Lighting thoughts...

[smkndrgn142]

Hey everybody, I am getting ready to upgrade my lighting and I just wanted to get some thoughts before I made my order. I am currently considering 2 brands of T5 lighting. Right now it's between the Current Nova Extreme Pro 48" and a Catalina 48" fixture. Any thoughts/experiences with these brands would be helpful, but mostly I'm trying to decide between a 4 bulb fixture or a 6 bulb fixture. I currently have a 55g tank, 48x18x12. I'm keeping mostly soft corals with a few lps. I plan on adding more softies and lps but would eventually like to add some sps, but I don't want to have so much light that I bleach out my mushrooms and zoas. So i guess my question is this...Will a 6 bulb T5 be too much for my softies, or will they be okay if I take my time and acclimate them to the new lighting? Here's a link to my tank thread...any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated...

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/reef-chronicles/47020-my-latest-55gal-reef-attempt.html

 

[kdavies]

I don't have much experience with 6 bulb fixtures, but I think it would work out fine for you in the long run if you kept your zoas and mushrooms at the bottom of the tank or in some shade, and slowly acclimated them to where you want them in the tank.

 

[Eric]

I just got a used 48" catalina 4x54w fixture, it's a nice fixture that I feel is well built for the money.

I would go with the 6 bulb fixture your softies will adjust and be fine.

 

[astiesi]

I currently have the 36" 6-Bulb Nova Extreme Pro fixture over my tank. I like the unit, definately doesn't seem cheap, and thus far it has been working well. It's been in use about 9 months now. For the money not a bad buy. The only thing I will say is upgrade the stock bulbs, it really makes a difference.

As for it being too much light, you should be fine as long as you acclimate the tank to them over a few weeks. Some people will put a few pieces of screen over the top of the tank and remove one a week. My livestock went from stock BioCube lighting (PC) to this fixture in my 65g and I didn't have a problem with any softies bleaching, however the 65 is a pretty deep tank.

 

[smkndrgn142]

I would go with the 6 bulb fixture your softies will adjust and be fine.

I had a feeling you would say something like that

 

[Eric]

It is what it is, your talking 5.8wpg if you go with the 6 bulb fixture and that not intense lighting for lps and softies although it would give you enough light to venture into sps and some other high light corals.

Keep your options open

 

[smkndrgn142]

It is what it is, your talking 5.8wpg if you go with the 6 bulb fixture and that not intense lighting for lps and softies although it would give you enough light to venture into sps and some other high light corals.

Keep your options open

You make a very good point, and that's what I was hoping to hear. I'm at 292 watts of PC right now...so it's not an increase in the watts per gallon, but rather the increase in PAR that concerned me. Just wanted someone with more lighting experience to tell me it would be okay...because while I can move some things lower in the tank, some of them are as low as they can go. Now I guess we wait for payday!

 

[BigAl07]

I'll just (for fun) interject my thoughts here... take em for what you paid for them

• A) Make sure the 6-bulb doesn't create much (none better) light spillage. Yes I agree 6-bulb for the most part is MUCH better than 4 but it it's wasted light then it's... WASTED! LOL!
  
• B) It's not the wattage increase it's the intensity. I went from 130W PC over a 10g tank (13WPG ) to 48W T5's (4.8WPG)and still NUKED some coral. I didn't follow my own "Light Acclimation" advice because it was such a reduction in wattage. LIGHT ACCLIMATE regardless of what you get. I like to use fiberglass window screen to "Shade" the tank and remove a layer every week until it's GONE and full strength.
  
• C) NEP is a good light and before I went with a Catalina Aquariums fixture I was pushing the NEP. Now that I've had (and still have but not in use because the tank is taken down) I highly suggest the CA unit. I'm VERY pleased with mine and their Customer Service is superb!!

 

[smkndrgn142]

I'll just (for fun) interject my thoughts here... take em for what you paid for them

• A) Make sure the 6-bulb doesn't create much (none better) light spillage. Yes I agree 6-bulb for the most part is MUCH better than 4 but it it's wasted light then it's... WASTED! LOL!
  
• B) It's not the wattage increase it's the intensity. I went from 130W PC over a 10g tank (13WPG ) to 48W T5's (4.8WPG)and still NUKED some coral. I didn't follow my own "Light Acclimation" advice because it was such a reduction in wattage. LIGHT ACCLIMATE regardless of what you get. I like to use fiberglass window screen to "Shade" the tank and remove a layer every week until it's GONE and full strength.
  
• C) NEP is a good light and before I went with a Catalina Aquariums fixture I was pushing the NEP. Now that I've had (and still have but not in use because the tank is taken down) I highly suggest the CA unit. I'm VERY pleased with mine and their Customer Service is superb!!

Thanks Al, I like the design on the catalina as well...especially the heat sink down the middle and the fact I can add moon lights later if I decide I want them. Not to mention that they're only a couple hours up the 5 freeway from here, so even ground shipping should make it in 1 or 2 days! The dimensions seem right...12 inch tank, 10 inch light, hopefully once up on the legs there won't be much spillage.
Here's a question for you though...how many layers of screen should I start with? This is some thing I definitely want to do right, I've grown attached to everything I've grown in my tank!

 

[BigAl07]

It's hard to guess. You'll have to experiment and "approximate" the current light level. There's no real science here it's just guestimation at best. I think I used 3 layers on my 90g.

 

[smkndrgn142]

It's hard to guess. You'll have to experiment and "approximate" the current light level. There's no real science here it's just guestimation at best. I think I used 3 layers on my 90g.

thanks! that gives me reference point to start from...I'll probably go with 5 or 6.

 

[carmexx]

I think there is someone selling a 48" 4 bulb catalina t5 fixture on here. Check the drygoods for sale postings.

 

[smkndrgn142]

I think there is someone selling a 48" 4 bulb catalina t5 fixture on here. Check the drygoods for sale postings.

I saw that...if it was a 6 bulb unit I would take it. It was very tempting. Of course it figures that now that I've made a decision...Catalina has the 4 bulb and 8 bulb fixtures on sale...6 bulbs full price!

 

[smkndrgn142]

Here's one last question for anyone out there. What are the odds of keeping a clam under this type of lighting? And to be clear here, I would definitely keep it towards the top of the tank...

 

[Eric]

I think you could do a dersa and possibly a corcea if you kept your water quality near perfect and stable.

 

[smkndrgn142]

good to know...research time!