billm January 4, 2009 Share January 4, 2009 I have a 75 gallon tank for the past 18 months it has been fish only I have recently been learning about corals and have aded some zoas, mushrooms and other "beginner" type corals I am currently using T5 lights (4 54 watt bulbs 2 white 2 blue) my question is what is the best type of light's to use that will not limit the types of corals I can have as I grow more experienced? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k January 4, 2009 Share January 4, 2009 metal halide of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billm January 4, 2009 Author Share January 4, 2009 metal halide of course. thanks, no limitations right? any special watt, color, brand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Ward January 4, 2009 Share January 4, 2009 metal halide lighting will let you keep everything, but many people have justt as much success with T5 lights. You might consider adding a couple extra bulbs to increase the overall light in the tank. Also, if you don't have individual reflectors on the bulbs, that will also increase your light output. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Ward January 4, 2009 Share January 4, 2009 the downside of MH is the heat so you'll likely need a chiller if you go with MH. Most of the time fans will control the temp when you're running T5. 20k and actinic bulbs will limit growth because of the lower PAR. 10k bulbs do best, but the mix is mostly up to personal preference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L8 2 RISE January 4, 2009 Share January 4, 2009 It's completely up in the air to opinion, and from my experience, the question: "What's better, metal halides or T5's?" can lead to hour long "debates" between reefers . I personally prefer T5's due to the fact that they run cooler, on less electricity, and all the combinations of light bulbs you can have to create just the effect you want in a tank. Quite honestly, if you have the right type/enough T5's, there isn't a coral you can't keep, so it's up to you to really read the opinions of others and their reasoning, as well as doing research on each type of lighting and then decide... That's my at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 4, 2009 Share January 4, 2009 metal halide of course. Not exactly...sure it allows you to keep more light demanding corals but MH lighting can be way to much for some corals. I would stick with what you have as there are several people in the club that have great looking corals under T5 lighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billm January 4, 2009 Author Share January 4, 2009 metal halide lighting will let you keep everything, but many people have justt as much success with T5 lights. You might consider adding a couple extra bulbs to increase the overall light in the tank. Also, if you don't have individual reflectors on the bulbs, that will also increase your light output. I only have the single reflector curious about the individual reflectors short of buying new lights do you know of where these may be found as an accessory? I did a quick google search and found nothing. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gastone January 4, 2009 Share January 4, 2009 Here you go: http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluore...SLR_Reflectors/ I know that Johnny at BRK carries these local. Garrett. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k January 4, 2009 Share January 4, 2009 I don't know why people say T5 runs cool- they are extremely hot to the touch and give off a lot of heat- almost the same as MH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k January 4, 2009 Share January 4, 2009 I only have the single reflector curious about the individual reflectors short of buying new lights do you know of where these may be found as an accessory? I did a quick google search and found nothing. Thanks marine depot sells individual reflectors. probably closer than going all the way to manassas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Ward January 4, 2009 Share January 4, 2009 I don't know why people say T5 runs cool- they are extremely hot to the touch and give off a lot of heat- almost the same as MH. It's not that T5s run cool, just cooler than MH. Most people that switch from MH to T5 also eliminate their chiller. This obviously depends on how you have everything set up. My T5s are definitely cooler than the MH lamps. The T5s provide a minor burn while the MH provides a major burn. Also, the T5s use much less electricity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billm January 4, 2009 Author Share January 4, 2009 It's not that T5s run cool, just cooler than MH. Most people that switch from MH to T5 also eliminate their chiller. This obviously depends on how you have everything set up. My T5s are definitely cooler than the MH lamps. The T5s provide a minor burn while the MH provides a major burn. Also, the T5s use much less electricity. Thank you all for all your help. I believe we will stick with the T5 for now however add the individual reflector, and eventually move up to more bulbs (if needed) I think we are more comfortable with being able to control the heat from the T5's Thanks again Bill & Rachel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 4, 2009 Share January 4, 2009 Billm, Glad you found an answer that works for you. I cringe everytime I see a post about "what light is better" because there are a lot of differing views but it all comes down to what works for you in your situation. I have T5's on one tank and MH on the other and the T5's do run much coolER. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman January 5, 2009 Share January 5, 2009 I have a 75 gallon tank for the past 18 months it has been fish only I have recently been learning about corals and have aded some zoas, mushrooms and other "beginner" type corals I am currently using T5 lights (4 54 watt bulbs 2 white 2 blue) my question is what is the best type of light's to use that will not limit the types of corals I can have as I grow more experienced? I manage fairly well with T5's. I have 10 80W T5's over a 240-gallon tank. bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amos January 5, 2009 Share January 5, 2009 Bill, You can actually do ALOT with the lighting you have (even with the single lens reflector (SLR)). I have 4 T5 bulbs on my 90. My buddy has the Nova with the SLR and has the exact same set of corals! There are lots of folks on here with similar setups, and you can get an idea (and real experience!) on how corals have done under that type of lighting. I think Brian Ward said something a while back about how flow is more important than light, and I'm starting to really believe that... Here's another thread with some examples of acros under T5s. http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?show...mp;#entry237483 Regards, Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tischdog32 January 12, 2009 Share January 12, 2009 Ive been looking around loosely, where can i fish 80w t5 bulbs? do most lfs's keep them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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