T5 Suggestions

[HeavyHittah]

well ill be picking up my 75 gallon monday or tuesday. and next is my lighting to get. Now i know i want t5's because you can keep whatever you want with them. in the beginning i wanted to do retros and i still think i do. but do they make 6 bulb retros? will there be too much wasted light or "spill out" with the 6 bulbs? what are the pros and cons of choosing a 4 bulb rather then 6? to me it seems like 6 is better so you can have more color options? any suggestions or any other fixtures you guys like?

and where should i order from for least amount of bulb breakage?

 

[dustin_P74]

look at reefgeek.com. and make sure that your retros come with IR's

 

[HeavyHittah]

what you guys think of this:
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5...igh-Output_Fixture_(Black)_by_Sunlight_Supply

 

[dustin_P74]

this one isnt too much more, great fixture, just know that it has to be hung

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/Sunlight_Supply/Tek_Light_Fixtures/48_inch__8x54W_Tek_Light_T5_High-Output_Fixture_(Black)_by_Sunlight_Supply

 

[HeavyHittah]

granted that i want a mixed reef, including SPS and clams. im worried that the 8 bulb fixture will be too much light. and i know some corals dont like excessive lighting or prefer shade rather.

 

[daugherty]

i have 8 on my 75 and everything is happy from mushrooms to sps and a clam

 

[dustin_P74]

that 8 bulb will be fine, if you get some shrooms or something just put it slightly in a cave

 

[Bifferwine]

Even with 8 bulbs, the bottom of the tank is still considered a "low light" area. 8 bulbs over a 75 is nowhere near too much light.

 

[HeavyHittah]

thnx for the info biff. i tell you..a noob never quite understands how expensive this hobby is until they are ready to spend the money. if my mom knew i was going to spend that much money for a light for a tank she would literally knock my head off my neck and say "just get a cheap one from the pet store."

matter of fact we just got finished talking about this "tank placement" situation and i was trying to explain to her how everything works. and she said ok but i dont think she quite understands how serious (or expensive) of a matter this is. And she wont let me put it in the dining/living room unless its peninsula style. But i want to build a nice regular style stand/canopy that i like, so i can take it with me when i move into my apartment and just put the back of it against a wall. So i can do it my way and keep it in my medium/small bedroom or build it her way for the living room. Needless to say im ready for my own apartment (coming soon).

man i really got off subject here but anyway imma go with the 8 bulb fixture. ill let you know when i order it. any suggestions for bulbs?

 

[reeffreak]

I really can't list bulbs since I'm not sure what look you are going for.They sell the best bulbs like the ATI and UV bulbs at Reef Geek you linked to earlier.You can call or email them for suggestions.They packed bulbs very well,I've haven't receive any broken bulbs and this is my second order of 14 bulbs or more.Heck,it will take you about 30 minutes to unpack them they are boxed so well.

 

[HeavyHittah]

well reef the only lighting ive seen is what they have at a few lfs around here. i saw one of them was just whit/blu/whit/blu. it didnt look bad just normal i guess. I know i want my sps to grow and i want all my colors to pop. Maybe like a crisp white look. But i definately dont want nothing too blue. you know any sites where i could go and look at color comparisons.

honestly reef your guess would probably be better then mine, since i have nothing to compare it to. and if i dont like it i can replace them later on down the line. as long as reds look like reds and not purples. and orange looks like orange instead of brown,lol

 

[reeffreak]

Well,Reefgeek has a color chart for most of their bulbs.I'm not sure thats going to help you,you probably want to see the bulb fired up.At one time on RC there was a picture thread to show most of the T5 bulbs lit up.It was never stickied so I couldn't tell you where it is now.

You can post a question here or look at some tanks lit with bulb choices.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=14174286#post14174286

GE6500k,Aquasun 10k,2 Aquablue Special,3 ATI blue plus,UV Super Actinic is a good combination-a good place to start.These are the bulbs I have pictures and could post for you if needed.

 

[HeavyHittah]

where is the color chart on reefgeek

 

[reeffreak]

You can click on the chart for each bulb.It's not hard to read,it show what color the bulbs lend toward.
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/Bulbs/

 

[HeavyHittah]

ATI Blue Plus
UVL 75/25
GE 6500K Daylight
ATI Blue Plus
GE 6500K Daylight
ATI Blue Plus
UVL 75/25
ATI Blue Plus

do you know how this would look

 

[reeffreak]

I do but not sure if I can describe it.A little to wishy-washy,maybe yellowish because of having two yellow(6500k).I recommend only one 6500k,replace with an aquablue special 12k.

 

[HeavyHittah]

hey reef i know alot of people have super actinics (sp?) for pop. will those ATI blue+ i mentioned give me the same pop or should i trade one for a super actinic? another question is do any of these go by a different name, meaning can i order all the bulbs mentioned above by the same supplier? or does ati bulbs only come from ati and so on? well you know what im saying.