I'm gathering supplies for my 40 breeder and the only thing left is the light. I'm thinking either a Belize Sun 36' fixture or an Aquapod 24' fixture.

My question is which one do you think is better for a 40 breeder (standard size, 36x18x15ish) and should I stick with the 150w or get the 250w MH?

Also, knowing me, I'm probably also going to be stupid and upgrade to a shallow 100 gallon-ish within 2-3 years, so that in mind, which setup do you think would be better?

Thanks!

Used 6 bulb tek fixture would be my vote. If you have to go MH, you could find a 36" Outer orbit and use the PC for coverage and have the center 150 MH give you so good PAR areas.

I'm curious, do you recommend going for all T5s because I could get greater coverage/distribution of light wavelengths, heat issues or something else?

I've always used MH in the past (no means dead-set on it for this tank), and am curious. The two fixutres I listed are 1 150w or 250w MH, 2 or more T5s and then some LED moonlights.

I'm just a nOOb when it comes to T5s.

Our daughter went with the dual 150MH from Coralife and she has complete coverage. She also ran a single T-5 bulb for the actinic. I am running 8 bulb T-5 over my 75. If you can try to find local tanks that have both options going so you can get a chance to see which you like better. We are happy with both.

For a 40 breeder, I recommend T5s. The TEK 6x39w fixture rocks. It'll be plenty of light. It's not the top of the line fixture, but the 40 breeder is shallow enough that it will work great.

With halides, one bulb will not cover the tank. Two 150w bulbs will, but that's not much power unless you get good reflectors. Are you going to keep SPS?

Also, with T5s, you can get whatever color you want w/o sacrificing growth and PAR.

Brilliant, thanks guys, I never really considered going exclusively with T5s. I really like their price, heat output versus MH, etc...

I'm planning on keeping a few (1-2 SPS), but going to mix it up. Will the T5s be enough for that? Also a stupid aesthetics question, but will I get any kind of shimmer effect like the halides (I know not the same, but any at all?

Thanks again guys.

T-5 will give you a small shimmer if you have a lot of surface agitation.

You won't get the shimmer. A good thing to know is that actinic T5s look good, but offer less PAR. Since you won't be keeping much SPS, you can add in 1 or 2 actinic bulbs if the PAR is too much. I wouldn't exceed 6 bulbs, and a TEK is plenty of power.

You can add some LED actinic strips, like a Reefbrite or Powerbrites. The Reefbrite is the priciest, but the best. You should get some shimmer through the T5s with either.

Brilliant, TEK T-5 with LED actinic strips it is!

Thanks for all your help RLC, Nemo Niblets and Crackerballer.

Yea you mentioned EXACTLY why I love T5: good coverage, less heat issues, color tweakability, and bulb life. Plus Tek/ATI fixtures normally have good resale value.

Guys, sorry to hassle you again, but I've narrowed the selection down to two fixtures:

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluore..._Fixture_by_ATI

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluore...Sunlight_Supply

Now I did some searching on the other lighting forums and saw that the ATI blew away the old TEK fixtures (but they are also more than double the price). I was curious if anyone had any experience with the new TEK Elite fixtures versus the ATIs?

and which you would recommend?

Thanks again.

Im switching over to MH. Not for any other reason other than I got the fixtures cheaper than the cost of replacing 6x39W bulbs.

I get no shimmer until the LED's kick on at night. Overall, I have been very happy with this T5 fixture.

Not sure of your time frame, but I will be selling this fixture if everything works out...maybe a month max?

Anyways, feel free to check my thread for pics using a 6x39 T5 over a 40B.

best-o-luck

From everything I read, the ATI is the creme of the crop. That being said, the output does NOT justify the double price over the Tek Elite IMO. The Elite is suppose to be a great fixture, and with 6 bulbs (as opposed to 4) and how shallow the 40B is, the Tek Elite will be a great fixture, and the other money can be used for your moonlight retro, skimmer, powerheads etc.

Also, if you order from Reef Geek, take advantage of their "w/ bulbs" option. The cost is $90 more for the 36" Tek Elite and you get to select whatever 6 bulbs you want that they have, so that's $15 a bulb, plus little extra shipping on top of it.

Another advantage of the Tek is the legs, but it doesn't come with the acrylic shield, so order it at the same time as the fixture unless you want to make your own.

I've got the nova extreme pro 6x39w fixture with the contoured reflectors and upgraded bulbs. I still bleach stuff...
6x39w over a 40b is a lot of light no matter the fixture.

Appreciate the offer Mojo, but I'm looking to get this thing up and running by this weekend. I should finish building the stand tonight and then just need to assemble everything (sitting in garage already) and get a light.




Crackerballer, seriously, can't thank you enough for the help. I'm going to go for the TEK Elite, I'll call up reefgeek later today and get it all worked out. If you are ever in Houston, TX, let me know, I owe you a beer or 12.




Thanks for the heads up nemmy!

Pure actinics dont put out good par yes. But there are bulbs that give the same look with good par. Take currents/UVL/ATI vs Giesemann's actinic plus. Better par with the giesemann, pretty much the same look.

ATI - Actinic - 137
UVL - Super Actinic - 210
Current - Blue - 252
Giesemann - Actinic Plus - 264

Numbers are for a 54 watt bulbs, but the numbers should still be relevant and proportionate.
They are still lower than your high end daylight bulbs in par, but you would get more par with an actinic plus than an ati actinic.

Source: http://sites.google.com/site/tfivetesting/par

+1 to that. I bleached out a few SPS.
Solved this by having a 9 hour cycle with all 6 bulbs on for only 4 hours. The other 5 hours just two bulbs. Follow me? 2 bulbs for 2 hours, then all six 4 hours, then just the two for the remaining 3.

Just my personal experience.

You gonna go with a retro fit kit+hood? I ask cause ya mentioned building a stand.



best-o-luck

This is a good strategy. It lengthens bulb life and gives the tank a different look at different times during the day (if you stagger your bulbs).

With the 6 bulb fixture, it's on 2 cords with with the 4/2 split, so you can do exactly what Mojorizn did and have a sweet setup.

No problem on the help, that is what we are all here for, to save each other money, heartaches, and tank disasters!

Mojorizn, thanks a ton for the heads up on the timing! That was actually something I was beginning to wonder a bit too.

Nah, I'm just going to buy the full TEK Elite setup. I've been working on the stand for a little over a week now (painting, sawing, etc...) and honestly I'm about ready for it to be done...plus I bought a bunch of paintings recently and have to make frames for them this weekend as well, so I'm kind of getting burned out on the DIY action in the garage.

Hopefully I'll have everything ready to start a tank thread either tomorrow or by later this week. Haven't started it yet, because I'd hate to put updates like "I attached the stand's doors today" or "Drilled tank today."

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1815045

Even if he charged $50 to ship it, that is a great deal. See if you can get him to ship it.

No prob.

Got ya on my list - o - Texas Reefers...ya never know...trades, whatever comes up.

Same State = cheap shipping

Thanks for the info...just my luck, my office blocks RC for some reason?!?! Next thing you know they'll block porn too



Cheers! Added too!