Dave’s 144 Gallon Shallow mixed reef Build

[Bear Reefer]

here is the beginning of my little piece of heaven...... any thoughts on lighting? Sump size? I want to do a mix of T5 and LED’s but the tank is 36”deep and 72” long cost is somewhat a factor and I like a natural look.

 

[sbash]

That is a nice tank!

I am a big fan of the Chinese Black Box lights. SB Reef Lights are a good place to start, although I buy mine direct from China. They would also complement a T5 fixture nicely.

 

[Greybeard]

Looks great! Love the wide, shallow look... (see my build!)

The Aquaticlife 60" x 4 tube T5 that is designed to house LED's would seem an obvious choice. $450 retail, I think. Then you can use any one of several different brands of LED's, add them as you need them. With that shallow tank, the 4x T5 is probably enough by itself for anything but the most light loving of corals. You could also go with the ATI sunpower 8x 60", and forget about the LED's. You won't need them, 8x T5 is enough light for _anything_

 

[revhtree]

Looking forward to it!

 

[CoralWealth]

I think an 8 bulb ATI sunpower would have good coverage on that tank. I have it on my 72 inch long and 24 inch wide, I definitely think I could have another 6 inches wide on each side and have great coverage. Then if you want, you can add reef brites for some more pop.

 

[Greybeard]

I have a 48" 8 bulb T5 on my 60" x 30" tank. Plenty... and there's a significant amount of light spillage outside the tank. It'd be plenty for a 36" tank. You're only talking 3 more inches from center each way... I was going to buy a 60" light, but watching BRS hang a shorter light over their 160 convinced me that a bit short was fine. Honestly, I think it looks about right.

 

[Picesduh]

Please give us an update?