T5 Distance from water HELP

[CoralShop]

How close should I place a 6 bulb T5 fixture to the water over a 25G 13" tall tank?

 

[snowmansnow]

as close as you can.... is it a DIY? do they have reflectors? what t5 fixture?

I had my constellation sitting DIRECTLY on top of my eurobracing for a good year.

B

 

[CoralShop]

Awesome, this is a new set up, it is only cycling atm. It has individual reflectors and HO LEDs. THanks for the input this is my first T5 fixture, i'm making the switch from MHs!

 

[raisedonnintendo]

If there sealed bulbs and fixtures put them n the water

 

[rbredding]

6" is FINE... I had a 4 bulb fixture on my 29L in the kitchen and saw a lot of growth on an orange monti..

 

[markl]

Mine are about 6" on my 120g sps are growing nice. Any lower and they would be in the way for me

 

[raisedonnintendo]

Ya 6 inch works

 

[raisedonnintendo]

Amici;582798 wrote: Please do not ever put a T-5 Fixture in water......I disagree 100% with this advice and it scares me to read someone is actually suggesting this.

Ya bud now a days u can get led t5 and put them 3 inches from your corals if u want. It put out less power then a 200 watt heater or even your power heads. N they all go underwater. I ran them for years it's just I can only get um n 8000k or blue. Get with the times they been doing it for half a decade now

 

[raisedonnintendo]

U know I did say if they where sealed bulbs!!!!! Not n e old fixture but whatever u got 9000 posts for a reason. So I concede whatever he says is correct n I have no clue what I'm talking about for sanity sake

 

[markl]

Im down in Orlando right now and just left WWC . Most of their tanks were on t5s.I didnt measure, but the t5s were about 12-16 " over 20" and deeper tanks. I asked if they always run the lights that high with spsand lps in the tanks and they said yes and gets good growth off them.

 

[CoralShop]

MarkL;584056 wrote: Im down in Orlando right now and just left WWC . Most of their tanks were on t5s.I didnt measure, but the t5s were about 12-16 " over 20" and deeper tanks. I asked if they always run the lights that high with spsand lps in the tanks and they said yes and gets good growth off them.

Thats nuts, do you know what kind of fixture? What watts?
Cool stuff

 

[markl]

Ati fixture with 80w Giesemann bulbs on the 300d dd in the lobby . Most of the tanks in the back were t5s as well but not sure what kind. Im going back next Monday so I try to take more notes. The really nice displayhas MH with t5s and leds. The big one you guys have seen videos of is sick.One of the nicest ive seen in person.

 

[CoralShop]

oh yeah 80w's over 20" deep isnt quite as suprising, thats still interesting. Did the corals pop or kind of dull?

 

[markl]

It was popping like a 4thof July firework show.It was reallly nice looking nice kind of like my new bulbs.I do like my color a little better.:yes:

 

[CoralShop]

Ok so, i've had them close for a while now, seeing some bleaching, moved em up, still super bright. Would switching the 15ks out for 2 more actinics help? This would reduce par rating, right?

 

[patrick]

The only reason to raise lighting off the surface of the water is for heat concerns, splash concerns etc. The air does not refract the light appreciably. Now if you were to raise the lights several feet off the water, the light may diffuse over such a wide area that it is diminished to the tank as a whole, but the difference in light on the corals between say 6 inches and a foot or 2 really makes no difference. If coral light shock to the zooxanthellae is a concern you will either need to lower them in the tank or use some screening to diffuse the light that gets to the coral.