 8-54w bulbs on IC660's with reflectors. I think it is too much. If I had to do over, I probably wouldn't overdrive them with Icecaps.

 

[DrHank]

I'm rumming 4 -54w on my 30" deep tank. Standard tubes, not overdriving, standard reflectors. I keep a few easy SPS, LPS & softies. All are doing well. If I wanted to do most Acroporia I'd either need to overdrive the four tubes I have or go to a 6 tube set-up. I do have to admit that I miss the shimmer of MH but not the overheating.