72G bowfront lighting

[jpond83]

im looking into getting a 72g bowfront. Would 4x54w t5's be suffecient lighting. i would like to keep some zoanthids a clam and maybe an anemone later down the road.

[jpond83]

i belive the tank dimensions are 48"x18"x24"

[1fstlightning]

I have two 250watt MH and two 48"T5 actintics in my 72g Bowfront and it is plenty of light I think. I also have some zoos, Acans, a Clam, and various polps and it has done all those good, of course my Acans I just put in yesterday. I think you should be fine with T5's though, maybe look into it with the Clam, might have to put it higher up on top of the water

[1fstlightning]

Also a good current will do you good too

[jpond83]

would 2 75w mh and 2 54w atinicic t5 be suffecient?

[corruption]

IMO, no. The 70/75w Halides don't have enough penetration to get to the bottom of a tank that deep effectively, same with T5. If you were to go with T5, I'd recommend 6 bulbs, in individual reflectors.. With Halide/T5 combo, I'd do at minimum dual 150's. Clams are extremely light-loving, so you will want some intensity that can reach them without fail.

-Justin

[txav8r]

I have dual 250w MH on my 72 bowfront mixed reef. Before that I had 6 T5's. Both produced good growth. I can't tell you how anything smaller would perform as I have never had less lights than what I just listed.

[jpond83]

thanks for the response. i realy didnt think it would be enough either.
anyone ever used these?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260529926370&rvr_id=&crlp=1_263602_263622&UA=WXI8&GUID=0c3047b01260a0b583c08c10fff5af59&itemid=260529926370&ff4=263602_263622

[stoneroller]

I run a 250 DE MH and two 36" t5s. Seems to be sufficient for my mixed reef.

[corruption]

jpond: no familiarity with that brand specifically... have you looked into the retrofit kits available through HelloLights.com, AquaCave.com, marinedepot, etc? Many of the retro kits are quite affordable, and more reliable quality of components... They often come with the choice of bulbs (at a bit of a discount, sometimes) -- this allows you to pick your spectrum more accurately from the start, instead of sufficing with what they come with... oftentimes, fixtures don't come with bulbs anyway -- so you might have to add them later either way.

-Justin

[jpond83]

what would be suffecient for a 60g cube 24"x24"x25"

[corruption]

A single 250 would do great in that -- the footprint would fit 2 foot with no issues whatsoever, and the punch would be more than enough. Supplementation wouldn't 100% be necessary, if you found a color bulb you liked enough -- but could certainly be added. My recommendation is T5 for supplementation -- I just love the color choice available and lower power usage :)

-Justin

[jpond83]

cool. thanks for all the help.

[corruption]

Glad to provide it.

One last bit of advice -- I'm sure everyones heard it a million times before... Lighting in a reef tank is one of the most important, and high ticket, purchases when setting up. While the inclination to go cheap is high, its important to weigh all your options and make your decisions wisely. While the cheap route is often less expensive at first, once you get to replacing components that prematurely fail, or perform less than expected, that price begins to hike quickly. Do yourself a favor and buy what you really want the first time -- you'll save yourself a lot of headaches :)

-Justin