Anyone using Dimmable T5 HO Miro-4 Retrofit Kit - LET Lighting

[joekool]

expanding the size of my tank and Iwas thinking of adding in some t5s with my 4 a360we Lights.
Thinking of buying
Dimmable T5 HO Miro-4 Retrofit Kit - LET Lighting 60’’

I saw the new fixtures that you just add your led lights too but I’m a DIY kind of guy so I was thinking of adding in 4 60’’ tubes on my 72’’ X 47’’ tank.

Has anyone used these and what are your experiences?

It’s cheaper to buy 4 60’’ fixtures than 8 36’’ fixtures even though the 60’’ would be short 6’’ on each end I don’t think it will make a difference.

 

[Gablami]

I got 48 inch fixtures for my 60 inch tank, and they work great. You don't want to get 8 36" fixtures -- the cords you would have to deal with would a real headache.

Only thing I would change is I would not pack it so tight length wise. It makes changing the bulbs harder than it needs to be. Shoulda built in an extra 1/2 inch on each side.

 

[Dennis Cartier]

It’s cheaper to buy 4 60’’ fixtures than 8 36’’ fixtures even though the 60’’ would be short 6’’ on each end I don’t think it will make a difference.

Not to mention bulb changes. The price of T5 bulbs differ very little based on the length, so I would definitely go for 4 x 60" bulbs over 8 x 36" bulbs. You will not miss the 6" on each end as you probably will not have stuff right up to the glass anyway.

Dennis

 

[joekool]

I got 48 inch fixtures for my 60 inch tank, and they work great. You don't want to get 8 36" fixtures -- the cords you would have to deal with would a real headache.

Only thing I would change is I would not pack it so tight length wise. It makes changing the bulbs harder than it needs to be. Shoulda built in an extra 1/2 inch on each side.

Thank you for your reply. Nice DIY and it turned out great over that redsea.

 

[joekool]

Not to mention bulb changes. The price of T5 bulbs differ very little based on the length, so I would definitely go for 4 x 60" bulbs over 8 x 36" bulbs. You will not miss the 6" on each end as you probably will not have stuff right up to the glass anyway.

Dennis

Agree sounds like the plan. I was thinking that in my head and it really makes sense to buy only 4 bulbs over 8.

 

[joekool]

So this is my plan. 4 Kessil A360we and 4 60'' T5HO..... Do we think that will be enough for the 47'' depth tank. The tank is 28.5'' high and 72'' long.

2 bulbs on each side of the row of kessils.

 

[Gablami]

How much PAR are you thinking you will need? With 4 bulbs on and my ap700s at only 15% I'm getting plenty of shimmer and my PAR using apex meter is around 150 at the sand bed and 250-350 mid tank.

If you want to make use of T5 more, and have the led as supplemental lighting (moonlight, color spectrum, shimmer) then you could get away with far less than 4 kessil a360. I was curious what it would look like with A80s maxed out. Much nicer form factor and cheaper.

 

[joekool]

I already own the 4 Kessils. I'm putting new sides on my 210 display and making it larger so I'll need more light. I saw the new fixtures coming out that BRS tested and they worked great with the kessils. I'm just wondering if I should use 4 or 6 60'' T5HO bulbs.

I mostly keep SPS dominant tank.

 

[Gablami]

You have an idea of the amount of par from what I've posted. If you need more you can turn up your kessils. I think that's plenty of light for sps, but up to you. The more lights, the hotter, and the less efficient the t5 will run. But you will be able to blast 500+ par I bet.

 

[joekool]

Now trying to decide what bulbs to buy. ATI BLUE PLUS AND AQUA BLUE PLUS any suggestions. Need 4 bulbs so 2 each.

 

[GrampaDon]

I was using 4 LET 60in with 3 360Ws on my 24 wide 22 deep tank. This weekend i'm setting up a 30 wide 25 deep tank using the same lights as before. And I expect par around 200-250 midtank similar to the last tank.
[will check with my meter after it is fully going] You might start there. And leave room for 2 more if you like very high par#.
My choices were 2 BP and 2 CP. It was a nice 14-15K look. I have 2 BP and 2 PP to try next.

