gmiller Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 upgrading my lighting on a 55 gallon tank with 40 gallon sump. My tank in 17 inches deep and I am not interested in keeping hard corals, perhaps a clam someday, and I keep my tanks in the garage so the heat from metal halides would be a problem without air conditioning, do you think a 8 tube T-5 light fixture at 432 watts would give me enough penetration? I have read a lot on the net on lighting and remain confused as ever on the subject. Any input from out there would be appreciated. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siskiou Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 I think and 8 lamp T5 would be utter overkill on a 55G! Not only would it hang over (my 8 bulb fixture is close to 2 feet wide), but it would be way too much light for your tank. It's a standard 55, right? A 4 bulb would be great, though, but you'd still have to carefully acclimate your corals to the new lighting. What do you have on there now? -Susanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20cooled Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 Yeah I had 8 over my 120G tank and it just barely fit, with that setup you are limited to more of the heavy light corals (SPS, some LPS, Clams) and with 17" deep it would be a LOT. T5's actually penatrate the water fairly well and 17" isn't very deep especially if you add a sand bed. I would go for 4 bulbs and if you add clams someday just put them up higher in the rocks. You could also go with a 175w MH setup, it would not add anymore heat then a T5 setup and you get the shimmering effect that you do not get with T5s. Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 175W metal halides would meet your stated needs. I've got 2x 175W on my 60gal (very similar to your 55) and they're okay for softies and my clam is happy (is positioned 1/2 way up), though SPS seem to only-just get by. If you think you might ever want SPS, you might consider something beefier than 175W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmiller Posted March 20, 2007 Author Share Posted March 20, 2007 I'm now using 260W compact fluorescent 50/50/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DChemist Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 I'm curious, besides the desire to upgrade- is there a reason you feel your existing lights are inadequate? (I have no experience with compact fluorescents so pardon my ignorance) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 I have 4 x 110w vho's on my tank and have been happy with them. i have mostly sps in my tank. the drawback is the twice yearly (every six months) at 25 ish per bulb. maybe cheaper with t-5's or halides? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 $150 / 9 months with MH, roughly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20cooled Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 Yeah you can get at least a year out of T5 system especially with a good quality ballast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 8 t-5 in there is WAY to much, a 6 bulb would be more than enough, my 8 bulb (not overdriven) at 24" deep still fry's stuff, if it was me I would look into a dual MH system, or 6 bulb t-5 with decent parabolic reflectors and make sure you fan cool whatever you pick to get better life out of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefgeek84 Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 My 8 lamp fixture did not fry anything on my 20" tall tank, it seemed to work well for me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 I'd put off buying the lighting until you buy the clam. If you want to buy a clam asap then get your setup now. Think a bit about where you want to put your clam too. Higher is obviously better. If you are worried about heat in the garage in August then go with the 6 bulb t-5s and a good fan. Also, if it is the garage you could hang your fixture pretty high and adjust it closer as needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 To amend what I was saying, I have not kept clams before that are tropical. These people have (http://www.clamsdirect.com/forum/) and they want you to be successful so you buy another clam! There are many things to consider. Most importantly, what clam species do you want to keep? You might not need to buy a new fixture at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J & Jr Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 I Know almost nothing about lighting except what I have read on the fourms this said I bought a new 48" 6 bulb tek from SLS for my new tank. befor the new tank was ready the PC fixture went south on on the old 55gal and I switched it out with the tek light. everything in the tank seems to love it. I have a pulsing zenia which is going wild suddenly, one of my shrums has turned into five, my GSP has grown from the size of a quarter to cover a rock the size of a softball,also some purple and pink birdsnest that seem to be fine. Hopefuly when I move everything to the new 75gal it will work as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowman Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 It really depends on the type of clam you want. Derasa, gigas, and hippopus clams don't require as much light as crocea and maxima clams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmiller Posted March 21, 2007 Author Share Posted March 21, 2007 Don't want to make an upgrade if I can grow some soft corals. I'm just confused with all the conflicting opinions on lighting, and I don't want to put animals in the tank just to see if they can make it. Tried a piece of xenia and it just shriveled. Have done some work on my water changeover rate and circulation inside the tank and things generally look better so maybe I should try another small piece. I may just add one 65W T-5 full spectrum daylight, as always any input is appreciated. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H20cooled Posted March 21, 2007 Share Posted March 21, 2007 I doubt that your Xenia died due to low light, I've thrown it in my fuge before under low light and it took off, I would look closer at your water parameters (Nitrate, Ammonia, KH, CA, Mag, etc...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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