T5 lighting suggestions

I'm looking to make the move to T5 lighting. I currently have a
Hamiliton MH (14,000K) with fluorescent actinics. My tank is a
60 gallon, 20" top to bottom. No SPS corals (yet) but an open
brain, leather, pearl, tubipora musica, and bubble and seabae
anemones.

Any suggestions on what to look for? How many bulbs? Suggestions
for manufacturers, etc?

Thanks.

Mike

I use 2 white 2 blues - with reflectors to maximise light. Works like a
treat.....

~m

wrote in message
...
I'm looking to make the move to T5 lighting. I currently have a
Hamiliton MH (14,000K) with fluorescent actinics. My tank is a
60 gallon, 20" top to bottom. No SPS corals (yet) but an open
brain, leather, pearl, tubipora musica, and bubble and seabae
anemones.

Any suggestions on what to look for? How many bulbs? Suggestions
for manufacturers, etc?

Thanks.

Mike

Mike Lawford wrote:
I use 2 white 2 blues - with reflectors to maximise light. Works like a
treat.....


So, which manufacturer?

Mike
wrote in message
...
I'm looking to make the move to T5 lighting. I currently have a
Hamiliton MH (14,000K) with fluorescent actinics. My tank is a
60 gallon, 20" top to bottom. No SPS corals (yet) but an open
brain, leather, pearl, tubipora musica, and bubble and seabae
anemones.

Any suggestions on what to look for? How many bulbs? Suggestions
for manufacturers, etc?

wrote:
Mike Lawford wrote:
I use 2 white 2 blues - with reflectors to maximise light. Works like a
treat.....


So, which manufacturer?


I am very pleased with my Nova Extream light fixtures. I got the 8
bulb, 4' fixture (432W) for my 100 gallon tank a couple of months ago
and am so pleased with it that I just got the 4 bulb 2' fixture for my
25. They are super bright! The house next door has a big blue spot on
it from the light that leaks out the window at night. The 100 gallon
tank is still mostly a work in progress so I don't have any corals or
anything in it yet, but my 25 gallon tank has a large BTA (about 9" in
diameter) and a smaller Rose BTA and they both look much happier with
the new light. I'd had them under 65W of compact flourecents, and now
they are under 96W of T5. One thing to note, and this is a piddly
little thing, but the 96W fixture seems much sturdier than the 432W
one. This is really just a factor of the plastic in the case being the
same thickness and such. Go go efficient lighting!

Blake.

One gripe, however, is that the fan in the 96W fixture is rather on the
loud side. Also, in the 96W fixture the fan runs on its own power
supply, whereas in the 432W fixture the fans (one for each set of
bulbs) run on the bulb supplies. This means that on the 96W fixture
there are 4 power cords, one for white, one for actinic, one for the
LEDs, and one for the fans, where one the 432 there are only 3. It is
nice, though, that I have the option of turning the fan off when just
the blue bulbs are on. Would have been *much* better if they were
controlled by some kind of thermostat.

So why doesn't a lighting manufacture go ahead and build a silly
fixture with just one power cord and an interface to alow you to set
the times for bulbs to go on and off with a thermostat controlled fan?
Why am I *still* using mechanical power timers?

Blake.

Blake Siemens makes and inexpensive PLCs for 75$. Mechanical timers are
so 80's man.

Blake Siemens makes and inexpensive PLCs for 75$. Mechanical timers are
so 80's man.