t5 lighting

[gregory12]

okay i just brought 2 new 4x24w ballast. im getting 4 12000k ho bulbs and just wanted to no if i should get the 4 more 12000k ho bulba or 4 more true actnicho bulbs.
also if aneone knows if this is enough lightingfor a 29 gallon. also what kind of corals will theys suport.
thank you

 

[melosu58]

I dont think that`s a T5HO system is it. Do they have individual reflectors? It might be OK for a 29 gallon tank. BTW welcome aboard.

 

[cmor1701d]

T5 lighting is all about the reflector. A highly polished parabolic reflector can put 90+% of the light output down into the tank. Without that you're no better off than a standard bulb (well there are degrees of reflection for lesser designs).
I believe actinic lighitng is 50k. It depends on what look you want in the tank. If you plan on having sps corals you should go with a combination of bulbs including tru actinic (420nm). There are many different types of bulbs to choose from in T% other than just 10k, 12k, 14k, etc.

I had 10k 150w MH with 96w PC true actincs. I just switched to LED and I'm set at 14k. It took a few days, but I like the look a lot better now. Slightly bluer than what I had.

So decide on what you want in the tank and the color you want to see. Take a look at some store displays and ask what bubls they have in their T5 fixtures.

 

[gregory12]

ya i have all the stuff for it, i have a glass reflector for it idk if that is good or not. thanks for the info tho

 

[gregory12]

ya i have all the stuff for it, i have a glass reflector for it idk if that is good or not. thanks for the info tho

 

[cmor1701d]

Glass reflector?

 

[gregory12]

im not shur because i have some mirrored glass but i have red some bad things about this. can somone tell me the best reflector. i am not sher about the white paint. i was thinking aluminum