T5 lighting for SPS?
 

Is anybody using exclusively T5 lighting for SPS. Thoughts, opinions?
RC

Are you looking at using it over your 90? I posted the same question way back on RC and Grim (who seems to be the T5 guru) suggested at least 6 bulbs, but reccomended 8

I'm using a 6x54W and had the same question before I bought mine. From what I read on the interenet you can grow sps but near the top of your tank. The person I bought the light from had sps under the light and he said it was ok. I'm relatively new with sps so I'm guessing some of the lower light sps. I don't know which ones though.

Perhaps someone could throw toss some answers here? perhaps? please? hehe.

im using a 8 bulb tek light and i grow sps with no problems in a 28" deep tank, with my par meter i estimate it to be about the same a 250w halides in strength
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/djdirtyc/par.jpg

the numbers in the pic are par readings when i changed bulbs in dec.

T5's are great. A perfect option to MH.

If anyone tells you that you cannot grow SPS under T5's I would suggest they have never tried it themself.

T5 lighting
 

I am using a current USA fixture that has twelve HO tubes 3feet each over my 240 gallon tank. It is 30 inches deep and I do not think the light at the bottom is sufficient for SPS. At the top is very brite.

I'm using the tek t5 unit with 4 bulb 4 foot unit in my 5 foot 24 inch deep tank and all my sps is growing. I do put my most light intense sps 15 inches or closer to the top (highest sps is 8 inches from the light), but I've got stags, birdsnest, and monties near the bottom with no issues (I did recently add a 2 bulb 36 inch glo unit to the back of the tank, but that was for some supplimentry lighting as the tek unit sits closer to the front of the tank then in the usual middle)

I believe Stones is using a sfiligoi t5 unit on his 90 and it is an sps dominated tank, beautiful corals, i believe he has a picture thread going on here somewhere.

Thanks rstar
For the heads up about Stones he does have a nice setup.


Rbacchiega
"Are you looking at using it over your 90?"

Yes the problem I'm having is that I have a Euro braced tank (Black in colour) so an 8 bulb fixture maybe somewhat of a waste because of the opening on the top is only 12" wide.
Would a 6 bulb 54 watt provide enough light for sps from the top 1/2 of the tank?