Info on Lighting
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Equipment
Forum Description: This is the place to ask question about reef equipment.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=35924
Printed Date: July 05 2026 at 2:16am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Info on Lighting
Posted By: Ashley
Subject: Info on Lighting
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 1:56pm
| I just got a 55 gallon frag tank whats the best lighting to use? |
Replies:
Posted By: Jeremyw
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 2:04pm
|
Depends: what do you want to do/have? If you ask some on here... (ryan) they say all T5s, I had PCs on my 55 for 2 years and did great, even has some sps corals! Others will say MH, what are you looking to see or get out of your lighting? Do you like the shimmer that is in the ocean?
------------- Next meeting: |
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 2:08pm
| Shimmer is pointless on a frag tank! Get a 4 bulb T5 fixture. The TEK or ATI Sunpower will do the trick. Run some good bulbs for sweet colors |
Posted By: Jeremyw
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 2:09pm
|
wow shimmer is never pointless ryan. Wow that was mean and right to the point. I dont see how it is pointless, I like it even on my 24 gallon nano! Shimmer is great on my 29 gallon tank as well! ------------- Next meeting: |
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 2:13pm
|
Well I personally don't care for the shimmer so I always find it pointless. LOL You could run an Aquatic Life fixture but would want to change the bulbs pretty quickly.
|
Posted By: Jeremyw
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 2:14pm
|
So Ashley back to the original questions I had for you before giving advice, besides those what is your budget?
------------- Next meeting: |
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 2:16pm
That is really the info needed. Best usually means expensive IMO
|
woottonjeremy wrote:Posted By: jcoulter17
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 2:26pm
|
ha her budget, my back pocket I have the money so I dont have a problem with that. the 55 gallon is a frag tank more for sps frags. The tank is 48"x18"x12" |
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 2:29pm
| Is it 18" front to back or top to bottom? |
Posted By: jcoulter17
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 2:30pm
| 18" front to back |
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 2:38pm
|
So it is only 12" deep. I would avoid Metal Halide in that case because they penetrate water better than T5. I will tell you my opinion and what I would do if you are willing to spend $600 on the light. This is top notch if money isn't an issue. Go get an ATI Sunpower from Reefgeek. Get the 6x54W version. Keep it 12 or so inches off the water surface. You may bleach some things if not carfeul but that is where bulbs come into play. For bulbs I would run this: ATI Blue Plus UVL Super Actinic KZ Fiji Purple ATI Blue Plus UVL Super Actinic ATI Blue Plus You may have to move the Super Actinic's so they are on by themselves. That way you can take sweet actinic only pictures and give the corals a sweet POP. My second choice would be to run the Tek 6x54W version. This will be much cheaper but you lose performance. However with the tank only being 12" deep you don't need anything crazy. Run the same bulb combo from above. The sensible thing to do is get the TEK fixture and with the money saved buy a fan to cool the fixture and buy a Vortech pump to give you sweet flow in the tank to grow those SPS frags.
|
Posted By: jcoulter17
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 2:47pm
|
thanks a lot Ryan Im building a stand today come next Monday I will be buying light so I will need that in mind |
Posted By: downhill_biker
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 3:26pm
Shimmer is never pointless. Aside from the appearance of it, and the way it simulates a natural environment as closely as possible, it has some great features. One of those is the micropulses of magnified light, something like 200x magnification caused by the water surface magnifying the light. I am not sure on the number, but it was something serious. And it happens something like 10-20 times a second. Again not sure on number. I read it in Eric Borneman's book. I also feel that MH are more cost effective, depending on the bulb and ballast you choose. t5 lights need replaced every year, and you have several of them, often 4, 6, 8 or more bulbs. MH you need 2. Phoenix 14k are known for lasting a very long time, I replace every 18 months. At $50 each that is much cheaper than t5. t5 runs cooler, so you dont have as much evaporation, which is good, and bad. Its a toss up. Compare the two and see what meets your needs the most. I know someone over in oregon selling 6 bulb t5 fixtures SUPER cheap. Either way I would recommend t5 or MH, giving you the option to keep whatever coral you want, without upgrading later. ------------- Make sure you post your best pictures every month in our POTM forum. |
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 3:38pm
|
I don't know where everyone got the impression that T5 can't create shimmer. My PC's on my nano even cast a small shimmer. Granted the MH shimmer is much more pronounced in most cases. So the shimmer argument loses all credibility to me. Ask Keith (chk4tix) if he gets the shimmer with his T5 set up. I bet I know what he will say.
