Tank is 36" x 18" wide x 23" deep.
Was wanting thoughts on the following for a mixed reef tank
- 4 x 39 watt ATI with 1-2 Reefbrites XHO
- 6 x 39 watt ATI w/o 0-1 reefbrites XHO
Thanks for the input....
Either of those will be perfectly fine for a mixed tank. It's really what you want or trying to achieve. The corals don't need the LED's as the T5's will be sufficient. However, if you are wanting the LED's for other reasons such as shimmer, then it's perfectly fine to add them in. I prefer T5's for my corals, but for my viewing pleasure, I prefer having both.
The ATI fixture is top notch, but for your tank footprint, you could certainly consider a hybrid solution like the aquatic life fixture that lets you mount whatever LED's you want in the center. The ATI combination would be what I would consider a T5 solution with LED supplements (as the T5's will provide the majority of the par). The aquatic life combination will give you less par from your T5's. But for a mixed tank, getting enough par isn't going to be an issue.
If you're going to go with an LED bar / strip, then I'd recommend going with a deep blue / actinic one, as the T5's can better cover your spectrum needs with proper bulb selection than the LED's can (in my opinion). I've never used reefbrite LED bars, so I can't comment on your selection choice there. If I were choosing an LED bar, I'd personally probably want one that ran a combination of deep blues and violets, and was using a quality LED (like Cree or Phillips for instance)
Like I tell everyone, though, you should go look at whatever tank lighting combination you are considering and look at it in person. If you haven't done so or are relying on pictures or just from reading online, then you're just getting ahead of yourself....especially if you've never ran T5 lights and are only familiar with LED lighting.
