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chbix

which lights?

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by
chbix
, 01-28-2011 at 12:36 PM (1371 Views)
Ok so I havent been doing anything with my salt water build. Life got in the way and with a possible move decided i didnt want to get a tank up to just tear it down. Now the move has been put off for a few years so I want to get it up and running.

Still have to finish sump, build/fix the overflow box, create my live rock and buy good lights.

I am looking at doing fish and some soft corals to start.

I was originally looking at an Odyssea T5 216 watt light fixture like this

http://www.aquatraders.com/ProductDe...ductCode=52305

The one i originally was gonna buy had built in timers that I really liked but i cant find that one.

However while browsing i found these on sale

http://www.aquatraders.com/ProductDe...ductCode=54241

I would have to get 2 as I have a 55gallon tank that is 48" across that has the support in the middle.

What do you guys think?


Edit to add:

My thought on the first T5 fixture is to run 2 bulbs white and 2 bulbs blue. Is 50/50 good or should i run 3 whites and 1 blue?

My thought on the two pendants would be to run all 4 t5 bulbs (2 per fixture) blue and have the MH for growth. Any reason to not do all 4 blue on the two fixtures?

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Updated 01-31-2011 at 09:00 PM by chbix

Categories
‎ Lighting , ‎ Questions - Need some input

Comments

  1. Heathd's Avatar
    Either one of those will work fine. I have a 4x54 T5 on my 75 and I grow whatever i want sans most SPS. I have a 10k, 14k, actinic, and a purlple which comes out with a light blue mix.


    T5s get hot, but not like metal halides, so if you have no interest in light demanding corals, I wouldnt do MH. Then again, you may live in an area with mild summers where keeping the house cool isnt really an issue. I just cant handle metal halides in my house during the summers, gets too hot, and I am not open to buying a chiller.
    Updated 01-28-2011 at 06:10 PM by Heathd
  2. DJ in WV's Avatar
    i would run 4 blue with the mh/t5 hoods. Dont think there would be any reason to run any white or 50/50 t5 with that set up. Just my opinion and you know what they say about those
  3. Alaska_Phil's Avatar
    I'm running 4 54W T5's over my 50 long, which has the same dimentions as your 55 except about an inch shorter. I've only added SPS corals 2 or 3 months ago, but they seem to be doing well and growing nicely so far. I'm using an IceCap retrofit kit in a custom hood. One of the advanages of T5's is the huge slection of colors available. So you have far more choices than just blue and white. I'm currently running 2 Aquablue Plus (~12,000K) One 10,000K and a Fiji Purple. The blue helps some of the corals really phosphorese and the purple really makes my reds pop. Check out www.reefgeek.com to see just what's available.
  4. Jaxom's Avatar
    Here is a link for the lights I just bought, http://www.aquaticlife.com/t5ho_six_lamp/index.html, they make a 4 and 6 bulb setup.
  5. Caviar's Avatar
    I have the smaller version of the Odyssea, and love it! It's a very good cost effective setup. If you do go with them, I recommend changing the stock bulbs it comes with. Other than that, your set.

    Happy reefing,
    Caviar