 

[joekool]

Do we think six 60'' bulbs will cover 48'' X 72'' with the 4 A360WE's I have

 

[Doclight]

I've been looking at these too. Question?? How would these do in a canopy with open top tank? Would salt creep be an issue? (Start of my canopy in profile pic)

 

[gfordQC]

I've been looking at these too. Question?? How would these do in a canopy with open top tank? Would salt creep be an issue? (Start of my canopy in profile pic)

I have had mine up for around 3 weeks about ~11" above the tank and I don't have any signs of salt creep.

 

[Doclight]

Good to hear.. lighting has been the bane of my existence.. too many choices and no one agrees on what is best..lol

 

[Daniel Waters]

So this is my plan. 4 Kessil A360we and 4 60'' T5HO..... Do we think that will be enough for the 47'' depth tank. The tank is 28.5'' high and 72'' long.

2 bulbs on each side of the row of kessils.

The 60" length for the T5 fixture will be fine. For a SPS tank that is 28.5" height, not to mention 47" depth / width, I can not begin to believe that 4 A360s with T5s could adequately light this area. Assuming each Kessil A360 can light a 24" x 24" area (which is generous for an SPS tank and the 28.5" height), you would need at least 6 units. On my 72" x 24" x 18" height tank, I run 4 Kessil A360, 4 bulbs of supplemental T5 and 2 radion XR15. And your tank is double the surface area AND deeper.

I think you need to decide if you want LED to be your main lighting source and supplement with T5s for whatever reason (such as helping with shadowing). Or you need to decide if you want the T5 to be your main source of lighting and use LED as supplements (to provide shimmer for example). I could provide more advice after that is known. My instinct is to suggest two, 60" inch 4 bulb T5 fixtures (one on each side) and use 4 to 6 Kessil A360s in the middle. Or use 6 Kessil A360s with the middle open and run one larger 60" T5 fixture in between the kessils...perhaps an 8 bulb fixture.

 

[Daniel Waters]

Now trying to decide what bulbs to buy. ATI BLUE PLUS AND AQUA BLUE PLUS any suggestions. Need 4 bulbs so 2 each.

Blue plus would be a good core bulb I'd recommend. If you don't like the blue hue, you can simply tune your color to more white on your kessils. Aqua blue is a very white light. Ugly in my opinion. I'd go with a coral plus before an Aqua blue special. It has enough white in it and is a full spectrum bulb. If you tell me what color % (not intensity) you like your kessils at, I could probably give you a similar T5 bulb combination to try out.

 

[joekool]

Blue plus would be a good core bulb I'd recommend. If you don't like the blue hue, you can simply tune your color to more white on your kessils. Aqua blue is a very white light. Ugly in my opinion. I'd go with a coral plus before an Aqua blue special. It has enough white in it and is a full spectrum bulb. If you tell me what color % (not intensity) you like your kessils at, I could probably give you a similar T5 bulb combination to try out.

I like the bluer look as well I run no more than 45% for high noon affect then back down to 35% so 35 to 40% is my favorite color.
I'll be doing 6 bulbs now 3 on each side of the 4 kessils.

 

[Daniel Waters]

I like the bluer look as well I run no more than 45% for high noon affect then back down to 35% so 35 to 40% is my favorite color.
I'll be doing 6 bulbs now 3 on each side of the 4 kessils.

I didn't know you could get a 3 bulb fixture, but maybe you are building from one bulb individual retro kits. If a 4 bulb fixture is just as cheap, I'd look at that option as you can always choose not to use one of the slots. Having more slots will give you more bulb combinations.

Given your kessil color preference, I'd recommend at least 4 to 5 blue plus bulbs (with an option of rotating out one or two blue plus for an actinic) and 2 or 1 coral plus bulbs. You will just need to buy bulbs and rotate them in to get the color mix you like. Remember, if you make your T5 light whiter than you want, you can't really effectively use more blue in your LEDs to correct. However, you can add more white in your led (i.e. color % on your kessil) to make a deeper blue look less so.

I'm still very skeptical that you can achieve adequate par for SPS for your new tank dimensions given just 4 Kessil A360 and a 6 bulb T5. I think most of the other posters did not notice your tank depth of 47" and your tank height over 28".

 

[madweazl]

I agree; the width of the tank calls for eight to 10 Kessils alone.