trying to decide on what diy lighting.

[Reef55]

But what about my tank? My colors pop, and I have a Maxima on the sand bed which has been growing incredibly. My water is far from crystal clear. In fact, I had my skimmer shut down for the last month and just put it back on line.

I never said tanks running T5's don't look good. I was only commenting on Liam's statement that after trying many types of lighting, he thought his corals looked best when he switched to T5. I saw Liam's tank, and the corals did look great under T5's. Good growth too.

IMO, distribution (meaning how well the light is distributed in your tank) is very important, as is the amount of light that makes it into the tank (not amount of electricity used to make the light). Both of those are dependent on the reflectors, be it T5's, metal halides, VHO's, or LED's. Go with whatever type of lighting suits your personal preference, have a look at people's tank's in person, and decide on a type from there. After that, get efficient ballasts (electronic), and the best reflectors you can get.

 

[Yaktop]

everything is a debate, guess thats why the manufacturers make a fortune since people constantly change their minds and in their mind its better. I think T5 has their place but honestly dont think they are for big tanks or should I say deep tanks. Light penetration has to be diminished with the lower wattage bulbs so unless your tank is less than 18 inches (guess on my part) I wouldnt think they would be useful except for supplementation.

 

[new2saltyfish]

well i think the deepest part is actually 19 inches, so deepness is not that big of a deal. after reading this i think im going to go t5. i know liam (thanks for all your commentary) made a suggestion on bulbs. does anyone have any different t5 bulbs setups that they've used and are happy with? i like a little blueish tint to it, and not the yellowish tint. and from what ive heard so far, 6x54 watt should do the trick???

 

[dz6t]

True...Watts are watts...but what you are missing here is that watts really don't mean squat. Par and spectrum mean EVERYTHING. One great thing about T5 is that you can have a bunch of bulbs all varying in temp a bit to achieve a nice color and still have great PAR.

Either you drank too much last night or Santa did not bring you want you want.

What I meant to say was that t-5 is not cheaper than Halide to run. A watt is a watt. OK, I don't want to start a debate about over drive bulbs, HQI ballast etc.

 

[new2saltyfish]

well i decided i want to go with the 6 t5 bulbs. what do i need exatcly? i know i need 6 bulbs, and reflectors, but what else do i need. do i need balasts? p.s. they will all be mounted on top of a diy canopy if that makes a difference.

 

[dz6t]

Yes, you need ballast.

www.ballastwise.com has some cheap ballasts.

 

[smcnally]

Here is a complete DIY set. It includes the ballasts, endcaps, reflectors, and bulbs (you get to choose the bulbs you want). FWIW, I always go through Reefgeek for this sort of thing. Not only does he have great prices, but you can call him and he'll help you out to get you what you need for your specific application. Here's the link CLICK HERE

 

[Reef55]

You would need 3 of those ballasts:
http://www.ballastwise.com/item.asp?PID=28&FID=15&level=1

You'll need 6 reflectors:
http://www.specialty-lights.com/960070.html

12 T5 waterproof endcaps:
http://www.specialty-lights.com/220180.html

12 endcap standoffs:
http://www.specialty-lights.com/220195.html

3 power wires:
http://www.specialty-lights.com/903075.html

a roll of 12 gauge wire:
home depot

6 bulbs:
http://www.specialty-lights.com/t5ho.html

3 timers:
http://www.specialty-lights.com/plantgrow-option-timer.html



Might be easier (and possibly cheaper) to just buy a retrofit kit