Several Newbie Questions

IMO T5's would be a great way to go if you're worried about MH heating up the tank too much, then needing a chiller during the warmer months.

Here are some brands to check into:

ATI Sunpower - (top of the line but expensive)
Sunlight Supply TEK Elite & Standard
AquaticLife

For a 75g I would suggest a 6-bulb fixture. Those are the brands I hear most consistent positive feedback on. The reflectors & bulbs of a fixture play a huge part in its efficiency. You normally want to get something with individual reflectors instead of one large reflector. Some have contoured reflectors so even though they're not individual, they are still directing the light downward.

I run a TEK Elite 4-bulb fixture on my 55g reef and it's doing just fine. I keep all types of corals, softies, LPS, Clams, a few SPS, growth is good & everything is happy.

In terms of dosing, as you get more comfortable with the SW hobby. You can start moving towards a reef. You will need to begin testing the Alkalinity, Calcium, Magnesium, & Phosphate levels in your tank. This can be done with test kits like Salifert ones, I like those. If you have a LFS that is reputable in SW, you should be able to get those levels tested there also.

You will want to keep your Phosphate levels at 0, in general, by running media in a reactor/sump that helps remove it. The 3 other params will be kept in check by normal water changes and a dosing regimen. I dose my reef twice a week with B-Ionic supplements for those 3 params. Once you can get it down to a system it's easy. Testing the params when you're ready to go reef will help you understand what your tank is lacking in & how much it needs back to be stable in those areas.

It's confusing at first but you'll begin to understand it as you gain more hands-on experience with it all.

best of luck

 

Thanks for the run down. So if I got a T5/MH Setup. Would the MH be used for the blue(20k) bulb, and the T5's for the 10k?

I'm starting to understand the light stuff.

Should I really be worried about MH's exploding and burning down my house

I'm not worried about the MH's heating up the tank, as I will be making a custom canopy and installing 2 80MM fans on each side(Intake/Exhaust). Plus in Idaho, it doesn't get terribly hot, but T5's sound like the way to go

 

Actually it would be the other way around, the T5 actinics would give you the "blue" dawn/dusk while the MH's are daylight.

You can do the same in T5's per say a 6-bulb, getting a nice mix of 3 dawn/dusk bulbs and 3 daylight ones. Run on a timer fixtures normally have 2 independent switches so your first 3 bulbs go on & then the last 3 to simulate sunrise/dawn, and in reverse your daylights go out, leaving the last 3 dusk bulbs to end the cycle.

 

Again, here comes the noob in me. You can run each bulb on a separate timer?

I know how MH's can be worked into a canopy fixture itself, by hanging it at the top, but how would T5's work?

 

Most good quality light fixtures have two switches that are controlled by seperate plugs. For example my 4-bulb fixture is run by two digital timers, each plug goes in seperate timers and are programmed to come on at different intervals. My dawn/dusk 2-bulb switch comes on at say 2pm and then my other 2-bulb daylights come on at 2:30pm, all 4-bulbs remain on until 10pm & then my daylights go off & my dawn/dusk set stay on for another half hour, then go off. I also modded my fixture with blue led moonlights that come on right after my last bulb set.

 

How long do the LED's stay on? Until the Dusk lights come on the next day at 2PM?

 

I run my moons from about 10:30pm-maybe 3am, it's good to have a complete dark period in the tank still.

 

Awesome! Thanks for all the replies so far. Does TEK have a website? I searched google, but was not successful. Or at least a good place to research prices and such.

Thanks again!

 

TEK's are cheapest through www.reefgeek.com they are where I got mine from & their prices and customer service is amazing, months after I got mine they still check in on me. Ask for George if you like to speak via phone with someone.

 

So these are the correct ones

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5...ixture_w!_Bulbs_(Graphite)_by_Sunlight_Supply

And whats a good height above the fish tank to mount the lights.