48" T-5 advice needed

[Jimbo C]

I have a lid on my 90 gallon reef setup that was all given to me about three months ago. It is a four bulb configuration , so my question is what is the best combo for mr reef to thrive in. I'm not too concerned on appearance as I would rather a healthy reef!

 

[erichm20]

First off congrats on the awesome gift!

The lighting you need for your reef to thrive depends on the type of coral you want.

I have a 4 bulb t5 fixture over my 55 and it's great!

 

[Jimbo C]

Thanx, I would like to not be limited on my selection of corals , but money is an issue and wifey would flip if I dropped 500$ on my tank. Any alternatives would be great. I know it's an expensive hobby , but I am about to order my ro/di system and I am about to drill out bottom of stand and dining room floor to make my filter room in basement. She's going nuts

 

[Jake337]

You should replace the bulbs with good brand ones like ATI. They put out good par which is a plus. I also have a 4bulb t5 and am saving up to replace my bulbs.

 

[bigben2057]

I have a lid on my 90 gallon reef setup that was all given to me about three months ago. It is a four bulb configuration , so my question is what is the best combo for mr reef to thrive in. I'm not too concerned on appearance as I would rather a healthy reef!

Colors really dont matter all that much for the corals, it matters more to you and what color you want. 460nm actinic blue and 420nm actinic purples will make the colors stand out more like greens,reds. 10ks and actinics will just have more white light. Atis look nice for you I have not seen any difference in coral growth though compared to cheap t5 hos.

 

[erichm20]

Well from what I understand (not an expert by any means on the subject) is the 4 bulb t 5 cannot support sps corals. For those you will need to add more light. Something you could do later.

Fortunately you should be able to have all soft corals and most LPS with that unit (which is a lot of different corals!).

+1 on the color comment blue is mostly aesthetic. I personally would have to have some sort of bluish light even if it's just a cheap lunar fixture (in addition to the regular light), it really brings out the vibrant colors of the coral.

 

[tonedogz]

You should try led's. Alot of people on here have taotronic led's which you can get for about $180. Those ati bulbs are not cheap four bulbs would probably cost you around $100 and need to be replaced every 8 to 12 months With the led's you can keep whatever you want in the way of corals and the bulbs don't have to be changed for years and years also cheaper to run and there's no heat to affect your water temp.

 

[jjamontan]

I am running a aquaticlife 4 bulb T5 lights on my 55 gallon tank. I have some montipora, stylopora and birdsnest coral all with growth. They don't have the best color but have grown allot since I added them. Here is a photo of my tank.

 

[sanderson417]

I also have a 4 bulb T5. I use ATI bulbs and have good growth. I have a Monti up high and it's growing well. It didn't grow until I started closely monitoring Alk and Calc. Now everything is really growing especially the SPS Monti.

 

[Jimbo C]

You should try led's. Alot of people on here have taotronic led's which you can get for about $180. Those ati bulbs are not cheap four bulbs would probably cost you around $100 and need to be replaced every 8 to 12 months With the led's you can keep whatever you want in the way of corals and the bulbs don't have to be changed for years and years also cheaper to run and there's no heat to affect your water temp.

I think I'm going to check into this setup, it sounds like a great price and if it will enable me to own any coral how can I go wrong? Thanx for the advice!

 

[Jimbo C]

Is one of the 100 and? Watt enough for my 90 gallon or do I need new 200 and? Watt model ,I hear the fans in the new model are quieter and new power in on side instead of on top

 

[SeanMonster]

Well from what I understand (not an expert by any means on the subject) is the 4 bulb t 5 cannot support sps corals. For those you will need to add more light. Something you could do later.

Fortunately you should be able to have all soft corals and most LPS with that unit (which is a lot of different corals!).

+1 on the color comment blue is mostly aesthetic. I personally would have to have some sort of bluish light even if it's just a cheap lunar fixture (in addition to the regular light), it really brings out the vibrant colors of the coral.

I think it depends on the sps corals. I have a 4 bulb T5 on my 90g with several sps. They are all growing like crazy. It is definitely a balance between light and flow though.

 

[erichm20]

I'm glad to hear the success w sps. My question is does your unit have reflectors for each bulb? I have a DIY hood without any reflectors. I have about 32x tank volume for flow so maybe I should try one.

Do u have to place them at the very top?

 

[SeanMonster]

I'm glad to hear the success w sps. My question is does your unit have reflectors for each bulb? I have a DIY hood without any reflectors. I have about 32x tank volume for flow so maybe I should try one.

Do u have to place them at the very top?

Yes, mine has reflectors. It's a Tek T5. I keep my sps in the upper 1/2 of the tank.