Lighting question ---

[mandown123]

Hey guys!

I am purchasing a 36", 95 watt Current single sattelite compact flourescent setup.

Will this be enough light for anenomes and different types of growth?

 

[mandown123]

Compact Fluorescent Aquarium Lighting: Single Satellite Compact Fluorescent Fixtures

this is it

 

[pat8you]

Gotta tell people what size tank you have that way they will have and idea about how many watts per gallon you have. There is more to it the just watts per gallon like depth in the tank and light intensity but the watts per gallon rules of thumb are a good place to start.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

It's a 36" fixture, so it's somewhere between a 30g and a 50g... my guess is closer to a 50g.

Either way, it's a single fixture and while I'm not an anemone expert I'm pretty sure that's not going to cut it. You *might* be OK for very low light corals, but you're going to want something twice that wattage to start thinking about LPS corals and probably a bit more than twice that for anenomes.

 

[mandown123]

i'm sorry. my tank is 30 gallon and 16 inch depth.

i am striving for a peaceful community with a small range of corals and possibly an anemone to go with my clown fish.

 

[Ziggy953]

A BTA (bubble tip anemone) may be ok with that lighting in that size tank however most anemones like a lot of light. Personally I would look into a T5 fixture over the PC. T5 bulbs have a better PAR rating and they will last longer. They don't get nearly as hot as the PCs do either. For the same amount of money you are going to spend on that fixture you could get this New T5ho t5-ho 3ft / 4LAMP Aquarium lighting - eBay (item 110229585045 end time Mar-08-08 22:24:40 PST) for about the same thing and it will give you enough light to do most anything you want.

Check on ebay for some T5 fixtures I'm sure you could find something that will work in that price range.

 

[mandown123]

yeah that is about exactly what I am about to pay for the other one. What is PAR rating mean?

I see here that these are 2x39 Watt bulbs, which would total 78 watts. But they are in white and blue. Hm.. what does the different color do?

This would give me enough light to grow lots more than the fixture I was going to buy?

 

[pat8you]

That fixture actually has 4 bulbs at 39 watts each.

 

[cmor1701d]

That T5 fixture does not show you the reflector design. T5 output is very reflector dependant. A high quality parabolic reflector over each bulb is necessary to get the true benefit (full light output and PAR) of a T5 bub.

Look at these or these for a comparison.

 

[mandown123]

hi guys. you are being a great help and i appreciate it.

reflector design... is this something I can customize myself if the supplied reflector is inadequate? Is this a small project or is it something that must come with the fixture

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Is that an Odyssea fixture? Anyone know?

I'm a firm believer of "you get what you pay for." Paying more money for something doesn't mean high quality, but I've never found where buying the cheap product gives you high quality.

In my opinion, lighting is something you don't want cheap quality in. Shoddy light fixtures have the potential to burn down your house at worst, or not give you the light you need at best.

I also would also not be to sure about buying from people that can't even put together a coherent ebay ad.

 

[mandown123]

I would tend to agree, but this looks like a great deal and he has nothing but positive feed back. I checked and ppl said great light, great product, etc.

 

[cmor1701d]

eBay feedbackis usualy left immediatlely after receivng a product. Most of the people buying this light have not had time (months) to see how it performs before leaving feedback. Therefore I would take eBay feedback with a large grain of salt.

Google T5 lighting and read about what it takes to get the full output.

 

[pitt420dude]

CMor, I too have been reading up on T5 lighting, but out of the two lights you linked, which would you say is better? Is the latter better b/c the bulbs are spaced further apart?

How do you feel about coralife's or Current Satellite's reflectors for PC bulbs. While a good reflecter is crucial (thanks AHsupply) and the distance and placement of it in relation to the bulb matters as well; is this even moreso w/ T5 lighting as opposed to PC lighting for some reason?

 

[Ziggy953]

The best option for a T5 unit is to go with TEK they are more expensive (it's what I use) but they do have a reflector for each bulb. PAR is just a measurment of how much light a bulb generates.

With T5 lighting you want a reflector for each bulb that maximizes the output of the bulb. IF you can manage a DIY canopy and buy the DIY TEK kits you will save $$. TEK DIY kits come with ballast, wire, endcaps and reflectors for each bulb. TEK also makes complete units.

 

[cmor1701d]

I don't have T5's but I did investigate them a couple of years ago. The TEK units were the best around (US market) because of the reflector they used. The T5 bulb is smaller (5/8”) so they can be closer together. I do remember that the best parabolic reflectors were shaped like a W with a bulb in the middle of the reflector. Look at this unit for an idea of the reflector design (scroll to the bottom for a good look at the reflector). This unit is overdriven so I'm not a big fan of it. The bulbs will burn out faster.

 

[mandown123]

wow that is some light. That thing looks so cool lol. i would be proud to be a fish swimming under that sucker.

 

[cmor1701d]

It is a well made unit with quality components. But, they overdrive the lamps to 85w each, which will cause them to burn out quicker than normal. I think the TEK unit uses that reflector design, but I could not find a picture of one.