Lighting a Monster, 450 gallon

zach_discus · May 2, 2016

Hello all,
So the upgrade bug bit big time after coming across a glass 450gallon for a awesome price. Tank is 72" x 60" x 24" and is euro braced. Working out a game plan for lighting such a large foot print. I'm really wanting to do a T5/LED hybrid set up. Both formats bring alot to the table and combing the two seems to be the best of both worlds!!
What I'm thinking is 3 Reef Radiance black boxes front and back and filling in with a 4 or 6 bulb T5HO fixture running down the middle. I already have 5 of the RR fixtures and have been very happy with them over all. I like the idea of using the T5 to blend in the middle.
My other idea is very similar but doing 3 2 bulb fixtures and going T5/LED/T5/LED/T5, just a bit harder to find a 2 bulb T5HO fixture.
Last Idea would be a 4-6 bulb T5HO fixture front and back and 4 LEDs down the middle.

Thanks for any suggestions or input. Tank will be going in by the end of the month

Reefing Madness · May 2, 2016

mcarroll · May 2, 2016

I don't see the point in consolidating all the LED emitters onto the tiny shoebox format when you have such a large area to cover.

$0.02

I think your best option by far may be the orbit marine pros. (I r another strip-oriented light of your preference, but I suspect the orbit may be the best of them.) You get very comparable coverage to T5 as well as great coloration and control.

You're going to need more than two fixtures to cover front to back, however.

Probably 2-3 Dual kits....depending how you want to install them. They'd be fine resting on the tank itself, but if you want to suspend them over the tank by a foot you may need an additional one or two fixtures. You could certainly start with 2 to 3 kits (4 to 6 individual strips) and decide later if more is warranted though.

zach_discus · May 2, 2016

Thanks, but not looking to switch LEDs and those do not impress me. This is a SPS dominated tank!

Looking for opinions on the three options listed above.

mcarroll · May 3, 2016

I was just trying to suggest a quality solution - but nothing specific if you read, just advice. (You can guess I don't agree T5/LED is the best, but advice is free!

) Just one example system was given for the sake of being specific. You can always use a good example.

"SPS dominated" doesn't mean much in terms of lighting, and I don't know what impresses you beyond capability to grow good looking corals.

Sorry...I missed that you had already invested in some shoeboxes. It doesn't make them any better of a fit performance-wise - but I can understand your position.

If you're really happy with the Reed Radiance fixtures, why are you not filling out the space over the new tank with them or something similar? I think it'd only take one more fixture (at most) to even things out.

If you're not really happy with them, is it really worth keeping them in the mix?

Having these answers will definitely help us help you better.

Before going further, I just wanted to quote the end of what I was actually replying to since you've changed the terms of offering you help:

zach_discus said:
Thanks for any suggestions or input.

Now its....

zach_discus said:
Looking for opinions on the three options listed above.

Just sayin!

On with the advice!!

You really haven't given us much to go on as far as your goals but you seem to have serious expectations - so let's look at what we know and make the assumptions needed to get started:

You have 4,300+ square inches (2.77 m2) of surface to light.
You want to use 5x unspecified Reef Radiance "black boxes"
I'll assume those are 120º lenses and 165 watts each.
I'll also assume you like to hang your lights 12" from the water.
You're going to get a maximum of about 36" (diameter) of coverage on each of those fixtures...actually it's probably a little bit of an oval-shape, but this is a rough example!
So conservatively, that's about 1,000 sq in of coverage per RR fixture.
...or a max coverage of about 5,000 sq in.

That should leave you enough overlap to blend them well enough. This should give you an idea...it's rough, but to scale...one closet layout with no light-spill, another with just a little:

Close-in...

A little spread:

More numbers...(and these are still rough, just to give you an idea):

165 watts x 5 = 825 watts
That's just under 300 watts/square meter.
1000 W/m2 = 2000 PAR = 100,000 lux; just for reference
300/1000 = 30%
At 12" hight, you should be able to get ((2000 * .3) * .8 for inefficiencies of converting electricity to light =) 480 PAR, or around 25,000 lux on the surface.
More than plenty for stony corals, and it's worth repeating that, although it can be done with care, more light is usually not better.

It doesn't seem like there's much of a call for T5 other than wanting to do it (which is fine) in which case I think you'll essentially need "full coverage" from the LED's as well as the T5's if you don't want some kind of disco effect between them. I don't think simply staggering T5's with LEDs will give you the good effect of blending you would hope for.

Are you planning for 36" T5's for full coverage, or 60" tubes for front-to-back coverage?

Can you give us a better idea of what you want to get out of the T5 additions?

Can you afford/get dimmable T5 fixtures? I'm not sure I'd attempt this without dimming on both light sets for the final tweaking. I think you'll want about 1000 watts (maybe a bit more) of T5 in sync with your LED's. You probably won't have to run either at 100% output.

Let us know more details or if some of the assumptions I made are off!

BTW, here's some examples of what coverage from a strip like the Orbit Pro's might be like with four, five or six strips:

zach_discus · May 3, 2016

Never mind, really never mind If my first post wasn't read and only the parts not liked in the second are taken as "my post", your not going to be much help.

Thanks though,

Test led · May 3, 2016

Bulk Reef Supply sells T-5ho retrofit fixtures. They are two bulb type, they come dimmable or non dimmable. Might want to check them out. It might work for you application if you are a little bit of a diy type.

tigerdragon · May 3, 2016

Check with reef brite on their t5/Xho hybrid setups they also have retro kits that you can add led to

pickupman66 · May 3, 2016

Mcarroll offered some great insights and diagrams. he took alot of time to assist.

anyways, I am not a fan of the simple Reef Radiance Dm165s. I have a lesser one from them and it was not all that. I have a Lumentek pro 240 that I LOVE. combining LED and T-5 gives a good mix. you will be best served to truly draw out what you want the light to do within your tank and rock layouts.

zach_discus · May 3, 2016

Yeah I was a bit snappy last night. Though pushing a light I already stated was not going to be used. Plus at $400+ per light, they are ridiculous. Also in all three options I said how many LED units would be used and that I already own 5 was missed.

Yeah the RR lights have needed a bit of a spectrum tweet, i.e. Warm white emitters replaced with higher K units, but price wise they are very tough to beat for a Apex ready light.

Last the point of using both technologies together is to fuse the benefits of each and overcome their faults while keeping cost in a acceptable price point for my wife

hawkinsrgk · May 3, 2016

I have 4 of the reef radiance 165e with Miro t5 retrofits on the front and back and really like the setup. I am only using one t5 bulb on each end. My tank is only a 180 though. So I would go with the t5/led/t5/led/t5 setup. I think you would get an overall better blend than going led/large t5/led

Bpb · May 3, 2016

If you've got the means...I would do the 5 Reef radiance in a row in the middle, and a 60" ATI 4 bulb sunpower in front and in back. That ought to cover it!