Lighting

[ReefNOOB21]

Ive been tryign to do my reserach on lighting and i went and talked to my local lfs and he told me to get a t5 24 inch system for my tank. i cant figure out what to do about LEDs or if i should just get the t5.. HELPPP.. can someone point me in a good direction for either one

 

[leon1972]

T5 is cheaper than led and led produces less heat. That may be the only similar consensus you get on the differences. If you don't have good money to blow stay with the t5. Do it right and don't buy something that is only half what you need. I get told that a LOT!!!! (yes guys, I AM listening!!! Hahaha)

 

[Northstar24]

A couple of PAR38 Bulbs would work nicely over your tank, you'd probably be able to get away with two of them. They will mount in any standard light socket, which means your imagination is the only thing limiting your mounting options.

Check out BoostLED or RapidLED for those

Otherwise, if you were looking at T5 fixtures, it would be something like this:
Aquarium Lighting for Reef Systems: Current Nova Extreme Pro T-5 Fixtures

 

[ReefNOOB21]

Is it nessecary that i get more than 2 bulbs?

 

[Northstar24]

For the PAR38's? I'd say you would need two to make sure you have adequate coverage. For T5's, I'd go with the Nova Extreme fixture and call it a day

 

[ReefNOOB21]

how long do yall keep the lighting on throughout the day? and what times?

 

[marcah]

I run mine 12 hrs total... 1 hr in the am actinics then all for 10 hrs then 1 hr actinic before they all shut off..

 

[Bifferwine]

8 to 12 hours is normal.

 

[ReefNOOB21]

HO T5 Aquarium Light Fixture: Coralife Lunar Aqualight HO T5 Aquarium Light Fixture

what do yall think about this fixture? its a coralife fixture

 

[ReefNOOB21]

This may also be a dumb question.. the above says its a 20 in.. i have a 24 in tank. will that work? and what if i get this setup . do i get the 20in in this one or 24in?

AquaticLife T5 HO 4-Lamp Light Fixtures w/ Lunar LEDs

 

[Bifferwine]

That's a fine light for a 25 gallon tank. You need to get one that is the same length as your tank. Or else the legs that it sits on won't fit on your tank.

 

[ReefNOOB21]

so that means i couldnt get the coralife fixture.. that narrows it down to teh aquaticlife one then haha

 

[ReefNOOB21]

anyone else using the aquaticlife fixture have any reviews and if they use the preset times or have their own custom times?

 

[Tang77]

I'm running the 30'' AquaticLife 4lamp fixture w/ 2 lunar LEDs..I had upgraded from a Nova Extreme after 4 months with the tank (mistake # ?). Great light, best move I could of made and definitely put me on the right path to getting my reef tank headed in the direction I wanted. No, I don't use the preset times.

 

[ReefNOOB21]

What times do you use?

 

[Tang77]

My actinics come on at 8am, than the whites at noon. The whites shut off at 6pm, the actinics off at 8pm..moonlights run from 8pm till 12am..at midnight my refugium light kicks on till 8am the following day. I'm not saying this is the way to go, I just chose to run mine on this schedule.