Looking to get a light fixture. Just wondering which brand I need to look for? I have heard T5HO and something about reflectors. I am just starting my reef aquarium and really know nothing about the lighting. I am also wondering if I will see a difference in my electric bill? Any thoughts or recommendations?
Lighting for my 75 gallon reef.
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saltwatertogo
Aquarium Advice Activist
It's really a matter of how much you want to spend and what you want to grow. If you won't have a heat issue or you have room for a chiller. Metal halide are the best as far as im concerned. especially if you want to grow sps corals, As for as everthing else T-5HO or power compacts will do the job. I'd reccomend waiting awhile on the Led's. Theirs not alot of options out there, and the really nice ones that are out there very exspensive. Good Luck!
Fishman
Fishman
six2sevenproductions
Aquarium Advice Activist
I agree, go with power compacts or t5s. Do not go with metal halides if you do not plan on getting a chiller. Halides really heat up the water. My opinion is 4x96w of power compacts for your 75g will be great for a reefsaltwatertogo said:
Greenmaster
Aquarium Advice Addict
It depends greatly on the temperature of the room and what other heating factors there are like pumps, lights and sunlight... also are you going to have a sump? Will there be lots of area for evaporation (helps cooling). If you start to have problems with heat you can add fans across the sump or tank to help cause more evaporation.
mr_X
Aquarium Advice Addict
i would not use power compacts. they don't penetrate the water very well, they only come in 2 colors, and they are very expensive to replace.
a 4 x 96 watt PC fixture probably puts out half the PAR as a T5 HO fixture of the same wattage.
individually reflected T5 HO or metal halides will both do whatever you want them to. a quality T5 HO fixture is every bit as powerful as metal halides.
as a matter of fact, my last 8 lamp T5 fixture put off almost double the PAR as a 250 watt halide setup.
i'm not sure about the heat though. when i changed from halides to T5s, my tank temp didn't drop a degree.
sure the halide will burn your skin if you touch it, and the T5 will only feel hot, but you are talking about spreading heat out over 8 long bulbs, instead of focusing it at one spot.
i wish someone would be able to figure exactly how much heat is radiated from each setup, but to date i haven't found any study done.
i've used everything but LEDs up till now, and i never had the need for a chiller. i did use fans though. two 12" fans actually. one over the 125 gallon sump, and one blowing across the top of the DT (195 gallons).
you will definitely see a difference on your electric bill. think of the wattage used, and think of the time they are on.
add up everything (pumps, heaters, lights...), and then you can look at your bill and figure out what you pay per kilowatt hour, and then you'll know how much it will change your bill.
what are you looking to spend?
sunlight supply, coralife, current, hamilton, aquactinics, ati, aqua medic, giesemann, icecap, coralvue, are all decent brands...some better than others, but none of them junk.
a 4 x 96 watt PC fixture probably puts out half the PAR as a T5 HO fixture of the same wattage.
individually reflected T5 HO or metal halides will both do whatever you want them to. a quality T5 HO fixture is every bit as powerful as metal halides.
as a matter of fact, my last 8 lamp T5 fixture put off almost double the PAR as a 250 watt halide setup.
i'm not sure about the heat though. when i changed from halides to T5s, my tank temp didn't drop a degree.
sure the halide will burn your skin if you touch it, and the T5 will only feel hot, but you are talking about spreading heat out over 8 long bulbs, instead of focusing it at one spot.
i wish someone would be able to figure exactly how much heat is radiated from each setup, but to date i haven't found any study done.
i've used everything but LEDs up till now, and i never had the need for a chiller. i did use fans though. two 12" fans actually. one over the 125 gallon sump, and one blowing across the top of the DT (195 gallons).
you will definitely see a difference on your electric bill. think of the wattage used, and think of the time they are on.
add up everything (pumps, heaters, lights...), and then you can look at your bill and figure out what you pay per kilowatt hour, and then you'll know how much it will change your bill.
what are you looking to spend?
sunlight supply, coralife, current, hamilton, aquactinics, ati, aqua medic, giesemann, icecap, coralvue, are all decent brands...some better than others, but none of them junk.
