help me pick lighting for 96" x 30" x 24" deep tank

huseMN · 07/10/2017, 11:24 PM

Getting ready to make a lighting purchase for my 8' tank and need some input.

96" long by 30" wide by 24" deep. It will mainly be SPS.

Looking at lighting half of the tank with 2 radium MH bulbs and supplemental T5's

Looking at lighting the other half with LED and supplemental t5's

I already have an old Radion LED fixture that I wanted to use and would need to purchase everything else.

What lights would you purchase? Heat is not an issue as I live in MN and cool most of the year. Electricity cost is a factor but coral growth and color is more of a factor.

Will having half the tank lit by MH and the other by LED's make the tank look "weird"

scuzy · 07/10/2017, 11:33 PM

I would either go all in one light cause mixing half side tank with one type and another looks odd and colors would look off. Maybe go with 5-6 mitras or radios or two 48" ATI power modules.

huseMN · 07/10/2017, 11:43 PM

Bummer I was hoping not to hear that it would look odd. Was curious to test different growth with different lights. I think the Mitras are out as I will have a canopy, they look slick though. Not looking to drop $4K on Radions. If I went with two 48" ATI's I would Assume 8 bulb would be preferred over the 6? I have never had T5 and not sure how the look compares to LED or Halides. How often do the T5 bulbs need changing?

mic209 · 07/11/2017, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by huseMN

Bummer I was hoping not to hear that it would look odd. Was curious to test different growth with different lights. I think the Mitras are out as I will have a canopy, they look slick though. Not looking to drop $4K on Radions. If I went with two 48" ATI's I would Assume 8 bulb would be preferred over the 6? I have never had T5 and not sure how the look compares to LED or Halides. How often do the T5 bulbs need changing?

Vivid Aquariums had their display lit with halides on one side and Radions at the other, they tuned the radions to were you couldn't tell which half was lit by what. I seen the tank in person and could not tell. Google vivid aquariums 800 half LED for some articles on it, or PM me and I'll send you the links. Reef central filters it out.

HaroldT · 07/11/2017, 07:43 AM

You can get a 4 Ft Cebu Sun with Radium 250 Watt and M80 ballasts with 4xT5 for less than $1000. The growth and color is awesome. https://hamiltontechnology.com/index...&product_id=66

I saw the Vivid tank a few times and you couldn't see a huge difference in the LED side vs the MH side. Two Vivid workers (Rudy & Jesus) both told me the coral growth was better under the MH side

jda · 07/11/2017, 08:24 AM

You could totally tell which side was lit by which when Vivid did this. The water looked different and so did the corals. They have stopped the last time that I visited town. I do get that most cannot tell, but if you are going to delve into acropora full time with a large investment, you will get to where you can.

Large and wide tanks are made for reflectors. MH on big reflectors will offer the best results and also be the cheapest way to light this. Four MH will do - 250W Radiums (like you wanted) is 1000W of power. You can add some T5 if you want, but not necessary.

The issue with the Cebu Sun is that it is not made to spread 30" back to front. Hamilton has a 20x20 reflector that will cover 24x30 quite nicely.

Large tanks are hard to light and have challenges that most folks know nothing about. I would get advice from people who have them, and not somebody who lights a cube and thinks that what they do will scale and is offering suggestions. tdb320reef lights a large tanks. So does Copps. Dr. Joshi. There are way more in the SPS section.

FWIW - T5 bulbs will go a year for nearly everybody if you don't overdrive them. So will all MH bulbs except for 14K phoenix that you can use for two years.

Lastly, figure out which type of SPS that you want to keep. Just saying SPS will get some comments from folks who keep montis and birdsnest which can be grow with screw-in CFL bulbs. Saying acropora will get different responses. Nobody know what you want to keep but you, but it does matter a lot.

huseMN · 07/11/2017, 02:13 PM

Interesting... So for Acros... Would 4-20x20 reflectors and some LED's or T5's be overkill?

I like the blue look of the tank when Halides turn off and for under $2K I could get 4 reflectors and some add on 4' long T5's. I think that may be a good option.

jda · 07/11/2017, 03:04 PM

No, not overkill.

The Hamilton one that I was thinking of is the Cozumel Sun.

huseMN · 07/15/2017, 09:05 PM

Ok great, I have decided on the Cabo Sun system, 250Watt Radium on magnetic ballast. I will pick up 3 of them for now and will add a 4th down the road as corals fill in and if I think I need the extra light. I am hoping they will spread a 30" x 30" area which means I may only need 3 of them.

Now to decide on T5's or LED's for supplemental actinic. Thoughts?

sabodish · 07/17/2017, 11:18 AM

I had this same size tank and went with 4x400W halides supplemented with 4 4' VHO actinics...yes, it was back in the day.

07/10/2017, 11:24 PM	#1
huseMN Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 73	help me pick lighting for 96" x 30" x 24" deep tank Getting ready to make a lighting purchase for my 8' tank and need some input. 96" long by 30" wide by 24" deep. It will mainly be SPS. Looking at lighting half of the tank with 2 radium MH bulbs and supplemental T5's Looking at lighting the other half with LED and supplemental t5's I already have an old Radion LED fixture that I wanted to use and would need to purchase everything else. What lights would you purchase? Heat is not an issue as I live in MN and cool most of the year. Electricity cost is a factor but coral growth and color is more of a factor. Will having half the tank lit by MH and the other by LED's make the tank look "weird"

07/10/2017, 11:33 PM	#2
scuzy Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 6,499	I would either go all in one light cause mixing half side tank with one type and another looks odd and colors would look off. Maybe go with 5-6 mitras or radios or two 48" ATI power modules.

07/10/2017, 11:43 PM	#3
huseMN Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 73	Bummer I was hoping not to hear that it would look odd. Was curious to test different growth with different lights. I think the Mitras are out as I will have a canopy, they look slick though. Not looking to drop $4K on Radions. If I went with two 48" ATI's I would Assume 8 bulb would be preferred over the 6? I have never had T5 and not sure how the look compares to LED or Halides. How often do the T5 bulbs need changing?

07/11/2017, 07:43 AM	#5
HaroldT Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Fresno, California Posts: 582	You can get a 4 Ft Cebu Sun with Radium 250 Watt and M80 ballasts with 4xT5 for less than $1000. The growth and color is awesome. https://hamiltontechnology.com/index...&product_id=66 I saw the Vivid tank a few times and you couldn't see a huge difference in the LED side vs the MH side. Two Vivid workers (Rudy & Jesus) both told me the coral growth was better under the MH side

07/11/2017, 08:24 AM	#6
jda Dogmatic Dinosaur Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 6,256	You could totally tell which side was lit by which when Vivid did this. The water looked different and so did the corals. They have stopped the last time that I visited town. I do get that most cannot tell, but if you are going to delve into acropora full time with a large investment, you will get to where you can. Large and wide tanks are made for reflectors. MH on big reflectors will offer the best results and also be the cheapest way to light this. Four MH will do - 250W Radiums (like you wanted) is 1000W of power. You can add some T5 if you want, but not necessary. The issue with the Cebu Sun is that it is not made to spread 30" back to front. Hamilton has a 20x20 reflector that will cover 24x30 quite nicely. Large tanks are hard to light and have challenges that most folks know nothing about. I would get advice from people who have them, and not somebody who lights a cube and thinks that what they do will scale and is offering suggestions. tdb320reef lights a large tanks. So does Copps. Dr. Joshi. There are way more in the SPS section. FWIW - T5 bulbs will go a year for nearly everybody if you don't overdrive them. So will all MH bulbs except for 14K phoenix that you can use for two years. Lastly, figure out which type of SPS that you want to keep. Just saying SPS will get some comments from folks who keep montis and birdsnest which can be grow with screw-in CFL bulbs. Saying acropora will get different responses. Nobody know what you want to keep but you, but it does matter a lot.

07/11/2017, 02:13 PM	#7
huseMN Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 73	Interesting... So for Acros... Would 4-20x20 reflectors and some LED's or T5's be overkill? I like the blue look of the tank when Halides turn off and for under $2K I could get 4 reflectors and some add on 4' long T5's. I think that may be a good option.

07/11/2017, 03:04 PM	#8
jda Dogmatic Dinosaur Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 6,256	No, not overkill. The Hamilton one that I was thinking of is the Cozumel Sun.

07/15/2017, 09:05 PM	#9
huseMN Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 73	Ok great, I have decided on the Cabo Sun system, 250Watt Radium on magnetic ballast. I will pick up 3 of them for now and will add a 4th down the road as corals fill in and if I think I need the extra light. I am hoping they will spread a 30" x 30" area which means I may only need 3 of them. Now to decide on T5's or LED's for supplemental actinic. Thoughts?

07/17/2017, 11:18 AM	#10
sabodish Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Holly Springs, NC Posts: 1,703	I had this same size tank and went with 4x400W halides supplemented with 4 4' VHO actinics...yes, it was back in the day.