|
Posted By: bluespot101
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 4:02pm
| I will have to agree with Jeremy i like the shimmer look. I too have had power compacts on my tank and i have been able to keep sps and lps and others in it all doing well with good color. i do like t5s though. |
Posted By: bfessler
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 4:19pm
|
I have been thinking about the shimmer aspect and find that if you want shimmer you can get it with any type of light. It is more pronounced with the metal halide lights because the light originates at a single point and radiates out. The ripples in the water intensify the shimmer more the further from the point of origin. Fluorescent lights spread the light across the entire width of the tank. Therefore the shimmer is not so pronounced. I simply aim my power heads at the surface creating a boiling effect at the surface. The more turbulent the surface water the more shimmer
I use an Aquatic Life 4 tube T5HO fixture with 2 10K, 2 actinic and led moon lights on my frag tank. Frag tank or display the lighting makes a huge difference in my enjoyment of the tank. By the way I am very happy with my Aquatic Life fixture which comes with cooling fans and 3 built in timers for dawn to dusk lighting. ------------- Burt An equal opportunity reefer, I support all hobbyists and organizations involved in Marine Aquarium Keeping. [email protected] |
Posted By: chk4tix
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 8:09pm
I am amazed how many people say that you cant get the shimmer with t5's. As I have said before, and people who have seen my display tank can verify, most people are surprised when they find out my lighting is t5. My tank almost as much shimmer as my 2 x 250w mh system. The only real difference is the mh had more of a "spot light" effect look to the shimmer and the t5's shimmer is cast over the tank. The shimmer is created by the turbulence on the water, which from everything I have heard, the more turbulence the better in gas exchange. One of the best parts about t5's is the ability to get amazing colors compared to what I was getting from mh + t5 combo's. ------------- Original Crappy Reef Club Member #2 |
Posted By: Jeremyw
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 9:37pm
|
Keith good point! It does depend on your water movement. The water just seems to shimmer more with MH for some reason. I laugh because someone says one of the main reasons he doesn't like MH is the shimmer. But like you pointed out and many have before T5s shimmer as well!
------------- Next meeting: |
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 9:41pm
|
T5's don't shimmer nearly as much as MH. Yes, they do shimmer but MH will always out shimmer a T5 setup. There are a TON of other reasons I don't care for MH unless the situation calls for them.
|
Posted By: Jeremyw
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 10:06pm
why ryan i never mentioned your name. Why ever would you have written that response  Just messin with you ryan you know it too!  ------------- Next meeting: |
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 10:07pm
| I know Jeremy. I like to mess back! |
Posted By: Ashley
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 10:10pm
| I have to say i never used MH so I dont Know much about them but all i want is whats best for the growth of the frags. It nice to have shimmers but if they dont get the job done FOR WHAT I NEED i rather not have them. |
Posted By: Jeremyw
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 10:11pm
|
Ashley despite what Ryan or Me or anyone else says, T5s and MH will both do the job for you just look and find what fits your price range, if its 1k in T5s or $500 in retro MH. They will both get it done for you and produce great growth! Both will produce amazing colors as well!