I agree with MR X jus say no to power compacts UNLESS you are using the PCR bulbs from nanotuners. Power compacts come in very few color combos and really are not suited for deeper aquariums like a 75. T5s are an awesome option but to be perfectly honest Halides bleed very little heat into your water column as long as they are adequetly ventilated. I have done a few tests over my own tank
I used a 48" 2 bulb PC light with internal ballasts. a 48" 4 bulb t5 with internal ballasts, and lastly a 150wx2 halide with an external ballast. I have a closed hood with linear fans (one draws in air the other acts as an exhaust. Hood temp (as recorded by my reefangel temp probe) stayed in the upper 80's with the PCs and in the mid 80s with both the t5 and the halides. The fixture body with the pcs on the surace ran in the high 90s while the t5 stayed again in the high 80s, interestingly the halides did not differ much from the ambient temp in the hood. Next water temps, the only setup that made a perceptible difference was the PC lights.
By no means is the empirical data merely my observations.
I used a 48" 2 bulb PC light with internal ballasts. a 48" 4 bulb t5 with internal ballasts, and lastly a 150wx2 halide with an external ballast. I have a closed hood with linear fans (one draws in air the other acts as an exhaust. Hood temp (as recorded by my reefangel temp probe) stayed in the upper 80's with the PCs and in the mid 80s with both the t5 and the halides. The fixture body with the pcs on the surace ran in the high 90s while the t5 stayed again in the high 80s, interestingly the halides did not differ much from the ambient temp in the hood. Next water temps, the only setup that made a perceptible difference was the PC lights.
By no means is the empirical data merely my observations.
Thanks for all the info guys. I'm leaning toward T5HO's. Unsure of number of bulbs and watts though. I really only want something that will do some mushrooms, zoas, green star polyps, frogspawn, and hammer coral. Any recommendations considering? I dont want to much $ in it just incase I have a problem down the road.
Boiler Reef
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I see there is a great deal of info to digest here.. All of it is sound advice. I have only been reefing for 2 yrs or so.
My set up is a 75 gal Reef with a 48" Current/Nova Extrem light that has 6 bulbs, that can be lit 2, 4, or all 6. I reconfigered the bulbs to 2 actinic by them self and then 3 10K t5's and 1 actinic. My tank is hoodless and use eggcrate to keep the jumpers in. I also have a 29T sump w/3 chambers, 1 sand and rubble, 2 protien skimmer, 3 return pump.
this time of year i loose about 1.5 gal a day to evap. and have a hard time keeping the water above 76*. Anyway I am very happy with the light.
I have candy cane's that are growing like crazy/ acan's that I just fraged for the first time this week. 2 blasto that are doing great, a clam, some forg sqawn, a kenya tree that I prun like it is a bonzi tree, pom pom xenia that are very aggressive growers.
All in all the light is great an I got a fair price by picking it up at Premium Aquatics in Indanoplis IN. Good luck and HTH
also I just posted some pic in my profile, and welcome any and all feedback
My set up is a 75 gal Reef with a 48" Current/Nova Extrem light that has 6 bulbs, that can be lit 2, 4, or all 6. I reconfigered the bulbs to 2 actinic by them self and then 3 10K t5's and 1 actinic. My tank is hoodless and use eggcrate to keep the jumpers in. I also have a 29T sump w/3 chambers, 1 sand and rubble, 2 protien skimmer, 3 return pump.
this time of year i loose about 1.5 gal a day to evap. and have a hard time keeping the water above 76*. Anyway I am very happy with the light.
I have candy cane's that are growing like crazy/ acan's that I just fraged for the first time this week. 2 blasto that are doing great, a clam, some forg sqawn, a kenya tree that I prun like it is a bonzi tree, pom pom xenia that are very aggressive growers.
