Thinking about T5's...

[Boosted98gsx]

I've got a 180 gallon that's currently lit by 3 250w 10k's, and thinking about switching to t5's. Was wondering if anyone on here has experience with them and could help me out.

[fkadir]

Hi! Whats the ht of the tank and what do you plan to keep in the tank? Do you have SPS all over the tank right to the bottom or just the top 1/2 or so?

Cheers!

[Boosted98gsx]

its a 24" tall tank, and we have SPS all over. We seem to get more color down towards the bottom.

[fkadir]

You get more colors towards the bottom but faded colors at the top? Whats the photoperiod of your current MHs?

[Boosted98gsx]

like 10 hrs.

[Diesel3443]

I would cut you MH period down first to see if that helps in total coloration of the tank---to about 7hrs

[Boosted98gsx]

This isn't about coloration, it's about energy conservation. MH's turn WAY TOO MUCH ENERGY into heat. We need a more effecient lighting setup. But here's where i'm stuck now. We're going to be getting some 660's for the t-5's, but i dont know how many bulbs i should use. It's a typical 180, 24x24x72, with overflows in the corners (old school oceanic).

I have a 16" tall canopy (for the MH's i'm currently using), will i have to ditch it for one closer to the water? Or can i hang reflectors inside of it? Or can i just bolt the bulbs to the top of it? Do they make lighting kits for T5's that can fit in a 6' long area?

Sorry for all the questions, i jsut need to know how much i'm looking at spending for the conversion.

Thanks

[fkadir]

I would try to cram in at least 8 x 80w T5s to effective cover 24" of width. Considering that your tank is 24 in ht. HO T5s with individual reflectors should give you more than enuff light for SPS. You should be using high quality lights like ATI/Deltec as these seem to be the brightest with no apparent color shift for up to almost a yr.

You should place the T5s about 2 inches off the water max so gain maximum light and penetration power.

For 6' setups, you should be looking at the HO-80w versions. There are quite a few retrofits that will do nicely for your case. More popular ones are the Aquamedic and Deltec retrofit kits.

[moonpod]

Take the 8x80 T5s and if you are retrofitting them into a canopy stagger 'em. It'll work very nicely. I've done it. You can really have a nice color combo b/c you can mix and match the bulbs so much. Make a platform to mount the bulbs on and then mount it to your canopy at a lower point. Then use the rest of the space for fans b/c the bulbs last longer when cooled as will the ballasts which you can mount to the original top of the canopy.