------------- Next meeting: |
Posted By: Ashley
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 10:15pm
| Thank I have been so excited about this tank its not even funny. Josh says when it comes to saltwater stuff i can act just like a kid....lol |
Posted By: Ashley
Date Posted: October 21 2009 at 10:25pm
|
sorry I was just told that I have 3 250W MH and 2 96w T5 together on the 280 gallon tank but in the end I want the best light for my tank. I dont care about the cost I will have Josh pay for it. Don't worry he will |
Posted By: Jeffs_little_ocean
Date Posted: October 22 2009 at 12:39pm
| Will Josh buy me some new lights too? Im a really nice guy....I swear. |
Posted By: Aquatic Evolution
Date Posted: October 22 2009 at 8:38pm
| Actually there is some science behind the shimmer, beyond aesthetics. Look into it its pretty interesting! |
Posted By: Jeremyw
Date Posted: October 22 2009 at 8:54pm
|
shawn you would know the best out of anyone out there.... running both t5s and MH, whats the science behind it (the shimmer that is)? Just a readers digest version! lol
------------- Next meeting: |
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: October 22 2009 at 11:39pm
|
I would like to see this "science" behind the shimmer. It would be very interesting to see how they actually attributed anything to the shimmer. I personally think that if anything can be proven it has more to do with the surface agitation and the flow of the water. Go turn off all your pumps and leave your lights on. I don't care if it is MH, T5 or LED. You will NOT get the shimmer effect any longer. You can only attribute the shimmer to surface agitation. Therefore, in my opinion, anything found scientifically will have more to do with flow and surface agitation. When the surface is rippling I am sure it creates angles that magnifies the light beam. I do not think that happens 2000 times a second as stated earlier but I have no proof of that. Again this whole post is just my opinion on the matter and I am in no way discrediting Shawn or the science. I just have never seen the "science" and would like to. The only reason MH and LED have a more pronounced shimmer is because they are a point source light. I can get the shimmer on my tank (like MH) if I turn the lights off and turn on my incandescent bulb above the tank. It is a point source light. One of my biggest cons towards MH is that you blast the same part of the coral all day, everyday. The sun never hits the same part of a coral for more than 3 hours on the reefs. Hence why you (sometimes) see funny or irregular growth patterns in tanks running MH. The majority of tanks that run T5 have much more even growth on all corals. This is due to the light being distributed evenly over the entire tank. More light hits more of the coral overall and thus you usually see better growth. That sounds much more like the sun to me than a stationary point source light blasting a coral for 8 hours in the same spot. A coral, like a plant, will always grow towards the light. Assuming it is a photosynthetic organism. Thus when the coral grows where there is not enough light it will slow growth at that point. With T5 the light stays even throughout the tank and the corals can keep growing until acted upon by an outside force, either the caretaker or another coral. Alright I am done. sorry for the long winded post! I hope it helps some.
|
Posted By: jcoulter17
Date Posted: October 23 2009 at 12:03am
| wow I think I'll go with the T5s |
Posted By: Jeffs_little_ocean
Date Posted: October 23 2009 at 8:56am
|
I dont care where the shimmer comes from. I like it and im sticking with it. "My two cents" |
Posted By: bfessler
Date Posted: October 23 2009 at 9:42am
|
I have to agree with Ryan on this one. I made a similar less detailed post earlier. Last night I was sitting in front of my 10G Clown Tank which currently lit by 2 T5 lamps. This is a temporary fixture that I had to put over the tank when the bulbs from my old hood fell out of the fixture into the tank. Anyway the old fixture was 2 CF 50/50 bulbs screwed into a standard light socket. I had shimmer with these lamps because they were as Ryan noted Point sources of light. My temporary fixture uses 2 24" T5's instead of the screw in CF's. There is much less shimmer but the light is evenly distributed over the entire tank. After the lights shut off the only light on the tank was a can light in the ceiling slightly to the left of the tank and the shimmer was back. ------------- Burt An equal opportunity reefer, I support all hobbyists and organizations involved in Marine Aquarium Keeping. [email protected] |
Posted By: Aquatic Evolution
Date Posted: October 23 2009 at 4:37pm
|
We all know Ryan you know everything, if you havent heard of it it must not exist. It not rocket science that the agitation causes the shimmer. The agitation is for gas exchange, not the ripple only.
Readers digest version- I will keep it quick, think of a prizm and a maginifying glass. The ripple breaks the spectrum down into its individual constituants, and also focuses the individual spectrums. Spreads the beam more evenly across your corals so no damage will occur from light focused on one spot from above.
There is a lot of info. (ie: Books) that is found elsewhere other than the Internet. Google does not know all...
|
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: October 23 2009 at 4:59pm
Actually if you READ my post again, you will see that I VERY clearly stated that I didn't discredit you or the science. I also clearly stated that I had not seen the science and would like to see it. Read the posts more carefully before you attack me Shawn! You wonder why I won't shop at your store any longer
 |
Posted By: Aquatic Evolution
Date Posted: October 23 2009 at 5:44pm
... more misinformation, I've never wondered!
 |
Posted By: jcoulter17
Date Posted: October 23 2009 at 9:57pm
| Thanks Ryan for the information about the light and so on. Aquatica if you have a problem with Ryan just PM him |
Posted By: sanddune600
Date Posted: October 24 2009 at 12:25am
|
I have a problem with someone that attacks someone for giving ideas we all know its one persons opinion and I believe Ryan to have done a lot of research especially on t5s and no one can deny that or that t5s can give some great growth and color so shimmer or not say what you will FROM THIS I WONT GO TO AQUATICA Although I will say that most tanks running MH are using poor reflecters causing the super bright spots and other dead spots that Ryan stated causing funny growth but given a good reflector you will see this can be done right here is a pic of my tank with a poor reflector on one side and a great one on the other and I have no dead spots VERY even spread  ------------- Andy Jorgensen My number is four three 5 7 six four 8 0 three four |
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: October 24 2009 at 2:32am
Very nice picture to show the difference! As I stated earlier, MH have their place as do T5's. The reflector makes all the difference in the world!
