Do I need 8 bulbs??

[FiremanRick]

i currently have an 8 bulb t5 fixture along with 2 kessils on my 200dd. The t5s were added because the Kessils weren’t powerful enough for this tank. BRS is advertising a new t5 ho hybrid that will allow me to mount my kessils into it and it will look pretty sharp. My question is, can I lose 4 bulbs and still be ok? There’s really not much along the lines of coral, just some Kenya tree and Xenia that I trim off my other tank. They are growing well as long as the triggers don’t snip them off.

 

[enveetie]

you definitely do not need 8 t5 tubes to grow soft coral. you could lose quite a bit more than 4 t5 bulbs and still have more than enough light for the health of your corals. appearances will be up to you.

 

[FiremanRick]

Thanks!

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Hard to say really as kessil makes several models that deliver completely different par ranges.

Also without knowing the depth of the tank , the heith of the rock and height above the tank the light sits you can't really answer this question.

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

I knew Kessil is over priced tag compare to other light set but it does its job darn well.
What's model of your Kessil? I was in same road as you before but thought ahead of changing out t5 bulbs every 6 months or 1 year, I just sum up and bought a better version of Kessil and done with it and I knew If I change of heart about my live stock then I'm pretty sure my Kessil will and can handle and make anything happy under it, It's just me though.

 

[FiremanRick]

360w tuna blue. It’s a 200 deep dimension. I believe it’s 48X36x27.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

At 12in, 4 t5 should give you about 600 par is so at the top. The kessil will add about 400 more I think. On a 27 deep for lowlight I'd go with around 600 at the top.
Right in the ballpark. Pretty cool.

 

[FiremanRick]

Really the only things I’ll ever be able to have in this tank, other that fish, is soft coral. The triggers and puffer will eat anything crunchy. So my lighting doesn’t have to be what it would if I had a full blown mixed reef. I really wouldn’t be upset if this tank was overgrown with various Xenia, leathers, and maybe some palys. Anything that grows fast and won’t be of too much interest to the fish. I have a pretty reef upstairs. This tank is more for the fish.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Really the only things I’ll ever be able to have in this tank, other that fish, is soft coral. The triggers and puffer will eat anything crunchy. So my lighting doesn’t have to be what it would if I had a full blown mixed reef. I really wouldn’t be upset if this tank was overgrown with various Xenia, leathers, and maybe some palys. Anything that grows fast and won’t be of too much interest to the fish. I have a pretty reef upstairs. This tank is more for the fish.

If it's not a visual issue, you can stagger the t5 lighting times to come on less.
So you start up and end w the led. Then t5 then the next set. It'll save tubes.
Hard part in deep tanks. It'll always be a higher par in the top. But you don't really want to drop to nothing at the bottom. You'd have to narrow or invest in a per meter to know for sure.
A lot of the corals your talking about will do fine a 50 par on the bottom. It's just the trick of balancing it for that.
I.e. , do you need 300 or 500 in top to get 50 on the bottom.

 

[FiremanRick]

It’s not really how much I’m running them, just want a more visually aesthetic light fixture that will incorporate the kessil lights I already own. The one I found on BRS is really nice, but it only has 4 bulbs and I currently have 8. Just didn’t want to wreck the tank by dropping 4 bulbs.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

It’s not really how much I’m running them, just want a more visually aesthetic light fixture that will incorporate the kessil lights I already own. The one I found on BRS is really nice, but it only has 4 bulbs and I currently have 8. Just didn’t want to wreck the tank by dropping 4 bulbs.

Yup I think you've got it.