would 4 double strip T-5 lights 24 inch work for ?

[Dan_Cochran]

The reason i would like to stay to t-5 is that I don't need to spend so much cash at one time, and they run cool.

I bought a 24" 28watt coralife Double T-5 linear strip, that included
1 10,000k daylight
1 03 true actinic
at a low cost for my 10 gallon.

My question about it is:

I'm working on setting up a 55 gallon (4 foot long) with soft coral , the only hard coral is a small 3 head frag of green candy cane. As of right now every thing looks good in the 10 gallon


If I buy 4 of the double strip t-5 for the 55, would they work good to keep things alive? The only other thing I want to add to the 55 is 1 enemie that im not sure if i will have the correct amount of light.

P.s
I'm adding 3" of sand to the 55 also just for looks, but I was also thinking this way the lights don't need to penetrate as deep. But I also have two 4 foot actinic light, so I could put nothing but daylight bulbs in the T-5 fixtures to make things more bright if needed correct ?

Yes this Idea for light might sound strange, but I figured i would ask for opinions.

[andrew.jones50]

IMO you have two problems with adding 4 fixtures to a 55 gallon. First off it's going to look completely ghetto. Second, you're going to be paying a small fortune to replace the bulbs... like 100+ dollars more paying for 8 bulbs as compared to two or four... if that makes any sense what-so-ever.

[Scoobers]

Let me get this straight you want:

8-24" T5s
2-48" Normal Output Actinics?

If that is correct you should be able to keep what you currently have but I would shy away from the anemone because they require strong lighting. IMHO the best option would be to run 4-48" T5s and if you wanted it a little bit more blue run the NO actinics. I agree with Andrew about the replacement costs. Initially you might save but the savings will be quickly used up when it comes time to replace the bulbs. Kinda defeats the purpose. As far as looks go that is up to you but remember your also going to have like 6 plugs instead of maybe 1 or 2.

[fishhooked]

I went with a two bulb 48" t5 on my 55 gal. in a pinch when my 4 bulb went out like 9 months ago. I have a variety of corals plus a GBTA and RBTA and dont have any problems at all ( so far ).

[andrew.jones50]

I guess I'm assuming that you're talking about adding three more 24" fixtures for a total of 4 fixtures... that was my understanding of what you posted anyways.

[grreefkeeper]

One word:

RETROFIT!

On a 55 gallon tank you only have 12 in from front to back. even the slimest fixtures will cover the entire tank making maintainance a nightmare (escpecialy if you have to remove them all. You can get DIY kits online for reasonable prices plus it gives you the ability to customise your hood to fit your needs. One more thought; the multiple fixtures may have air circulation issues that could lead to heat problems.

PS The 10 gal with the t5 would make a great fuge/frag tank for the 55 setup.

[kimber45]

are they t5no or t5ho?

it makes a significant difference.

[Dan_Cochran]

Thank you all for the suggestions and info.

no they are not the t-5 HO, Just 10,000k
and yes it would be around $120 to replace all of the 8 bulbs
The housings are
24L x 3.25W x 1"H

They are really nice looking, even with 4 of them it will only take up 6 1/2 out of the 12" , I would never even need to move them to feed the fish.

I have a 10 gallon I have already made into a refugium for the 55 and the Chaetomorpha Macro Algae is growing good.

"fishhooked" I was thinking about going with two of the dual bulb 48" t5 fixtures.

I just didn't know if it would be a good amount of light, 8 bulbs @ 10,000k each. I know the 10 gallon 1 is on now is doing great.

How much light would a bubble tip enemie require for light to do good? I have a buddy with one in some very low light and doing alright, not the best, but living under low light for over a year. " t-8 , bulbs if i remember correct"

[crazyreef09]

If you really want to go cheap you can buy shop lights from lowes and then buy two commercial lighting electrical ballast for 4 bulbs and overdrive 4x t8 32 watts bulbs and that plus another shop light for actinic and overdrive(or you can get a 4 bulb fixture and do the same thing) should be pretty decent. I have had that for a while now and all my corals and my anemone are doing great. As far as the actinic you have to buy them from the fish store but the regular lights you can get at lowes for like $4 a piece and they will be fine as long as they are 6500K.
If you get a cheap fixture(like I did for like $12) and it does not have a good reflector you can get spray adhesive and buy a roll of mylar and glue in place and you will see how good it looks!!!I have a picture of my light I can show you.
The only draw back to all this is that the endcaps are not waterproof so I would put glass tops on the tank. I did that and I have not had any problems!!!
Look for overdriving fluorescent bulbs and you will see what I mean!!!

[medwards9999]

Just my 2 cents, I have a 4 bulb aquaticlife fixture over my 4 foot 82 gallon bow. My corals and my anemome are just fine. Over driven bulbs or a quality 4 bulb fixture should be just fine, depending on the anem. Not really sure why you would want all those fixtures above your tank. If moneys tight and your trying to use equiptment you have I can see the purpose i guess. I might try to sell/trade the seperate fixtures to get 1 good one or one large enough to meet your needs. Just an idea. Good luck.

[softiegirl]

honestly you wont like the look of the 10000k over the 55. it will be too yellow. save your $ and get the fixture you want right off the bat... did ya file your taxes yet? that's how i got mine!

[medwards9999]

I agree with softie, im running different bulbs for a very blue look, the 10000 is very yellow

[barav17]

I agree with medward for the 4 bulb HO being the best choice, But you could get by with your 2 bulb NO & an additional 2 bulb HO. I don't think even a pile of NO fixtures is enough.

[lionhead]

I run 6bulb T5 over a 18" wide tank. They are HO. Just save yourself the hassles and go with 4 bulb HO fixture or retro kits.

[Dan_Cochran]

well, you guys have me thinking, that's for sure!

What kind of price is a 4 bulb HO fixture ?

last time i seen one, they had something like $600 marked on it.

I did Find a new 4 bulb power compact w/ bulbs for $200