Lighting advice
 

Hi,

I'm looking at getting a light fixture for the 75 gallon I'm slowly setting up. I think I'm pretty set on T5 as I don't want to be dumping a lot of heat into the system - cooling is a problem in summer.

I like the look of the the Sunlight Supply Tek Light T5 48" 6 bulb fixture. My question is, what can I realistically keep coral wise with this light? The tank is 20" deep.

I was hoping to keep LPS, possibly some of the less demanding SPS or clams.. Is this achievable, or would I need metal halide to get anywhere with the latter?

Thanks in advance,
Rob.

yup

You should be able to keep anything with that set up. I have a sunlight supply sunblaze fixture on a 20" deep tank and it was bleaching my chalice and cyphastrea on the sandbed.

Yep...

I agree with anything as well. Then if you want even more light down the road overdrive your daylight bulbs with an IceCap660 ballast.

No point doing this. its not that much of a difference and still not comparable to a ATI or constellation.

As for what you can keep, anything. Bulb choice is a big factor as well, not just the fixture. My tank is sps dominated and thriving really well

How can adding another 2 3rds power not be much of a differance

It may not be an ATI but a 6 bulb TEK over driven with a 660 ballast is still half the price.

Check out fishytime's tank journal - Gorgeous SPS dominant with Clams and LPS and run with Tek lights!

I've already posted this as a response to another person's question but I'll post it here and then post a new thread:

SLS is releasing a new fan-cooled version of the Tek light with an included acrylic shield and reportedly improved reflectors. I'd wait to buy a Tek light until the new year. You then have the option of getting the un-cooled Tek at a presumably lower price or getting a better fixture with active cooling. The cooling at this point looks like it may be a little rinky-dink based on casual observation of the single fan, but who knows how well it works until it's released.

Read this link for more information:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1738100

As already posted you should be able to keep just about anything with that light....I am running two 3' six bulb teks over a 6', 20" deep tank....heavily SPS dominant (and not just the "easy" ones), with 11 clams at the bottom of the tank....not too many LPS, not because of lighting but because the flow is too high for most of them....Now that being said...if tek made an eight bulb 3' light I probably would have gone that direction...if you have it in your budget to get the 4' eight bulb, I would go for that light instead

Thanks everyone! Think I'll go with the 6 bulb tek light, though I may wait to see if the price drops when the new one comes out - I'm in no hurry after all.. :biggrin: