t-5 penetration?

[vanzea]

Well the time has come, or should i say the itch has become to big to scratch......i currently have a 30 gal reef with 2 lps, softies, leathers and mushrooms under a coralife 130 watt power compact, everything is healthy and i am seeing some great growth........however with the growth of my coral i have to grow myself...and as all of us reef lovers know this means a bigger tank.....so i have some questions that i would like some feedback on....... I want to go with a 75gal tank or a 90gal.....the 90gal being the same size but taller.......i also want to go with t-5 lighting....is this going to be strong enouph to penetrate in the 90? And also i will be making my stand and hood so i need to know of websites where i can find t-5 retrofit kits....i would like to fit as many lights in as possible so i would be able to have a couple sps near the top...are t-5's capable? or do i need to go with halide? thanks for the help

[Rick55555]

In my opinion, T5s are more than capable of accommodating SPS. Subject to the dimensions of the 90gal of course, T5s can do the trick without the SPS being at the top.

I have a 150 gallon with a TEK 8-bulb fixture. The fixture is located about 18 inches from the water surface and my SPS have been doing well despite their being scattered throughout the tank. The tank is approximately 22 inches high. Colors are nice, polyps are extend etc.

Rick

[mdelcomyn]

Some will say that T5's don't penetrate, but experience will tell you otherwise. Take a look, for example, at Paul Whitby's TOTM (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-10/totm/index.php). He uses only T5's and, for the size of the tank, a surprisingly small number. His tank is 30" deep, and his clams, located all the way on the bottom, look great.

[vanzea]

so my next question is then do i go with a 6x54 or a big 8x54 fixture? again for the 90 gal that is 24in tall

[SimilanRocks]

depends on what you want to keep. 8 to be more successfull with sps. otherwise 6 is enough for softies/lps