Lighting

[sagent3000]

after looking at the tank of the month in reef central i have decided to stay with t-5. my new tank is going to be 72x24x24 and i can't find a fixture out there that is 72" long so i have decided to make one myself. here is my idea:

18 - 36" icecap reflectors
2 - icecap 660 ballast
18 - waterproof endcaps

there will be a total of 702 watts of light. will that be enough to keep sps's and clams or do i need to go back to my MH set up which is 2 x 250 watt, 1 x 400 watt and 2 vho's??

 

[mufret]

Not a bad idea but you'll need a few more ballasts. IceCap recommends that you run no more than 4 T5 bulbs on a 660 (only 3 if you move up to the 60" bulbs). There are a few 72" fixtures out there. I have an Aquatinics Constellation on my 180g that you're more than welcome to stop by and look at.

 

[sagent3000]

how do you like it? i was looking at that one but its only 14" wide and my tank is 24" wide that was the thing i was thinking about.

 

[mufret]

I've only had it for a month or so but, so far, I like it. I was concerned about the width as well but I have it sitting so it's in front of the overflows (no need for light in them anyway) and it has no problem lighting up the front of the tank.

 

[sagent3000]

that sounds good. now here is my problem my tank is going to be in the middle of my floor so the overflow is going to be in the middle. its going to be a closed loop too. thats why i went with the DIY but if you are telling me that the Constellation will work i will get it

 

[mufret]

Well, having the overflow in the middle might make a difference. I personally, like retro setups better because they give you more flexiblity. If you are going to have a canopy, certainly take a good look at a retro setup. If the plan is to have an open top, then a fixture will probably suit your needs a little more.

 

[sagent3000]

its going to be a canopy but with the info you just gave me i am going to have to go back to a MH set up because it will cost $600 just for the ballast

 

[mufret]

Is there a reason you only want to use the IceCap ballasts? There are quite a few reputable T5 ballasts available. They may not overdrive the bulbs but there are some bulbs (Actinics or areas of lower light, for instance) that you may not want to overdrive.

 

[sagent3000]

mufret;196709 wrote: Is there a reason you only want to use the IceCap ballasts? There are quite a few reputable T5 ballasts available. They may not overdrive the bulbs but there are some bulbs (Actinics or areas of lower light, for instance) that you may not want to overdrive.

no thats the only one i know of. if you can tell me some more ballast that i could use i would be more than happy to research them

 

[dannybradley]

Aquanetics makes outstanding T5 fixtures.

mufret;196687 wrote: Not a bad idea but you'll need a few more ballasts. IceCap recommends that you run no more than 4 T5 bulbs on a 660 (only 3 if you move up to the 60" bulbs). There are a few 72" fixtures out there. I have an Aquatinics Constellation on my 180g that you're more than welcome to stop by and look at.