lighting question

[jpond83]

would 8X24w t5's be enough to keep a clam and anemone? I would have 2 fiji purples, 2 Powerchromes, 1 aquablue, and 3 undecided 10k lamps. This is my first tank with t5's and i usually go MH But my a\c has gone out twice already this year and im not going to chance the heat again.

[jpond83]

or maybe someone can help me with a combination of lamps

[Regric25]

I inquired about the same question when I was researching what light to get and I seeked advice from a guy on another forum and he recommended this bulb config in order from front to back. Hope this helps. The guy that recommended these bulbs, has an awesome reputation for his knowledge on T5 lamps.

Front
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Actinic White
ATI Blue Plus
GE 6500K Daylight
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Blue Plus

I told him I wanted good color pop and growth and this is what he recommended. I ended up getting a MH fixture though so I don't know how it would have worked out. Im sure someone here with first hand experience will chime in.

[jpond83]

cool thanks

[cbianco]

I know a bit about T5's.

First off, Regric25 is most likely refering to "The Grim Reefer" from RC. He seems to have practically pioneered T5's, bulb combinations and reviews both bulbs and lighting systems.

Here are his websites:
http://home.comcast.net/~stevelarsen00/site/?/home/
http://sites.google.com/site/tfivetesting/

Here is his ongoing T5 thread on RC:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=17471471#post17471471

This thread has almost 700,000 views and almost 7,000 posts, definately an accomplishment by any standards.

Now, I have a 6x24 watt fixture. I keep SPS type corals in the top half of my tank and ricordea/zoanthids in the lower portion. My tank is about 18 inches deep. When dealing with T5's depth is the deciding factor on where you can keep a coral in your tank. Also, the type/quality of fixture you have can make a big difference in coral placement.

Lastly, the color of your tank can be just about anything you want it to be. Be warned, the amount of bulb combinations you can have will end up stressing you out at some point.

Questions?

Christopher :)

[cbianco]

My current bulb combo is:

Front
ATI Blue Plus 311
KZ Fiji Purple 330
ATI Aquablue 336
ATI Blue Plus 311
ATI Blue Plus 311
ATI Blue Plus 311
Rear

I have had my bulbs for over a year and it is time for a bulb change!

I'm considering something like this:

Front
ATI Blue Plus 311
Giesemann Powerchrome Pure Actinic 157
GE Daylight 3000K 319
ATI Blue Plus 311
UVL Actinic White 12000K 293
ATI Blue Plus 311
Rear

Christopher

[ErikH]

Grim is the man. What kinda rig you got? What ballasts and reflectors? That's the most important part. Keeping that water nice and clear is number 2!

[jpond83]

i have a current 4X24w right now but im going to put another one on it in a couple days

[jpond83]

i have a skimmer but my water is not as clear as most tanks i see. what can i do to make it more clear?

[Big_Pun]

do you use ro/di water, second I use chemipure elite to keep my tank clear I don't have any kind of sponges or anything else in my sump/fuge

[allan]

I run an ozone generator for two and a half hours each morning starting at 5am. It's worked wonders for me. And to a lesser degree the Uv sterilizer.

Still not crystal clear but much clearer than it used to be. In fact the morning hours I've got some pretty clear water.

[ErikH]

UV, Ozone, Carbon. Those are your major declarifiers. If you have a reactor, you could put some carbon in it. Is it a sundial? I had one, but it was over a macro tank. I tried a few stonys unsuccessfully. Maybe get a workhorse ballast and some TeK reflectors, that would be a big help. The reflectors are the main thing, since they increase PAR by large numbers.

[jpond83]

yea its a sundial bu im going to put 2 of them over the same tank