Need help on setting up timing for t5/halide

bucksfan1976 · Jun 10, 2013

Im switching back to T5/halide fixture from LED. I just love the look of the t5/halide. Plus I have a corner tank and I need full coverage and its basically difficult with a led fixture. But its been SOOOOOO long since Ive ran these im not quite sure how I should set up time without killing the electric bill. I currently have a maxspect razor 160 watt 16k fixture that comes on at 10:30 am ramps to full power around noon, drops to about 50% at 8pm and then ramps down til it shuts off at 10:30pm.

Im replacing this with the following
4 x 39 Watt t5s
1 x 250 halide pendent

to help each set (2) of t5s are in their own fixture with their own power supply
The halide is a pendent so it has its own external ballast.

We are normally in our family room (basement) from probably 1pm until 10pm for family time. Here is my time frame Im thinking and please chime in and let me know. Im trying to make sure my SPS gets enough light but not kill the bill. I will be controlling these with a reef keeper lite.

T5 Fixture #1 (this will be the fixture on the back side)- 10:00AM -8:00 PM
T5 Fixture #2 (this will be the fixture on the front side)- 11:00 AM- 9:00 PM
250 Watt Halide Fixture - 2:30pm til 6:30pm

I have heard so many stories on how you want your tank lights to match your local lighting, however we only have a single window in the basement and its not in the area of the tank. Opinions please.

Travis Dragan · Jun 10, 2013

Ligh times sound good, i would just play with it. I like the halide on for 5 hours at a time minimum. Also what bulbs are you going to run in the T5 fixtures. If they are HO 2 bulb fixtures maybe have the front hold your actenics and come on and be on the longest, to simulate sun rise/set. Then have your white/purple bulbs come on and go off within an hour of the actenics. Then the halide between.

Just my two cents

bct15 · Jun 10, 2013

10am - 9 pm is very long...

I'd knock the total length of time t5s are on to 8 hours. Keep the halides on for 4-5 hours in the middle of the time t5s are on.

Ive seen several people reporting the same or better growth with halides on for five hours a day or 8 hours a day. Anything over five hours of halides is just wasting electricity as there is no benefit. Similar reports to t5s 8 hours or twelve hours a day. The corals do most of the growing with lights off, give them time to grow.

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-Logzor · Jun 10, 2013

Tailor your light cycle to run when you can enjoy the tank, rather than based on the local light cycle. I run mine from 5pm to 12pm. I originally had them turn on at 3pm. Since that change my growth rate on corals has doubled. You can easily have too long of lighting duration.

bct15 · Jun 10, 2013

-Logzor said:
Tailor your light cycle to run when you can enjoy the tank, rather than based on the local light cycle. I run mine from 5pm to 12pm. I originally had them turn on at 3pm. Since that change my growth rate on corals has doubled. You can easily have too long of lighting duration.

I second this, run them when you are home to enjoy them. I'm home most of the day so I run my t5 from 12pm to 8pm, halides from 2pm - 7pm.

Logzor, was one of those pm's suppose to be an am, or do you have a 19 hour light cycle?

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