t5 advice

[SigEpLucas]

What does everyone think of this light? Would four of these work ok on a 20 long for keeping corals? I'm still trying to find a cheap upgrade that will work for sps corals.

Current USA 24 Inch Nova 1x14 Watt T5 SlimPaq

 

[XxKnuckleheadxX]

to weak, need stronger..

 

[Bifferwine]

That's only one bulb -- less than 1 watt per gallon on a 20 gallon tank. I'm afraid that's not enough light. It's probably not even enough to keep softies, let alone SPS. I know you want to go cheap, but it's not really possible to have enough light to keep SPS without spending money.

A 150 watt MH pendant would be perfect. I am running a 70 watt MH pendant over my 10 gallon, and it's great.

 

[littleyea1]

go to fishneedit if your looking for something kinda cheap the 39 wat double 36 inch works great for your softy corals and can even hold some sps monti alive but with littel growth

 

[Bifferwine]

Yeah the MH over my 10 gallon tank is FishNeedIt brand. It's the only one I've seen that is a 70 watt MH pendant.

 

[littleyea1]

I think people should rate that store number one... He or she not only provides you with like a rediculous quick response to any questions, he informs you and i think its pretty good quality and is reasonably priced and I will buy from them again

 

[darren0311]

for a 20 gal tank, for what your going to pay for 4 of them you can get a half decent fixture

 

[SigEpLucas]

so you can find a good fixture for $80 where?

 

[SigEpLucas]

That's only one bulb -- less than 1 watt per gallon on a 20 gallon tank. I'm afraid that's not enough light. It's probably not even enough to keep softies, let alone SPS. I know you want to go cheap, but it's not really possible to have enough light to keep SPS without spending money.

A 150 watt MH pendant would be perfect. I am running a 70 watt MH pendant over my 10 gallon, and it's great.

yeah thats why I said for four of them, I have a 130 pc light but everyone says thats not enough light for sps and i saw a lot of posts saying to get t5's so i thought maybe four of them would be enough

 

[Bifferwine]

Oh I'm sorry. I did not read that you said you were going to get 4. My bad :(

 

[chiqui bb]

I am also looking to upgrade my lighting to T5's so I went to the Fishneedit websiste. They only have three options for T5 HO lights. I looked at the 48" for my 55 gal tank and noticed that the total watts are 108 (54 x 2). Am I reading this correctly? Why even spend the money on this fixture if it's not nearly enough light for your tank? Can the fixture be modified to add more wattage? The price is great though. I currently have FOWLR but want to add zoanthids and possibly a clam at some point.

 

[bjohanson1234]

Another thing to look at is those are not HO t5's Only 14 watts each. A 24" t5 HO is 24watts. Almost double that.
Just looked at the fishneed it site. They have a 4 bulb 24" fixture for 90 bucks. Not a bad price
Brian

 

[Bifferwine]

Here is a 150 watt MH pendant for $140:
150W Metal Halide Pendant Lights

These T5s would be enough to keep SPS (I think these are the ones BJ is talking about):
2Ft/4Bulbs with 3LED

 

[Solarfall]

I am also looking to upgrade my lighting to T5's so I went to the Fishneedit websiste. They only have three options for T5 HO lights. I looked at the 48" for my 55 gal tank and noticed that the total watts are 108 (54 x 2). Am I reading this correctly? Why even spend the money on this fixture if it's not nearly enough light for your tank? Can the fixture be modified to add more wattage? The price is great though. I currently have FOWLR but want to add zoanthids and possibly a clam at some point.

Zoas aren't very light demanding but clams are up there with SPS. You're looking at probably a nice 6 bulb T5 fixure if you want a clam. Or MH of course :D

 

[chiqui bb]

Bifferwine: I like the price on the T5 link you posted! Will this be enough light for a clam in the future? If so, what bulb configuration would you recommend? Can a 2 ft. fixture be mounted above a 55 gal tank? I would like to stay away from MH's because of the heat issue as well as hanging it from my ceiling.

 

[yote]

You'd be better off getting a 4ft fixture for a 55.A good 6 bulb light with individual reflectors is where its at.

 

[Bifferwine]

Yeah, for a standard 4-foot long 55 gallon tank, you will have to get a 4-foot fixture with 4 bulbs at the minimum, preferably 6 or 8.