How high to hang T5?

[clugo]

How high off the water should I hang my T5s?

The tank will be primarily an sps tank, 120 gallon, rimless. The tank is cycling and only 2 wks old.

Currently, I have the lights about 4-5 inches off the top of the tank. See the attached pic.

Thx.

[saltyair]

how many bulbs?

just a little pointer - don't cycle with lights on, it will kick start algae

[clugo]

thx. we had just hung them up, so wanted to see what they looked like on.

8x54 7 ATI bulbs, one GE white.

[saltyair]

they do look great - should be fine - might put them up to 10 inches for better spread.

congrats

[codyreed29]

http://http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/126-tank-of-the-monthi leave mine right on top oof the tank but with 8 you could go some.http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index.php/current-issue/article/126-tank-of-the-month

[clugo]

thx saltyair.

Cody-higher than i already am? My only concern would be light spilling into the room the tank is in. It already lights the entire space. :)

[PeTe PoLyP]

If you are getting the coverage you desire why move them? Its all personal preference, if you would like them higher than move them. Just remember that as you move them higher the PAR that reaches the tank will decrease. If everything in your tank is fine i wouldnt bother. I have 6 t5 on 3" legs over my 29. It makes it hard to get my arm inside the tank to place corals and do whatever I need to do in there. Since you have yours hanging I would think about that before dropping them any.

[Michigan Mike]

Keep corals on the sandbed at first. LPS may need to be off the the sides & SPS should adjust to high light.
I'd raise it a couple more inches now, after 7 months drop it back down a couple inches so as you lose PAR it stays nearly he same.

If you don't want to raise it then place a few actinic bulbs in the mix to lower PAR intensity.

[ReefKeeper64]

Looking good! Maybe an inch or two higher, that's all.

[anbosu]

If you have access to a PAR meter I would check your readings. If you have individual reflectors you may have to raise it a bit to avoid torching your corals.

[stevedola]

I have mine 3 inches above water. why waste the light? The closer the lamps are the more intense and the more par.

[clugo]

Wish i had one. May need to purchase one in the future. I raised my lights up to about 6 inches off the water based on reefkeeper64's setup. I def like the extra space between the light and tank. I'll try to post new pics this wkend.

[clugo]

Updated pics w lights raised a couple of inches, redone landscape w more caves, etc.

240097W240098240100

[ReefKeeper64]

Your raised lighting and updated aquascaping both look more inviting and draws you in. Great results!

[clugo]

Thx reefkeeper!