Supplemental T5 bulb/fixture choices- Best for SPS growth?

killergoby

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I currently have a 48" SBox Pro from SB Reef Lights and a 48" T5 in the front as shown. My tank measures 48" long. I'm considering adding an additional 1-2 T5 bulbs on the rear of the tank for better light spread and shadowing issues. Currently, with how far up the T5 has to be mounted to allow easy access under the canopy, the LED box shades the back 1/3 of the aquascape from all T5 light. I also get considerable sunlight into the aquarium, as shown in the picture. I have enough space to fit another single T5 fixture hung behind the LED fixture, or a double fixture at an angle (like how many people run their Reefbrite LED strips on their T5 fixtures).

My questions are:

1- Should I go with a single horizontal mounted T5 or a double mounted T5 at a ~45 degree angle?
My main goal is light spread over the back 1/3 of the aquascape, not the front 2/3rds.

2- Should I go with a 48" fixture or 36" fixture?
I'm a bit concerned about light spill into the overflow, but I already have a good deal of spill from the other T5 and the LED fixture.
Would decreasing the fixture length 6" per side have a significant impact into the reduced shadowing I'm trying to achieve?

3- What bulbs would be best for SPS growth?
I would only run the fixtures for growth purposes and for pictures of corals along the back wall which I can currently only photograph well at sunrise.
My front T5 bulb is an ATI Blue+, and I've been considering another B+ or maybe a Coral+?

Thanks for any feedback you can offer as to any of those questions.

Images attached include the mounting prior to installation of the canopy wrap, current images, and an example of the sunlight coming in the front pane of the aquarium.

IMG_6917.jpg IMG_0064.jpg IMG_00651.jpg IMG_9383.jpg
 
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killergoby

killergoby

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My current leanings are:
1- Still no idea, but mounting at an angle will certainly add better coverage on the acros mounted in the very center of the tank, perhaps at the expense of the corals along the very back wall. Additionally, having two T5's instead of 1 may overcome this issue with double the blanket of light those put out. I did the math and the angle of the double unit would only have to be 10 degrees, or I could mount it slightly below the level of the LED fixture and have it minority shade out the LED spread, while remaining horizontal.

2- Light spill doesn't really have to be an issue as I doubt there would be much more than what I already have, and the overflow has algae already growing in it so what's more light for that box. 48" will allow for much more light from the T5's, which will allow for more spectrum balancing. I currently run my heater way more than I would prefer, so the additional heat wouldn't be an issue I don't believe.

3- Doing some reading on spectrum I think I would be best suited to add a 6500K bulb like the Giesemann Tropic. I am not particularly pleased with how turquoise-blue the B+ is and I think two of them would really wash out the tank. Additionally, two of my gorgonians along the back wall which had beautiful white polyps under sunlight and T5's switched to light pink polyps and a lighter, less purple base when the LED fixture went in and blocked the majority of the spread from the T5 to the back 1/3 of the tank. I think having a whiter spectrum may convince these to shift back to the white polyps again.
 

DrPterois

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Si lo que buscas es algo de blanco, usa el ATI aqua blue especial, que es una luz más cercana a los 14.000k o el coral plus, que es más un blanco con un poco de destellos morados, que le da un POP a los corales, y Colocaría 2 bombillas, 1 aquablue especial y 1 coral plus.

¿Cuánto tiempo les da la luz del sol? que les ayuda a crecer mucho
 

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