Kyle Rinker
Active Member
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2017
- Messages
- 139
- Reaction score
- 149
- What state or country do you live in
- Indiana
I have a mixed reef currently that will transition to an SPS dominant tank. It is a 125 gallon and you can see the build thread here.
The build thread needs a serious update as lots have happened since the last post.
I want to build a DIY T5/LED hybrid. I know I can buy an aquatic life fixture, but the difficulty is the narrow 18" depth of the tank. The aquatic life fixture is 18" from front to back, which would make it difficult using my existing Maxspect Ethereal LEDs because they have LED spacing of 9". So, I want to build my ow T5 "fixture" and suspended hood.
MY QUESTION IS THIS: how far apart do T5 lights need to be spaced? I will use 60" lights and plan to use a single reflector across each of them (yes, I know individual reflectors are best for PAR, but will require too much space). For example, since the bulbs are 5/8" and the lamp holders are usually around 1" in width, could I space the bulbs 1.25" apart? This would allow me the space to use 3 bulbs on the front and 3 on the back of the tank, and still fit the Etheral fixtures down the center.
The build thread needs a serious update as lots have happened since the last post.
I want to build a DIY T5/LED hybrid. I know I can buy an aquatic life fixture, but the difficulty is the narrow 18" depth of the tank. The aquatic life fixture is 18" from front to back, which would make it difficult using my existing Maxspect Ethereal LEDs because they have LED spacing of 9". So, I want to build my ow T5 "fixture" and suspended hood.
MY QUESTION IS THIS: how far apart do T5 lights need to be spaced? I will use 60" lights and plan to use a single reflector across each of them (yes, I know individual reflectors are best for PAR, but will require too much space). For example, since the bulbs are 5/8" and the lamp holders are usually around 1" in width, could I space the bulbs 1.25" apart? This would allow me the space to use 3 bulbs on the front and 3 on the back of the tank, and still fit the Etheral fixtures down the center.
