Lighting a frag tank w/ T5

[mclayj]

As the title states I will be plumbing a 24" x 18" x 8" AquaBox frag tank into my system after I move in the coming months and would like to get some opinions on lighting options. Right now, I am looking at either the Giesemann Matrixx II T5 4x24" (Giesemann Matrixx II T5 Fixtures White) or ATI T5 6x24" (ATI 24" 6x24W Dimmable SunPower T5 HO Fixture with Controller). I'm afraid that given the shallow nature of the frag tank that 6 T5 bulbs might be too powerful but am not sure as I have never used T5 lighting before. I love the aesthetics of the Giesemann fixture but wanted to confirm that 4 bulbs would provide enough coverage for the 18" width. Also - if anyone else has suggestions beyond these two options that would also be appreciated. Thanks everyone!!

 

[Aqua fire/medic]

I think the 4 bulb will be enough for all types of corals in 8" of water. However, the 6 bulb will get you better bulb combos and is dimmable so you don't burn your corals. . I would go with the 6. Absolute worse case scenario you can just run 4 bulbs on it and 6 if you decide to use it for something else.

 

[KorD]

I have a 5 gallon tank I use as a frag tank.. my a150w Kessil is awesome for it.. I have see lots of new growth and could not be happier.

If you are thinking of going T5HO, no one says you have to run all the bulbs in the light.. just run a white and blue.. you should be perfectly fine with that!

 

[mclayj]

I really appreciate the quick responses. This is probably a newbie question but is it safe to run a T5 fixture without all of the bulbs installed? I was under the impression that this was not a good thing for the fixture but I don't remember where I heard this (did a quick search on here and didn't find anything)

 

[kschweer]

I think the 4 bulb will be enough for all types of corals in 8" of water. However, the 6 bulb will get you better bulb combos and is dimmable so you don't burn your corals. . I would go with the 6. Absolute worse case scenario you can just run 4 bulbs on it and 6 if you decide to use it for something else.

+1. Much better bulb combos with 6 over 4. If you feel it's too bright you could also hang the fixture higher over the tank.

 

[mclayj]

Thanks everyone - I'll try the 6 bulb and if the light spill is too much I'll use the 6 bulb on my display and buy a 4 bulb for the frag tank. For flow I was thinking a Maxspect XF130 - anyone think there would be a better option?