120g Lighting

Hey Y'all,

I'm on the verge of starting up my 120g mixed reef tank - very exciting times!! I am trying to come to some sort of decision about lighting (protein skimmer is also on the to do list but lets worry about that next time)

I am torn between a T5 system and a MH+T5 system. My tank is 48"x24"x24" and I plan on having a mixed reef.

I was hoping to gather peoples thoughts on a few systems and on lighting in general.

I've read great things about the ATI T5 systems such as this one:
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5..._6x54W_SunPower_T5_High-Output_Fixture_by_ATI

It's only 324W thought. Is this enough for the tank?
They have an 8 bulb version but it is a powermodule instead on sunpower and thus is $400 more.

There is also this Tek Light T5 system that is 8x54W
Sunlight Supply Tek Light High Output Fluorescent Lighting Fixtures

Are these on par with the ATI ones?


On the other side of the coin are MH+T5 systems. They provide more watts and the MH shimmer but also more heat and electricity. Some people have spoken highly of this one:
4ft Sunlight Supply Maristar High Output HQI-T5 Combo Fixture

and I randomly stumpled upon this one but have not really heard people mention it.
2 x 150W MHL with 2 x 2bulbs 4Ft Fixture


At this point I need to make a decision so this tank will finally start. Any thoughts on these or other recommended systems you have would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!!

 

Welcome to 3reef, mozymo!

As for T5, you can't lose with either of the fixtures you're considering. They're both fantastic, high quality products.

MH, well, that's different. They're great quality of course, but as you said, more heat, electricity, but more light too. The Maristar you're looking at comes bare bones. After the ballast and bulbs are purchased, you'll be looking at nearly a grand. I have a Coralife Aqualight Pro. It's dual 250W and dual PCs. I'd sure love dual T5s in there instead of the PCs, but that ship has sailed. I'm not too familiar with the Maristar, and I've not heard of the second MH fixture in your post.

Either way, good luck with your decision, and again, Welcome!

 

mozymo

when you say mixed reef, do you have any idea of the types of corals you want to keep
or is your ambition to be unlimited in terms of what your tank can house?

MH - you will need a 2 lamp fixture for that sized tank with or without supplemental T5 lighting those that do, normally go with actinic

a 6 lamp T5 unit which is 54 watts for that sized tank has been proven by many people to achieve decent colouration and growth of many different SPS corals

MH has many die hard fans - its proven itself for decades now
T5 is the new kid on the block and many old school reefers are not convinced of its capabilities - but check out the tank threads on this site and draw your own conclusions


Steve

 

The good thing about the Maristar is SLS lowered its MAP pricing on it and also lowered many of its ballast pricing making it more affordable than ever.

Its a great versitle unit that you will be very happy with no doubt.

As for T5s... my secret lover...
The ATI powermodule or the Sunpower are of better quality in a few regards to the Tek.
First it has better SLRs, by that I mean better design and aluminum. It is actively cooled and comes with a splash guard(which actually helps with the cooling).
Argueably some of the best units on the market but the $$ is obviously higher.. You will most likely get best deal on them from Reef Geek as they are the SOLE importer or ATI.

The Tek is a good unit don't get me wrong but when people factor in legs(or hanging kit) splash shield and so on they can usually find a better quality unit for a comparable price.

Aquactinics Solar Flare or Constellation would work as well. The Solar Flare is an Ice Cap driven unit with 6 lamps... You will have a little less coverage but it is overdriven and has moonlights.

The Constellation is a 7 lamp unit with 3 switches so you can tweek the dawn dusk even moreso than most fixtures. It also is rumored to be soon to be rereleased with LEDs to add shimmer to the unit similar to MH... Both above units are made in USA and have active cooling and include splash shield(again which is needed for proper cooling).

Heck if you have a canopy and are interested in MH/T5 Coralvue has some CHEAP combo retros you can get that come with 2x175 or 2x250 MH and 2x54T5 and are decent.

Good luck

 

How big of a difference in electricity are T5s vs MH?
Let's say the 8x54 T5 from ATI vs a 2x250MH+2 T5 actinics.

I live in NorCal so it's usually pretty cool so I am not too worried about the heat of MHs - especially if I just put a small fan over the water. 8 T5s verse 2 MHs + 2 T5s are similar in bulb replacement costs. So an unknown for me is the electricity difference and the effectiveness of the bulbs at growing coral.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

 

One of my friends sent me a link to this guy.
Marineland Pro Series HQI/T5 Lighting 48"
2x150W HQI MH + 4x54W HO T5 and 4 leds

Marineland Pro Series HQI/T5 Lighting | Pet Solutions

I do have a hood on my tank but it is fairly short (~7 inches off the surface so if I did a retro kit the bulbs would be 5 inches off the surface. This seems close especially for MHs. Am I wrong? That is why I was leaning towards a full fixture so I just pull the top off the mini hood.

Any thoughts?

 

I only have a minute but in all honesty... T5 will draw considerably less wattage.. Look at it this way you run 2x250w then 2x54w T5 for say supplementals and you are looking 608w BUT then you have to add an additional 10% or so for wasted energy consumption so you are looking into about 670 watts drawn.

T5 on the otherhand 6x54w is 324w... Even if you run 8 which you wouldn't need, thats still 432w... even if you add on 10% as waste you are looking at ALOT LESS WATTAGE!

I am only running 640w on my 180 which is hundreds of watts less than what I was planning on running with a MH/T5 combo... AND I have SPS growth at least 3/4ths the way down and could probably grow montis on the sand without problem..

I am not trying to steer you either way... I have some awesome MH tanks no doubt but you are paying more monthly and typically at lamp replacement time..
Plus at least in your fair state, isn't your price per kilowatt/hr pretty high?At least I heard in Cali it was nuts..