All in all the light is great an I got a fair price by picking it up at Premium Aquatics in Indanoplis IN. Good luck and HTH
also I just posted some pic in my profile, and welcome any and all feedback
Get a 48" 4 bulb fixture and it will do everything you want it to and then some. Price v quality is a huge debate some fixtures on the highend go for quite a few bucks... with that said I personally have had great luck with the, often talked down on, odyssea fixtures from aquatraders. If your plan is indeed to only have those softies then this fixture will work fine, and if you decide to go better you can always upgrade the bulbs. Nova extreme makes a fantastic unit with individual reflectors that comes highle recomended but they are proud of thier product and charge accordingly
mr_X
Aquarium Advice Addict
4 bulbs to keep whatever you want? i have to disagree. i would go at least 6, but i prefer 8. if you buy the 4 lamp fixture, and decide to venture towards more light needy corals, like sps or perhaps a clam on the sand bed, you are going to wish you had a few more bulbs.
buy once!
buy once!
I was rather implying that the 4 bulb unit would be enough for what plans he currently had in mind and then some, most certainly not all inclusive for a 75gallon tank. If I were to do it right I would go with a 8 bulb fixture as well or a 250x2 halide set up depending on preference.
saltwatertogo
Aquarium Advice Activist
If your going to do a florescent fixture, the T-5HO are the way to go. The acticic and 10k 54w combo have the exellent color. But if you didn't have alot of money, alot of your LFS probably have a few laying around, or know a customer who does. With everybody going to LED's and T-5. You can pick up a dual 96wt. for $100.00 or less. good luck!
Fishman
Fishman
iDream
Aquarium Advice Addict
ive heard good things about the current usa nova and nova extreme fixtures, 4 vs 6 is all about what you want to keep and how much you want to spend. i didnt read the entire thread so i dont know if you put a price limit or not
saltwatertogo said:
There is a reason they are cheap. I have a PC fixture the only thing it grows well is algae. PC was an attempt to save electricity. It failed. T5s are efficient, that means more light less heat. They work best with individual reflectors; with them they will knock the socks off MH. Without, not so much.
LEDs are getting great right now, the 3w royal blues are affordable. But tey will be DIY because of patent issues.
I say get the 6 bulb if you can afford it.
mr_X
Aquarium Advice Addict
6 bulb "nova extreme pro" will do a good job for you. sometimes current sells the refurbs on ebay pretty cheap. otherwise you can try the vendors here and see if they offer some sort of discount.
saltwatertogo
Aquarium Advice Activist
Was just trying to help. If he didn't have alot of money. Don't knock PC's they've done alot for the reef hobby. I personally still have several client that running PC's with beautiful reef tanks and not one has a problem with algae. But your right T-5HO 6 Bulb is the way to go. Sorry but T-5 still only compare to MH. Don't get me wrong but i can see the differance in my clients tanks with MH and client with T-5. corals seem to grow faster under MH. I'd still wait a year on the LED.
As a base estimate, a 4 bulb (2 Blue Plus, 1 Aqua Blue, Purple Plus) ATI Sunpower would suffice for soft corals and some lps or Aquatinics 5 bulb. For more intensity a 6 bulb Sunpower, Tek, or Icecap would do the trick (4 Blue Plus, Purple Plus, GE 6500 or Aqua Blue) for lps/sps.
rush
Aquarium Advice Freak
For a 75 gallon if you are looking to have corals and fish I would highly recommend T5 HO. Easier on the electrical bill than MH and you dont need a cooler. I would get a 4 or 6 bulb fixture, 4 will be enough depending what you want to keep. Best bang for your buck would be a Tek Lighting System. This will run you about $500 with bulbs and mounting legs. Then you can always add LED strip later on, or go with moonlight effect LED from Reefkeeper (very nice). That would be the absolute best way to go.
Nevermind ATI, too much money and doesnt to anything extra. If you absolutely want cooling fans go with the tek elite.
So here www.sunlightsupply.com go under fluorescent lighting, T5 and you will see the TEK's. I also recommend going with Giesman bulbs or something from the US, do not cheap out and get china bulbs.
Nevermind ATI, too much money and doesnt to anything extra. If you absolutely want cooling fans go with the tek elite.
So here www.sunlightsupply.com go under fluorescent lighting, T5 and you will see the TEK's. I also recommend going with Giesman bulbs or something from the US, do not cheap out and get china bulbs.