|
Posted By: sanddune600
Date Posted: October 24 2009 at 10:42am
|
if you would have seen it in person it would have shocked you my tank was brighter everywhere I thought that it would spread the light better getting rid of the bright spots but the bright spots where brighter and the dull spots are brighter then and of the tank was with the old reflector
------------- Andy Jorgensen My number is four three 5 7 six four 8 0 three four |
Posted By: downhill_biker
Date Posted: October 24 2009 at 10:50am
The shimmer is caused by refraction of "point-source lighting". The reason T5 can't shimmer is that it distributes light from million different points (well it can shimmer but not as much). If you take a flashlight and shine it through the surface of your tank at night, you will get shimmer. That is because it is a point-source type of light. Have you ever owned MH? You talk a lot of "crud" on MH and I wonder if you have seen both sides of the fence... ------------- Make sure you post your best pictures every month in our POTM forum. |
Posted By: downhill_biker
Date Posted: October 24 2009 at 11:30am
If you are going to quote me, then say you dont believe it, then quote me properly. I said 200x magnification at 10-20x per second. You said 2000 times per second. I told you I was unsure on specific numbers but I never said 2000x per second. Some science: "Ripples can act like moving lenses and magnify the light dramatically (up to 15x), creating ver natural-looking patterns of rippling lines of shadow and brightness throughout the tank." "The flashes typically amplify the light energy by approximately 200% from 1-4 times per second for about 0.1 of that same second. Therefore, for up to half of each second, corals receive greatly amplified light energy." -Eric H. Borneman, Aquarium Corals, 2001 So this is some pretty good news for you MH owners. I use Lumenmax XL reflectors, and they produce up to 10x the light of just the bulb, from around 100 ppfd to upper 800s and 900s ppfd. So take this magnified value, and then multiply it by 200% and you have some serious light that those corals are getting for up to half of every second, all day, every day. Totalling out (multiplying 800 ppfd by 15x) you can get 12,000 ppfd!!! 15x is probably in a perfect world, most of us aren't there, but even at the "typical amplification of 200%" it is nothing to shake a stick at. ------------- Make sure you post your best pictures every month in our POTM forum. |
Posted By: chk4tix
Date Posted: October 24 2009 at 12:07pm
Not to get in on this discussion, however, is there any proof that we need to have that kind of lighting power (12,000 ppfd) to grow corals correctly? My t5 tank says other wise. T5 vs. MH it all comes down to personal choice...both have been proven to work. ------------- Original Crappy Reef Club Member #2 |
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: October 24 2009 at 12:13pm
I don't talk "crud" on MH. If you read my posts, I clearly state that MH works and that it has its place. I feel that the majority of tanks I see, do not NEED MH. It is all personal preference. That has been established. The T5 vs MH debate is one that never ends. Will MH grow corals? Yes. Will T5 gorw corals? Yes. Do they compare watt for watt? No. T5's are much more efficient when you talk about lumens and the amount of light that reaches the tank. This is because you can put T5's right on the tank or just a few inches above. The majority of MH I see are at least 10" off the tank. Yes, a good reflector (on either setup) is what really dictates on much light finds the tank. If I can get an ATI Sunpower that uses 144W of power to put out more PAR than a 250W MH, why would I choose the MH? The shimmer? I can add a few LED's and get that effect. I have a Nano Cube that is small water volume and I can't have the temp spiking all over the place that I was getting with MH. SO yes I have owned MH for all of a week before I knew that would never work for ME. Didn't fit my tanks needs. Does that make MH, bad? NO and I never said that. I also deal with MH down at Reef Runners. I have never been impressed with the MH system. It could be the system but it just never has done it for me. While I was down there one day, I turned off all the MH over our big tank. All of the corals actually looked better to my eye and they all remained wide open and happy as can be. That showed me that the coral didn't care if the MH was on or off. It also showed me that the T5 was coloring the coral up, not the other way around. Now that was in no way a scientific test. Just a quick observation for me to see. Have you ever heard a T5 owner say they want to supplement their tank with MH? How often do you hear MH owners say they need to supplement with either T5 or VHO? I personally like how much you can customize a T5 look. If it isn't blue enough, add a bluer bulb. Need more red, add a bulb for that. T5 makes more sense to ME. I just let people know there is another way to light a tank.
