Switching from LED to T5

nmertz1 · Jul 21, 2014

Like the title says, I want to switch to t5 lighting. I currently have a 38 gallon Nuvo so it is 24" wide. I have seen a couple fixtures that have 4 T5 bulbs AND a metal halide, is this overkill for this sized tank? What would be a good t5 fixture for this tank?

Reefing Madness · Jul 22, 2014

4 or 6 lamp T5 would do ya nicely. Metal Halides of course are for the very high lighting corals, and you can never go wrong there.

tinctorus · Jul 22, 2014

A 4 bulb T5HO fixture would be more than enough light for that tank, you could always do the 6 bulb and you will definitely be good to go in terms of lighting
You just need to remember to adjust the coral to the light so that you don't burn them, or go with one of the dimmable t5 fixtures

abinder · Jul 22, 2014

I have this one on my JBJ 45 gallon rimless tank (24").
http://www.jbjlighting.com/prod-trinity.html

It doesn't have timers built into it, but the daylight lamps have a separate power cord, the dusk/dawn lamps have a separate power cord, and the moonlights have a separate power cord (has a power brick). With the separate power cords, you can have separate timers control the lights or if you have a controller, they can be controlled that way as well.

Another nice feature of it is that the whole fixture flips up to make accessing the top of the tank much easier since the fixture sits on legs on the sides of the tank.

You can hear the small fans of the lights, but they are only running when the daylight lamps are turned on. Are they loud? Not really, but they are the loudest thing on my tank. But then again, my tank setup is extremely quiet.

hoju74 · Jul 22, 2014

I'm also switching from LED to T5. I went with a 4 bulb AquaticLife fixture and ATI bulbs for a 65g tank. I had AI Sol Blues, but I was never happy with the color. I'm switching to more of an LPS/softie tank, so T5 should be pretty good.