Lighting recomendation

Discussion in 'General Reef Topics' started by Houston, Mar 13, 2010.

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  1. Houston

    Houston Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

    Joined:
    Jan 19, 2010
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    Location:
    I will give you a hint. Texas.
    I have a 36gallon half moon. It currantly has 2- t5 compact fluorescent 36 watt straight pin bulbs my max length is 16 inches to keep with the hood it has. I am thinking about ditchin the hood to get some custom lighting. In an attempt to make it to 4 watts a gallon. I posted some pics of the top give you guys an idea of shape. I am leaning towards some sort of clip on the back style but what do you guys think. If you guys could recommend specifics that would be appreciated. Maker, type mh, t5, or led. That would be cool.
    Also while on the topic what is the negative to leds if any, mh, and t5? I may need a seperate thread for that.
    http://pbckt.com/s1.nBE
     
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  3. Night-Rida

    Night-Rida Finback Whale

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    Last edited: Mar 13, 2010
  4. 2in10

    2in10 Super Moderator

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    You could do a 4X24W T5HO if you don't mind a little overhang. I would look at ATI if you got the money or an IceCap retro. In any other brand look for reflectors that hand a little lower than the bulb. Hellolights has a retro that is lower priced than the IceCap.

    Negatives:
    LED most units PAR is unknown and there have been reports of hard corals not doing well long term.

    MH heat, heat and heat plus fairly pricey

    T5 more bulbs to replace when the time arrives