|
Posted By: downhill_biker
Date Posted: October 24 2009 at 12:28pm
I dont know if they need it or not. I dont think it hurts anything though, and it probably helps, but the question is...does it help enough to make a difference...maybe. I was just trying to pass on some cool info that I read. I didn't do the research or state the facts, so I cant support the claim with proof. You are right, and Ryan is right, it all comes down to personal preference. Both are proven to work. Reflectors are make or break on many lighting setups. There are so many other factors in a reef tank, that success or failure can not be determined by the type of light you have. Both T5 and MH are setups that have proven themselves. ------------- Make sure you post your best pictures every month in our POTM forum. |
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: October 24 2009 at 12:33pm
Downhill, I liked reading the science you showed. I personally have never seen or read that. I appreciate the knowledge! I am all about learning and informing in this hobby. I support T5 because I have seen it work and loved it over my old tank. Others love MH because they have used it on their tank and seen it work. I am glad everyone can agree that both work for what we want. I think colors come more from water quality and flow. The lights we use just show off that color. So use whichever one shows the colors best to your eye. PS - Also use a GOOD setup. A cheap setup will never, ever compare to a properly setup system.
|
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: October 26 2009 at 9:13am
|
Wow, I had not viewed this thread until now. Somewhere along the way Ashley's question was forgotten and I wonder if she is even following this thread anymore.
Just in case she is reading this, I would ask what kind of coral she is hoping to grow.
 As you can see from my signature line I used to be a coral farmer. I had a 75 gal tank connected to a frag tank that was about 2'x3'x1'. I was bringing in $400/month, mostly from the coral growing in that frag tank. It had a 400W 20K MH and got a little sunshine too. If I could have had the entire tank in the sun, I would have done it. So to answer Ashley's question honestly, the best light for growing coral is sunlight.
 The bulb on my frag tank was quite old so I had it about a foot above the water and grew soft coral around the edges of the tank. Just before changing my plans and moving to St. George to marry a wonderful girl, I was putting together another system which would have more than doubled my operation. Se la vie. I can post pics if you are interested. ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
|
Posted By: chk4tix
Date Posted: October 26 2009 at 9:19am
If she isnt interested in pics, I am. Didnt you have any problems with a 400w bulb on that shallow of a tank? I currently run 2 x 150w mh on my frag tank and have been thinking of upgrading to 250w's but was concerned about the water depth. ------------- Original Crappy Reef Club Member #2 |
Posted By: downhill_biker
Date Posted: October 26 2009 at 10:13am
You are right Mark, we got way off topic somewhere along the line. Sorry for getting off topic. But as you can see here, the focus is SPS, and the budget is less of an issue, and quality is more of the focus. ------------- Make sure you post your best pictures every month in our POTM forum. |
Posted By: Ashley
Date Posted: October 26 2009 at 10:37am
|
Mark
LOL yes i have been folowing the discussion. Thanks you tho for ansering my question. I am hoping to grow all kinds of coral. zoas would be a big catagory tho, or at least my favorite lol but as i said all kinds. I am not putting sand in it so i dont know if that is going to cause a big difference. I totally agree with you the sun is the best light unfortunately I wont be able to get much sun so I was thinking of using T5's with 6 bulbs. yes i would love to see Pics
Ashley
|
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: October 26 2009 at 11:00am
|
A 55 with at least 4 T5's of the right color combo will grow all coral, even SPS. LS makes a huge difference. Will the frag tank be connected to a larger system with LS?
Will you want to provide natural live food for the coral?
And how about flow? How will you position things so the SPS get high light and high flow while the Zoas get less flow and light?
 ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
|
Posted By: Ashley
Date Posted: October 26 2009 at 11:05am
| The frag tank will be connected to my bigger tank. the food well i havent really thought of what to feed them yet I wouldnt really know. The flow i will have at leat one powerhead in there, but i was thinkin two would probably be better. |
Posted By: chk4tix
Date Posted: October 26 2009 at 12:07pm
|
Here is what my frag tank looks like. these are older pics before it was really stock. I have mine connected to my main display as well. (I hope you dont mind me adding these pics...I live just over in Kaysville if you want to come check it out some time) This is when I was hooking up all the plumbing. In this picture, you can see I have a return in every corner which can be adjusted by valve to control flow. (I have added 2 modified maxijet 1200's on a controller for added flow)  This is after the plumbing was connected and tank was filled. This shows how I did my racks    This is the last photo I have already uploaded and can access from work, but this gives an example of what the lighting looks like. This is a 150w mh, I have 2 of them over the tank (only had one mounted when I took this photo).   ------------- Original Crappy Reef Club Member #2 |
Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: October 27 2009 at 7:58am
|
The value of LS is all the food it produces for the coral. If the frag tank sand is seeded with LS and pieces of LR from many different sources it can harbor an abundant array of bugs and worms that will feed the coral all night. Some people I know use Ozone or UV to help the polyps extend more during the day, well my frag tank had plenty of polyp extension at night when live food was streaming past. There were all kinds of spawings in this tank and the attached 75 which kept the coral happy, healthy and growing rapidly.
I also found that algae was much easier to control when hermits and snails could easily climb onto the frags sitting on the sand. They cannot do that when the frags are up on an eggcrate shelf. Two other things that I found were benefits of placing frags on the sand was that I could use every square inch of the tank bottom and that I didn't have to go fishing for frags that had fallen underneath a rack full of coral.
If you are serious about growing coral for cash then you will find it much easier to lose the 55 and do a shallow tank. The pic posted earlier doesn't really show the entire tank. I need to resize some of the pics I have....later.
Oh and I used the drain water and a Poormans Wavemaker to create alternating flow in that tank. One powerhead was all it took. I was intent on making money, not spending it.  ------------- Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks: www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
|
Posted By: Jeffs_little_ocean
Date Posted: October 27 2009 at 8:36am
| That is a sweet frag tank keith! Post some pics of your display if you dont mind. Thats a nicer system for frags than I will probably ever have for a display. |
Posted By: Ashley
Date Posted: October 28 2009 at 4:38pm
| wow thats a nice frag tank... The pluming must of sucked doing personally I dont like that part myself takes lots of time....How big is your frag tank? You know what they so tho the more you put in to it the more you get out of it! |
Posted By: chk4tix
Date Posted: October 28 2009 at 4:45pm
Thanks, the frag tank is 24"wx60"lx12"h. and approx 75g.
Here is a pic I just took with my cell...It's not the best but you can see how its changed
 ------------- Original Crappy Reef Club Member #2 |
Posted By: Ashley
Date Posted: October 28 2009 at 4:52pm
awesome that is huge. ppl dont really get the care that you have to put in a tank to just keep it running. Me being 16 and able to take care of a tank is something i am very proud of
|
Posted By: bfessler
Date Posted: October 28 2009 at 5:06pm
|
Hi Ashley,
You should be proud. I got into the hobby in April and the learning curve is very steep.
Anyway back to your original question, I have a 55 G Frag tank and just installed a 4 tube T5HO fixture over it. I found that for my LPS and softies this fixture had too much light while my SPS did great. I use an AquaticLife fixture with 3 built in timers 1 timer for each 2 tubes and one for the Moon Lights. What I have done is create a dawn to dusk effect by having 2 tubs come on in the morning then around 11:00 all 4 tubs come on until 2:00 PM when the first set goes off and finally the last set goes off at 8:00 pm. This has given my SPS plenty of intense light while not bleaching out the LPS and softies.
The control you get with T5's is great and I would recommend them especially for a tank your size. ------------- Burt An equal opportunity reefer, I support all hobbyists and organizations involved in Marine Aquarium Keeping. [email protected] |
Posted By: Ashley
Date Posted: October 28 2009 at 5:23pm
| wow thats cool we tried to create something like that for our regular tank but the changes aren't smooth as i wanted lol plus we turn on and off the day time light on at the same time... Josh is more of the handy man who runs the pluming and lighting i just do my best to maintain the tank but i know for sure that we are getting T5's for the frag tank. |
Posted By: bfessler
Date Posted: October 28 2009 at 5:53pm
|
The built in timers make it super simple to get this effect. If the timers aren't built into the fixture you want one power cord per 2 tubes of the fixture. Then connecting them to a controller like the Digital Aquatic Elite or RKL will allow you to easily set the time each set of tubes come on and off. You could do the same thing with regular timers you get at Home Depot but it's a little more difficult synchronizing them all. ------------- Burt An equal opportunity reefer, I support all hobbyists and organizations involved in Marine Aquarium Keeping. [email protected] |