SPS lighting (my first tank, so bear with me...)

[fjr_wertheimber]

Okay, so setting up my first tank...
As far as lights go, I'm leaning towards going with four 2x80 watt 60" Tek T5 Retrofit kits with the Tek II Retrofit 96% reflectors (for a total of 640 watts) with four D-D Geismann PowerChrome T5 HO Aquablue+ lamps and four D-D Geismann PowerChrome T5 HO Midday lamps. For an SPS tank, bearing in mind the dimensions of the tank (72" l x 18" w x 21" h) and the planned height of the canopy (18"), what are the group's thoughts on that? Not enough? Overkill? Just right? Anyone have any other (economical) suggestions, lighting-wise? I'm working on a military salary (*sigh* the only time I miss the civilian world is the 1st and 15th of each month) here, so cost is a consideration.

[fjr_wertheimber]

27 viewers and not a single comment? Please, guys, send some guidance or suggestions this way... Help me, Obi-Wans, you're my only hope...

[C.Mydas]

I know nothing really about t5's but if it were me and I was going to keep SPS I would do 3 MH's 250watts (or 400w'ers ) 10k's with 2 72" VHO actinic's but thats just my preference....may the force be with you

-Brian (greenmako the wife was signed in)

[erikharrison]

If you plan on keeping the lights 18" off the surface that would not be wise from what I read. The lights and reflectors are good brands, but I can't tell you what they would look like. If you are going hardcore, this is not overkill! www.zeovit.com (http://www.zeovit.com) Alot of the tanks there are T5 driven.

[erikharrison]

I know nothing really about t5's but if it were me and I was going to keep SPS I would do 3 MH's 250watts (or 400w'ers ) 10k's with 2 72" VHO actinic's but thats just my preference....may the force be with you

-Brian (greenmako the wife was signed in)

Golden advice.

[Bill S]

With only about a month on my tank, I THINK I'd vote for this:

3 x 250w MH, put Helios 20K bulbs in it, no actinic.

So far, I'm happy with the Helios.

But, I have to say, it's VERY hard to argue with Brian's success...

[Texreefer]

many people have not chimmed in because of the 27 views you would probalbly get 27 different answers,,, too many variables and opinions,, with that being said, Brians suggestion is a proven recipe for success. most serious sps'ers use this combination in some variation,, I have 2 - 250 MH and 3- 4' T5's,, If you don't want the extra expense,, then Bill Has a great idea with the HIgher kelven bulbs to eliminate the need for T5's.. and then of course EriK was correct that there has been great success with t5 only systems.. hope this confused you enough:hypnotyized::)

[Bill S]

I'd PM Texas Todd - kind of surprised he hasn't chimed in yet. He's one of the more successful reefers around here. He recently sold off his big reef tank. He's also said that if he were to do it again, he'd go T5s.

[alton]

Go look at other peoples tanks and mimic their's? The only question would be the 18"? Seems a little high for T5HO's.

[brewercm]

I'd bring the canopy down to around 12 inches 14 max. You can always have your lights sitting a little lower than the top of the canopy also. My lights sit about three to four inches from top of the canopy because of the way it's built, they sit on a separate rack that can be removed without having to remove the whole canopy.

[GeoB]

The T5 retrokits have a single reflector for each bulb (called SLRs, these are essential for optimal T5 output). I think the Tek SLRs are about 3" wide, so you will need some type of convex mounting structure to get more than six bulbs on an 18" front to back tank. Since PAR diminishes quickly with distance, you might do just as well with 5 or 6 bulbs. On that note, the bulbs should be mounted as close to the water surface as you can without getting too much salt spray on the lights or color banding, I think 6" is a pretty common height. Also, cooling fans directed at the bulbs are an important part of a T5 setup. These will significantly increase bulb life and PAR output.

If you decide to go with MHs, check out the Lumenbright reflectors. There is a long thread on reefcentral about these. It sounds like they can be mounted fairly high and still give good PAR. You could probably get the same light coverage with two lumenbrights as you would with the 60" 80 watt T5s. If your tank has a centerbrace you could try this, but if it has the plastic bracing at two foot intervals you won't want to use just two halides.