T-8

Is it possible to keep reef with t-8 .
I have 3-x actinic lights 48"and 2-x 5,000k 48" , the 5,000k are from home depot they say day light on the bulbs

 

just mushrooms

 

what was the method pre t-5,ho . . Was a t-8 ever used ?
Im just wondering ...

I dont keep reef (yet) Down the road in a diff tank than what i got ,, butt I want the same conditions that would be

 

the only real difference between standard Fluorescent and T8 is T8 burns alot less energy and runs cooler

 

Metal Halides were and are used prior to T5, also power compacts were a big thing prior to T5.

 

T8s where used by me , in the UK about 12 - 15 years ago

I dont have any images I can find from that period, but I had a tank full of various soft corals and LPS corals, under 6 x T8 tubes

3 x 10,000K and 3 x Actinic - the ballasts where Arcadia and the lamps where Sylvannia

Im sure that under 5 lamps you would be fine with many soft corals
but those 5000K are not the colour temperature you want and would encourage more nuisance algae than lamp of a higher colour temp would.

I would suggest you find some 10,000K lamps and run 3 of them
and then run 2 x actinics as supplemental lighting
I also suggest trying to source individual reflectors for the lamps so that majority of light is sent downwards.

things I kept under T8s with individual reflectors (also Arcadia) where
GSP
Yellow polyps
Elephant ear shroom
Green hairy, red and blue Mushrooms
Finger leather coral
Mouse eared leather coral
*****ly Nepthea ( Kenya tree type)
Colt coral
Zoanthids
Torch LPS
Bubble LPS

There are others, but I cant recall exactly what I did keep in that tank over the 4 years I had it

Steve

 

Thank U steve good info ... How about 3 x 18,000K and 3 x actinic 48inch

 

That would work, the corals will have great coloration, but growth might be a little slow. The corals will be perfectly healthy though.

 

+1 on 2 in 10

you may get great coloration but slower growth under that combo
if you added a 10k or 2 lamp into the mix, that might help with the growth aspect

Steve

 

Thx guys good info . here is some pics of the lid for my tank ive been building . I did moon light and mirror to get a cool affect .