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DIY Lighting Fixture (Big Deal, Need Help)
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Sculpin View Drop Down
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Joined: May 16 2008
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Points: 1480 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sculpin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 30 2009 at 9:21pm
Holy crap thats allot to read! Thanks Adam, I'll get on that tonight after I wind down.  

I too am interested seeing if there is one of us with a par meter. That would be killer to know what I'm running my tank at.

I talked with Stephen from Coral Dynamics on Reef Sanctuary and he said that with a tank as deep as mine I would have to only keep low light corals on the bottom. Things like paly's and mushrooms. Unfortunately I don't think using these LED bulbs for such a large deep tank would work with what I already have on my sand bed (i.e. clam, trach, cynarina, and elegance). I'm bummed but oh well.

I'm looking into T5's perhaps but bulb replacement seem awfully expensive and I'm not sure if I'm just going to run into the same problem. 

What do you guys think about 3 250w 1400k MH's with the T5's I've got and about 6-8 blue LED's for night lights? I'll try and draw up a new fixture tonight. 


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Edited by Sculpin - March 30 2009 at 9:21pm
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Points: 4320 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote chk4tix Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 30 2009 at 9:50pm
I think 3 - 250's with what you have would work great.  The main reason I am switching to all t5's is because I am concerned about temps in my new house and energy costs.
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I didn't end up reading very much of the T5 QnA on RC (I think the thread was over 100 pgs long... thats allot of reading) but would you be willing to describe in a nutshell the pro's and cons to T5 lighting? 

I like T5's allot and it is an option I would like to explore. I guess I should get reading on the thread then huh?


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I have a par meter.  I don't lend it out but I'll come test your tank for you.  Needs to wait at least a week.  I'm swamped with stuff for the MAX show right now.
 
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well Ryan Thompson on here could answer your question about t5's probably a little better so hopefully he will chime in.  but here is my attempt...the way I understand it is the t5 have a consistent PAR level across the total length of the bulb which translates in to a more uniform dispersion of light in your tank.  This is done with less heat and less watts when compared to MH's.  MH are a point light source, so all of the PAR originates from a single location and then the PAR levels decrease on the radius of that light.  
 Hopefully that makes a little sense.  (t5 guru's if I have mistated something please let me know)
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I'll have to hit your up on that Adam when things calm down for you.

T5's sound like a huge improvement over MH's. Is there some formula that I could apply to figure out how many T5's I would need over my tank? Also with T5's would I run into the same problem with the PAR levels and depth as i did with the LED's?

Thanks so much BTW. 


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Edited by Sculpin - March 30 2009 at 10:28pm
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So I read through those links Adam and I must say I was very surprised how much the par increased with the natural sun light. I think I'm finaly starting to figure it out. Yet another concept in this hobby I'm starting to grasp Thumbs Up . 

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Ok this may be totally lame of me but I found a fixture thats very tempting but I need your guys feedback. - http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~action~view~idProduct~CU01165~idCategory~FILTFIMHSUDEMH~category~Halide_Only-Double_Ended_Halide-60_Inch_Fixtures-Metal_Halide-Light_Fixtures-Lighting-Saltwater_Aquarium_Supplies~vendor~.html

Apparently this model comes with it's own separate fan cooled ballast and for only $680 it would be less then almost any other retrofit option out there and it comes with the LED's as well.

What do you think?


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Edited by Sculpin - March 31 2009 at 12:52am
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Originally posted by Sculpin Sculpin wrote:

I didn't end up reading very much of the T5 QnA on RC (I think the thread was over 100 pgs long... thats allot of reading) but would you be willing to describe in a nutshell the pro's and cons to T5 lighting? 

I like T5's allot and it is an option I would like to explore. I guess I should get reading on the thread then huh?


Sculpin

That thread is over 800 pages long at this point. No point in reading it all now. Go to this site first and start there:


I will give you my pros and cons of T5 but it is all just my opinion. I have very little if any science behind it but I don't really care if science says MH is better becasue my eyes say T5 is.

Pros:

Better coloring, more bulbs to fine tune coloration, little heat, and less electricity. Also they do not cast shadows like MH and therefore more tissue from the coral is hit with light it can use.

Cons:
On too deep of tanks you are screwed and really big projects cost too much.

On your tank you have 2 options:

1) A fixture. The 8x80W ATI Powermodule or the 72" Constellation or (2) 8x39W ATI Powermodules. The powermodule is the best of the best when it comes to T5. You would not be disappointed.

2) A retro kit. Either 8x80W or 2 rows of 36" lamps. With the 60" bulbs you will have dark spots on the end but you can put things like shrooms and zoos there. The 2 rows is your most complete coverage option. You would want at least 7 on each side but 8 is the best for a total of 16 lamps. You would want to get one 8x39W V-HO and one 8x39W regular output. Both can be found at reefgeek. The V-HO is for the four middle lamps on each side. That way you can keep clams down low and other high light stuff.

Hope that helps a little. Let me know if you have any other questions.
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Thank you Ryan. That link is a great resource and I appreciate the break down. I've seen a few T5 lit aquariums and I love em'. I'll keep digging and see what I can come up with for price. Unfortunately $ a big deal right now so I may opt for the cheaper MH path but I may be starting a 125 in the next 6 months and I'd love to run T5's if I can.

Thanks


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