lighting for 280 reef

Discussion in 'Metal Halide Aquarium Lighting' started by armison89, Sep 14, 2011.

to remove this notice and enjoy 3reef content with less ads. 3reef membership is free.

  1. armison89

    armison89 Purple Spiny Lobster

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2011
    Messages:
    473
    Location:
    clifton springs ny
    im trying to figure out if i want t5s or halides over my future reef upgrade. how many halides and how many watts each would i need over a tank thats 72x36x25? i want to grow sps and soft corals.
     
    armison89, Sep 14, 2011
    armison89, Sep 14, 2011
    #1

    2. Click Here!

  2. jonjonwells

    jonjonwells Great Blue Whale

    Joined:
    Dec 9, 2008
    Messages:
    2,835
    Location:
    SE Kansas
    Honestly, I would use both. A halide (and most led Pendants) will only cover 2 ft of ground space. With 3 feet of tank front to back, that would leave plenty of room to run a couple of t-5s on the outside of halides in a custom hood. That would allow for good lighting throughout the tank, but only extreme lighting for the corals down the middle of the tank.

    ___________ ___________
    O O O
    ___________ ___________

    very quick and dirty, but hopefully you get the idea
     
    jonjonwells, Sep 14, 2011
    jonjonwells, Sep 14, 2011
    #2
  3. 2in10

    2in10 Super Moderator

    Joined:
    Aug 6, 2009
    Messages:
    19,258
    Location:
    Sparks, NV
    Either lighting will work fine. You will save a lot on energy using T5HO specially in a DIY canopy. You would need 8 bulbs to get a good coverage from front to back so you would need 16 39W T5HO. You would need 6 250W MH if you did not use T5HO with the the bulbs. If you choose to use T5HO with the MH the 3 250W MH and 8 T5HO will get you the coverage you need.
     
    2in10, Sep 14, 2011
    2in10, Sep 14, 2011
    #3