Lighting for 34 gal sps tank

[duncan-junkie]

I'm trying to get a feel for my new build. Its a 34gal Marineland tank 30X18X16. I plan on keeping mostly sps and acans. I would like to go with T5HO, but would also entertain MH. Would I be able to get a 4 bulb fixture, or would a 6 bulb be more sufficent? And If I were to go with MH, would a 150W HQI, or 250W HQI be enough? Would the MH produce too much heat, or would I be able to hang it high enough and just get a fan? I'm really wanting to pull out great color, and growth from my corals with this build. I have LED right now, and I just cant seem to get the color I'm looking for.......so I think I should go back to the old school lighting.

I'm looking forword to hearing your openions!!

[Jellyingabout]

I've got great colors using LED, its just about getting the right colors. I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on LED colors but there are plenty of fellas that are out there and i'll admit I just blindly buy the LED's they recommend. I've always been happy with the punchy colors I get from them.

 

But if you have given up on LED's and there's no convincing you I'd say 150W MH would be more than enough if supplemented with actinics. Most 150W MH units worth their money have a pair of actinics and a fan or two already in them to battle heat.

 

But i'd give LED's a chance again, maybe someone on here can recommend a good lighting unit. Plus par20 LED bulbs could be used as spot lights on your centre peice corals. I have a 1g pico with one of these and it just lights up my coral colors as if they were under a blacklight but still looks blue. its almost weird to look at its so bright

[VW_TDI_02]

Could also try and find a way to add in a couple T5HO bulbs to your current fixture. Still have the power from the LEDs while making it easier to find a nice color with the T5HO.

[Paleoreef103]

If you're fixed on T5s, you should look into a 6x24 ATI Sunpower fixture. There are three components to a good T5 fixture: program start ballasts, high quality individual reflectors, and active cooling. ATI sunpowers hit the trifecta.

Additionally, if you wanted later on you could retrofit some LEDs in place of the central two bulbs giving you the best of both worlds.

[VW_TDI_02]

If you're fixed on T5s, you should look into a 6x24 ATI Sunpower fixture. There are three components to a good T5 fixture: program start ballasts, high quality individual reflectors, and active cooling. ATI sunpowers hit the trifecta.

 

Additionally, if you wanted later on you could retrofit some LEDs in place of the central two bulbs giving you the best of both worlds.

They are rather pricey though. I have seen a lot of people retrofit them with LEDs though. Either NanoBox pucks or even a 300 watt marsaqua panel which is a beast.

[Paleoreef103]

They are rather pricey though. I have seen a lot of people retrofit them with LEDs though. Either NanoBox pucks or even a 300 watt marsaqua panel which is a beast.

If you're trying to keep an SPS tank you'll generally either spend the money on quality equipment or experience a lot of heartache. They are pricey, but you're paying for quality. I'd definitely recommend the nanobox pucks if you do retrofit them. I don't know much about a marsaqua panel, but, purely based on the fact that it's 300 watts, you'll generate far more heat than you'll want in a fixture.

 

If you are willing to cheap out on the lights then I recommend going for a LPS reef with a few hearty SPS over an SPS nano.

[Horerczy]

I don't know much about a marsaqua panel, but, purely based on the fact that it's 300 watts, you'll generate far more heat than you'll want in a fixture.

Mars aqua panel: http://m.aliexpress.com/item-desc/2019266902.html

 

I'd rather get Dave's retrofit and do the same job with less LEDs, better color rendering, and higher quality more heat resistant diodes.

[VW_TDI_02]

Obviously the NanoBox LEDs are better but that doesn't mean that the MarsAqua panels are bad or won't work well. Each of his pucks are I think around 40 watts and I've seen some with two and others with 6 and that definitely would get expensive. I was just mentioning what someone else on this forum did with their T5HO fixture and that it was a bit more affordable while still getting a quality result.