Good Deal

[Bigpapa]

Hello all,

I have never used T5 lighting before but from what I read it is pretty close is use to MH's. I know there are benifits to both but the things I am looking at is I want to run cooler than my mhs and my lights are kind of close to the water-about 4-6" due to the canopy set up. I have been using 2 250w mhs so far. The tank is a 110 tall-30" deep. The only corals I really delve into are softies. I was looking at 6 bulb lights and came across this that looks like it would fit my needs but since I don't have alot of experience with them wanted to get some opinions before I went and made a deal.
Calina Aquatics T5 HO 6x54w saltwater/freshwater

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

Rob

 

[Gfoot2000]

Ya I switched from power compact to t5 and its a huge difference in growth and color, I read up between t5 and mh and mh is a little bit better in color spectrum but I wouldn't think its worth the heat imo

 

[DaveK]

There is nothing wrng with T5 lighting, but you already have good lighting in the form of the 250w MHs.

You also have a deep tank, so your going to need a lot of T5's to pull it off. That means replacing a lot of bulbs each year, possibly even costing more than replacing your MH bulbs.

I'd say that even with doing that, your lighting will not be improved very much, and you'll have spent a lot of money. You might be better off spending the money on another area of your reef.

You also might want to do a ballast upgrade, if your current MHs are not using electronic ballasts. That will make them run a bit cooler, and cut the power consumption way down.

 

[Bigpapa]

The reason I am having issue with the MH's is the proximity to the water. I dont like using anything above the water and with the mhs I have had multiple bulbs explode at this close to the water. I do like them but I just may need something that runs better for my setup.

 

[DaveK]

If your having bulbs explode, most likely they are getting splashed with aquarium water.

You should raise the fixture up or place some heat resistant glass over the bulb.

 

[Bigpapa]

If your having bulbs explode, most likely they are getting splashed with aquarium water.

You should raise the fixture up or place some heat resistant glass over the bulb.

That's y I was looking into the light change. Raising the canopy is not an option and I wanted to stay away from the extra glass. Will t5s also blow and is the deal I'm looking at a good price?

 

[smkndrgn142]

most T5s will have a splash guard. I was looking at the catalina unit you are, looks pretty solid and I only ever heard good things about it. I ended up with a 6 bulb Nova Extreme Pro...I really like it and have had no issues. If you're only keeping softies, you should be okay, but as posted above they really aren't going to penetrate that deep. Mine is great for my 55gal, but that's only like 21 inches deep. And even with that, my light loving corals and my clam have to stay at the very top of my tank. Just some food for thought. I really think your best bet is the MH that you have. Have you thought about ditching the canopy and hanging pendents?

 

[Bigpapa]

most T5s will have a splash guard. I was looking at the catalina unit you are, looks pretty solid and I only ever heard good things about it. I ended up with a 6 bulb Nova Extreme Pro...I really like it and have had no issues. If you're only keeping softies, you should be okay, but as posted above they really aren't going to penetrate that deep. Mine is great for my 55gal, but that's only like 21 inches deep. And even with that, my light loving corals and my clam have to stay at the very top of my tank. Just some food for thought. I really think your best bet is the MH that you have. Have you thought about ditching the canopy and hanging pendents?

Yeah, I actually like some of the pendants out there but my other half does not. She likes the clean furniture look of a canopy. Dont get me wrong, I like both. I really am not looking forward to building a taller canopy-1 because of time to do it and 2- the tank already stands tall,we wanted a tall front for our dt in the living room but that means the more I add to the canopy the more imposing it gets over the rest of the room. Dam I sound funny saying that lol

 

[smkndrgn142]

yeah, my better half hated the increased "glow" from my tank when I upgraded from PC to T5s...I can imagine what you're going through. How wide is your tank? could you fit an 8 bulb unit over it? that might help.

 

[Bigpapa]

yeah, my better half hated the increased "glow" from my tank when I upgraded from PC to T5s...I can imagine what you're going through. How wide is your tank? could you fit an 8 bulb unit over it? that might help.

Exactly, and I am not sure if I dissagree. With the tank up higher and in a room with couches that are lower you may get alot of overspray of light making it uncomfortable. The tank dimensions are (110 gal X-High) 48 7/8 x 19 x 30 3/4

 

[Bigpapa]

How about this one? It is a Nova Extreme PRO T5 8x54W light fixture - $200 No Legs but up to 8 lights.

 

[Alien2100]

Two more bulbs would definitely be better. However like most people already pointed out, T5's are not always the best choice with deeper tanks. If your only keeping softies I think you should be fine though. One thing I'm not sure your aware of, is T5's look very different. It's more of a glow then the shimmering light your MH are giving you right now. I'm not quite sure how your canopy is set up right now. However I would imagine a few glass shields and fans should fix any issues your having with the MH.

 

[Bigpapa]

Well its like this. The ballast on my current mhs just went on top of my bulb issues. I figured if there was ever a time for me to try a different lighting system it is now. I am not sure what was causing the bulbs to burst but didn't think that would be an issue with t5s as my best guess with the mhs was water splash. I dunno. I just want to get that happy place where coral, fish, myself, and wife are all happy with it. Lol uh not in that order .

 

[Alien2100]

Yeah if your ballast went out as well, then now would be has good as any for the change. I can almost guarantee you, your right in your thoughts that it was water splash causing the MH bulbs to burst. I have my MH mounted about 5" off the surface of the water, about the same as you. However I have a 1/4 thick UV glass cover protecting my bulb, If it wasn't there my bulb would burst for sure when my fish splash water. As it is I clean salt deposits off of it every few weeks.
If you end up going with the T5's I still would use a cover if it's going to be that close to the glass. Most already have them built in. If not with T5's you can use plexiglass rather than glass, something like 1/16 to 1/8 should be fine. It will keep water from splashing up and shorting out or corroding the sockets, plus keep the bulbs clean.
Good luck with your changes