Upgrading Lighting

[Lisa Julia Photography]

Hi. I haven't been absent from the forums for a long time...mainly b/c of work etc...but it's time to upgrade my lights. Right now i have a 72gl bowfront with fish and some softies. I have the standard JBJ fixture that's been running 65w cf's for about 7-8 years. I think i want to go with T5. Someone recommended "4 lamp ATI Sunpower or Tek light with 2 ATI Blue Plus, 1 ATI Purple Plus and a KZ New Generation"....b/c i am NOT at all techie or a DIY kind of person, i had to google this and it looks like the ATI fixtures hang from the ceiling...and that's not an option.

so...my tank is about 21" deep and the JBJ i have now is 48".

Is there a comparable recommendation someone could make that doesn't hang from the ceiling? Also if you could be specific on the wattage, that would be great too. There are SO many different kinds of bulbs and fixtures that my head is going to explode. If i can keep this under 500 bucks, that would be good too.

My 'dream' is to have a LOT of color but mostly with mushrooms, ricordia and other really vibrant softies...THANKS!!!

Also, if you could provide links to what you're talking about, that would be great too.

THANKS in advance!!!

[zygote2k]

Why not go to LED instead of T5?

You can retrofit at least 6 of the Ecoxotic Panorama Pro fixtures into your existing hood.

[Coral Hind]

Why not go to LED instead of T5?

You can retrofit at least 6 of the Ecoxotic Panorama Pro fixtures into your existing hood.

Would six ecoxotic pro's be enough lights for corals?

[firecrackerbob]

Lighting is definitely a complicated part of the hobby and there is a lot of ways to go. LED is nice, im no expert on it though and me personally, I think the cost is pretty steep still. Metal halides are nice too, but not really necessary for a softie tank. T5s are still my "go to" lights of choice that I recommend to people. but that's just my opinion...

 

so with T5s you have three options--hanging fixture( out in this case), retrofit systems (my personal preference for price, but a DIY project) and a standard sit on top system. The choice you will have to make is between cost and doing a DIY project. What I have over my 55 is a T5/VHO actinic combo its cheap and gives great color pop with the VHO that I prefer. these are installed into a homemade hood. these are the kits that I have:

http://www.hellolights.com/48inch2x54t5retrofit.aspx

http://www.hellolights.com/2lampelectronicvhoaroas220ballastkit.aspx

 

on the other hand, if you prefer a sit on top system, probably similar to what you have you would be looking at something like this:

http://www.hellolights.com/48inch-coralife-lunar-aqualight-t5-lamp-high-output-fixture-3.aspx

 

let us know if these are the types of systems you are thinking of and we can go from there... we can also make some recommendations about bulb color... you may want to check out the grim reefers bulb thread or reef central too...

[zygote2k]

Would six ecoxotix pro's be enough lights for corals?

Uhh, yeah. that's almost 120w of light. If you get the individual reflectors, it'll focus more of the light downwards.

I currently maintain 4 tanks with the Panorama Pros:

60g hex with 2 modules growing softies

90g with 4 modules growing softies

240g with 8 modules growing softies/lps

another tank with 2 Actinic modules for supplemental light.

Travis has 4 of the regular 12w modules growing LPS and softies.

[zygote2k]

Panorama modules are pretty inexpensive compared to T5's

Each 12w module costs about $90 online, each Pro module costs about the same but you'll need a 60w transformer to power up to 3 of them. Multiple transformers allows multiple channels- dawn/dusk/etc.

You won't have to buy another module in case of burnout for at least 5 years and electricity costs are literally a fraction of conventional lights not to mention heat issues...

Anyone who doesn't recommend that you go to LED's from PC's for a softie tank, obviously hasn't tried them yet.

I hate to sound so preachy but the reality of it is that LED's are so superior to conventional lights that it's a no-brainer.

I've currently installed over 20 LED systems and maintain nearly all of them and have had zero issues with them so far. I haven't even seen a dead emitter or even a loose connection. I have seen some inferior LED products out there like the Marineland fixtures- they have power supply corrosion issues and I've had to replace 3 of them so far, but this is a minor issue that was resolved with some dilectric grease.

[Lisa Julia Photography]

Wow...thank you..i am just glad anyone answered! I have been posting on various forums about this lately and either i am told to do a 'search' (which i would if i know what i was searching for lol!) or i have absolutely no idea what they are talking about....so....yes..something similar to the JBJ that sits over the tank (doesn't hang from ceiling) The JBJ is about 8yrs old now and the plexi glass is cracked and we've had to replace the fans on it..we just don't know how much longer it's going to last and we are NOT handy at all...so that is why we thought we'd just get a whole new fixture. What i am confused about is the wattage and the different kinds of bulbs and if different brands would fit into whatever fixture i get.

[Lisa Julia Photography]

Can i get different lights for this? http://www.marineandreef.com/ShoppingCart.asp?

[steveoutlaw]

I hate to sound so preachy but the reality of it is that LED's are so superior to conventional lights that it's a no-brainer.

 

It's far from a no-brainer. I've had LEDs, MH and T5 and I can say that LEDs were my least favorite. I switched back to T5s from the LEDs and corals colored up brighter and the polyp extension was much better. This is on the same tank with the same water chemistry.

