i plan on getting t5 with my next paycheck...

okay so.. i have a 36in 40gal. breeder[wider]

should i get the t5 4x39
or the t5 2x39
i plan on getting

either...
Current USA Nova Extreme T5 Aquarium Lighting Fixture, 4X39 Watt, 36 inch

or...

Current USA Nova Extreme T5 X2 Aquarium Lighting Fixture, 2X39 Watt, 36 inch

but im not sure..
i plan on setting up smaller tanks and such..
but im not sure what i should be getting.

oh and how long should i leave them on for? i have been doing like..
10am til 10pm sometimes earlier sometimes later
depends when i wake up and fall asleep.

i know i should invest in a timer set up. haha

 

Are you planning on keeping corals? If so, with T5 lights IMO it's safe to say you can't have too many. If they'll fit over the tank and you can afford it, go for it!

 

At least the 4 bulb unit, if not a 6.

 

If I had to do it again.. I would have got a 6 bulb t5 fixture for my 55gal.. only got 2 t5s and 4 pcs right now.. T5hos are good lights.. the more the merryer.

 

yep don't mean to sound like a broken record but don't skimp on the lighting or skimming (or really anything else in this hobby both those two are most important). besides if you by the 2 bulb fixture, you be wishing you had bought the 4 bulb sooner than you think.

 

On our frag tanks at our shop we run 40 breeders... One has a Tek 4 lamp, a Tek 6 and the last has a TX5... I feel all the fixtures are enough for a reef tank but if I would do it for my own personal tank I would do the TX5 or the Tek 6 lamp. If you think that the light is too much you can raise the fixture or run the lights shorter photoperiods or toss in a couple of true actinic or other lower PAR producing lamp.Between the two you choose I would opt with the 4 lamp but if you are serious about this hobby and this tank save some more $$ and get a decent fixture... A Tek is a heck of a lot easier to resell then a Nova and it will not degrade in price as fast. AND if you save up, SLS will be unveiling its Actively cooled Teks at MACNA this year so you could save a bit and get one of those in fall.