Would t5 lighting ONLY be possible on 30" deep tank?

[mane3215]

OK, so I have been kicking around the idea of using only t5 lighting on my new 300g tank. I have been thinking of using 3-4 lumanarcs with 400w bulbs, but I really dread using the reflectors because of their size and appearance. I would like to keep the top of the tank open.

I know T5 is all the rage in Europe, but for the life of me I cant seem to find any forums on them hehe...anyway, if you guys have any info that will help me out its greatly appreciate.

Thanks Ahead!

[moonpod]

Well, yes it's possible. These are the caveats. You gotta be anal about your water clarity and your reflector cleaning and you gotta have good reflectors. Bernie Mohr's tank is about 30" tall.

[mane3215]

Just read a few threads at rc and seen this tank, WOW!

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...5&pagenumber=1

Not sure how tall though one guy say 80 centimeters (31 inches) Heinz said 24", both are germans reading german hehe, I don't know which it is.

I am really wanting to give this a go, but only if I can make it work and not lose any of the functionality of mh's. I love the "sparkly" look of my metal halides!

[fkadir]

I would guess that in a tank that tall and only T5s, you need to arrange the SPS so dat it occupies the top 1/2 of the tank and less light demanding corals occupying the bottom 1/2.

[Heinz]

if you look at that picture, IMO, all SPS are in the top half, no SPS at the bottom

[Heinz]

i think in that pic you can see it better,

unless i am blind, all the SPS are on top

[Heinz]

as for hight, i think i made a mistake, and the tank is 80cm/32" high

[Heinz]

here is what lights he hat,

8 x 250 W AB + 4 x 36 W Osram 67 bei Umstellung auf Steinkorallen

8 x 400 W AB + 8 x 36 W Osram 67 zur Alleinhaltung von Steinkorallen usw.

32 x 54 W ATI – Leuchtstoffröhren wechselweise Blue u. Sun

so he went from 250 to 400's then to T5,

[mane3215]

I would guess that in a tank that tall and only T5s, you need to arrange the SPS so dat it occupies the top 1/2 of the tank and less light demanding corals occupying the bottom 1/2.

Yeah, I think that might be the case, but the trade off may be worth it.

as for hight, i think i made a mistake, and the tank is 80cm/32" high

Its ok, your slipping =)...I'll let it go *this* time! hehe.

Thanks for all that info Heinz! You are a very big help as always.



So what do you guys think in general? Good idea or bad to try to go all t5?

[invincible569]

I think you're right Mane.. you do loose the crisp clear water effect with MH's. But then again, its an opinion on how you want your setup to look.

[moonpod]

It's about the "look" that you like. T5 and MH tanks "look" different. Not good/bad just different.

You can have PLENTY of success with T5 just as you can with MH.

It's a "choice" thing.

[mane3215]

You guys are killing me =P. I never seen a real T5 tank so I am unsure of what to expect. Maybe I will just go for it, if I dont like it I'll just change it =).

[invincible569]

well if it makes you feel any better.. i have shown others who arent into the reefing hobby how my tank looks without the MH's and T5 and they like it better. Maybe its the cool blue effect? For me, I like the natural look as if you were looking into a shallow water lagoon.

[AquariumObsessed]

I am going to have MH and T5 on my new 1250. I cant do without the shimmer effect

[mane3215]

OK Ok OK.....soooo.....then how do I maintain open top and cover those ugly lumenarcs? =P