[Lisa Julia Photography]

PS..husband's eyes glazed over when i mentioned 'retrofit' or DIY...he's awesome but...not so much where the tanks are concerned lol!

[firecrackerbob]

hehe... yea, then you will want to go with a fixture. for a 48in tank with T5 bulbs the wattage per bulb is 54 watts. pretty much any manufacturer will work. which bulbs you want is really a matter of personal preference. do you like the more 20K(purple/blue look), 14K(blueish), 12K(blue white look)?

 

I tired to find grim reefers thread but couldn't- maybe someone here has a link?

 

but to make a general recommendation- I would go with 2blue plus bulbs, 1 actinic, and 1 aquablue. this gives a a nice even blue look in my opinion... but again this is personal preference.

[Lisa Julia Photography]

Yes i have heard mixed comments about LED...but i did see a fixture that holds LED, T5 and some other kind of lights...it was over 500...not by much...

[Lisa Julia Photography]

Grim reefer is the one who recommended the light set up in my first post..i didn't want to bug him again to tell him we can't hang the lights...and that last KZ new generation...i don't know if that's a white light or not and some people were saying they aren't worth the money...again..i have NO clue.

I think i want it to look more on the blue side than yellowish but not like when you have just moonlights on..that's too blue!...thanks again everyone for your patience...i think that link i posted above is the one i am leaning toward...but it comes with lights...i don't know what kinds to get to replace the ones that come with it since they are just 'ordinary'.

[hypertech]

It's far from a no-brainer. I've had LEDs, MH and T5 and I can say that LEDs were my least favorite. I switched back to T5s from the LEDs and corals colored up brighter and the polyp extension was much better. This is on the same tank with the same water chemistry.

 

I agree. They are not soooo superior that they are always better no matter what. I don't like them for the main lights. I think I would use them for supplementation only.

[zygote2k]

It's far from a no-brainer. I've had LEDs, MH and T5 and I can say that LEDs were my least favorite. I switched back to T5s from the LEDs and corals colored up brighter and the polyp extension was much better. This is on the same tank with the same water chemistry.

this coming from the guy who hasn't had any setup longer than 6 months before setting up a different one

not to say that I don't appreciate your tear downs, as I have many components of them- thanks!

[Lisa Julia Photography]

Good grief..i didn't intend to start a battle....thanks for the help.

[steveoutlaw]

Good grief..i didn't intend to start a battle....thanks for the help.

 

it's not a battle......Rob's just grumpy and knows I'm right!!

[epleeds]

Lisa

 

If all you plan on having is a softie tank and no or very limited SPS, you could easily go with a 4 or 6 bulb T5 fixture. For that application, you could use the ATI Sunpower fixture. Depending on how u want it to look, you could go with the 48" fixture or if you wanted to hang it or suspend it inside a canopy, you could even use the 36" fixture. If u were going SPS, then I would use the 6 or 8 bulb version. The more bulbs u have let's u mix the colors up. One of the best sites is reefgeek.com for ATI fixtures

[epleeds]

you could always make a mount with some "L" brackets to hang it off the wall above the tank if you didnt want to hang it off the ceiling.

 

here is a link to the fixtures...

 

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/ATI/SunPower_Fixtures/

[zygote2k]

Good grief..i didn't intend to start a battle....thanks for the help.

It's not a battle, Julia. It's just how many of our conversations go on WAMAS. I'm really not grumpy either. If you would like help with retrofitting an LED fixture into an existing housing, I can give you some help.

[Lisa Julia Photography]

Okay...thank you for clarifying lol! I ended up ordering the coralife 48" that will not need to be suspended. I just need to replace the bulbs when it arrives if i don't think they will work well.. Thanks for your assistance..i am glad everyone here is so helpful! We have been 'casual' hobbyists for awhile. I have had freshwater fish since i was a kid. We've also got 3 dogs, a hermit crab and a rabbit but my husband is retiring and it will give us more time to 'fancy up' the 72gl...hopefully!

[trockafella]

Actually I only have 2- 12w 12K panorama modules and 1 all blue 12w, and yes my LPS and Leathers are rather happy..

 

I hate agreeing with Rob sometimes, especially in regards to LEDs, but he is right. The ecoxotix modules are so easy to install, no DIY needed. The color is great, there is a nice selection now, no heat, no replacing, no noisy fans.. If you would like to see a reef tank lit by 36w of light feel free to swing by. I dont think my tank is bright enough for much SPS, but I dont plan to keep any so I dont need 46,000 watts of light. Effiecent lighting is more important than sheer numbers.. Btw, I loved my T5's, I had a finnex T5/LED hybrid unit, it was great. But more than I needed on my new tank, and I hate replacing bulbs every year..

[lowsingle]

I too have used almost every form of lighting over the 20 or so years that I have been keeping corals (MHs, HOs, VHOs, CF, T5s and LEDs) and have seen LEDs give the best coloration for all of the corals that I have kept (that includes SPS). Some of my LPS and softies look absolutely sick under my powerbrights.

 

Here's proof:

 

 

I never had color like that with my T5s.......

[lowsingle]

A few more......

 

[Lisa Julia Photography]

pretty!