T5 hybrid for a 120 with plans for a 180

[kwjones]

Starting to get back in. The plan was for a 120 gallon LPS dominant reef, but I got the greenlight for a 180 gallon tank.

Long story short, I've been pricing equipment for a 180 and quickly hit $15k. 1/3 of that is a custom peninsula tank, 8020 aluminum stand, and XR32s with supplemental led strip lights. So that's not doable at the moment.

Still planning out the 120, but don't want to have to buy lights twice when I upgrade to a 6 ft tank. Leaning heavily towards a T5 hybrid running just the T5 in the beginning and adding LEDs as I can afford them right now.

What size fixture would I need that could start on a 120 and eventually put on a 180? Would a 48" work on both if I put LEDs as close to the opposite ends as possible with another in the middle? Or a 36 over the 120 with an additional 36 for the 180?

Trying to keep it simple.

 

[BZOFIQ]

You need 60" T5 lights for a 6ft tank.

 

[kwjones]

Which is too long for a 4 foot tank.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Which is too long for a 4 foot tank.

oh, i thought you're talking about both 120 and 180 being 6ft 18 vs. 24" wide

 

[BZOFIQ]

Well, Im runing 60" fixture over 7 foot tank if that helps

 

[JustAnotherNanoTank]

That’s a tough one. You want the T5s roughly the length of the tank.

But I suppose you don’t have to.

2 36 over a 6 foot might leave a slight dim middle area. I haven’t seen it to say for sure tho.

 

[BZOFIQ]

2 36 over a 6 foot might leave a slight dim middle area. I haven’t seen it to say for sure tho.

Definitely not - not with T5s!

 

[JustAnotherNanoTank]

Are you thinking of retrofit you can put right next to each other? Or something like the aquatic life fixture?

 

[kwjones]

I was looking at the Aquatic Life fixture with a wall mount because ceiling mounts are out.

Option 1: A 48" over a 120 with 2 Kessiils or Radeons is kinda what I'm looking at. But if I add a 3rd led to the center, and push the other 2 out to the edges, would it be enough for a 180.

Option 2: Is a 36 wide enough for a 4 foot tank with the leds spaced out? When I upgrade, take the decorative end caps off and bolt another 36" fixture on the end of the existing one, and reposition the leds? How do you mount the middle led where the 2 T5s meet?

 

[JustAnotherNanoTank]

I was looking at the Aquatic Life fixture with a wall mount because ceiling mounts are out.

Option 1: A 48" over a 120 with 2 Kessiils or Radeons is kinda what I'm looking at. But if I add a 3rd led to the center, and push the other 2 out to the edges, would it be enough for a 180.

Option 2: Is a 36 wide enough for a 4 foot tank with the leds spaced out? When I upgrade, take the decorative end caps off and bolt another 36" fixture on the end of the existing one, and reposition the leds? How do you mount the middle led where the 2 T5s meet?

Option 2 makes the most sense for you since you are getting a 6’ for sure.

Otherwise best option is get a 48” now then 2 36”

Sell the 48 when done.

Once you do the two 36”, have 4 led modules for equal spread and height.

That’s 18” of reef per led module which would yield major sps results if desired.

Edit: you just want LPS then two modules would do the work.

 

[kwjones]

Feels like I'll be buying 2 hybrid kits. A 48" and a 61". They seem to out of stock on a bunch of things.

 

[JustAnotherNanoTank]

Wait, 6’ is 72”.

Will your 180 be 60” or 72”?

 

[kwjones]

60 is the longest t5 hybrid they make. Yeah, it's going to end up being lower light on the ends.

I thought about the 2 36" fixtures. I don't think they can be bolted together and I don't think you would be able to put an led in the middle of the tank with them.

 

[JustAnotherNanoTank]

60 is the longest t5 hybrid they make. Yeah, it's going to end up being lower light on the ends.

I thought about the 2 36" fixtures. I don't think they can be bolted together and I don't think you would be able to put a led in the middle of the tank with them.

Yes with end caps off you could have them right against each other,

With a 72” tank you may want 4 led fixtures

 

[disaster999]

Sorta off topic, but just trying to understand. If you got greenlit on a 180, why are you still bothering with the 120? Why give yourself the hassle of setting up the 120, then tear it all down somewhere in the near future and start all over again for the 180?

 

[bobnicaragua]

I’m with disaster999, why bother with the smaller tank?

 

[kwjones]

"Why bother with a smaller tank?" The simple answer is it gets me to my end goal in more manageable steps. Most people start with a smaller "gateway" tank that fits with their lifestyle and end up upgrading to a larger tank when they can, so why not plan equipment for the smaller tank with the larger tank in mind? My current plan is for a 120 or 125 because that's what I'm pretty comfortable with my floor supporting without needing to be reinforced, and I was pretty sure I could swing it financially. I randomly asked my wife what she thought about a 180, and she said she was fine with it as long as I reinforced the floor from the crawl space and had an electrician come out and check the house wiring and possibly install a new dedicated circuit for it. 180 opens up a lot of possibilities for fish stocking.

I don't have the $15k for how I want to set up a 180. I can start up a 120 similarly equipped for less than half of that. When I upgrade, I'm only going to need a few things that can be purchased before the upgrade. One or two MP40s and lights...which I haven't quite figured out yet.

 

[braaap]

I don't know how long you have been in reefing but back in 2012-2020 NanoBox Reef LEDs were widely considered some of the best LEDs made. Dave made a retro that could be installed in an ATI Sunpower by removing 1 or 2 of the bulbs. Dave has since shutdown his business but I am offering the same service for people.

It is quite expensive. A 4-6' fixture will cost about $800 to add 6-8 arrays. But it is hands down the best T5/LED retro you could get. That price is just my cost. I'm not charging to do it as it is a fun project for me. Take a look at the link.

Nano Box ATI Sunpower RETRO : Pictures & Pricing

The popularity of the Sunpower plus Nano Box RETRO response has been quite over whelming and deserves its own thread. I can RETRO any sized Sunpower unit. I will also offer an option to buy a new unit through me PLUS the RETRO. NEW Sunpower Unit with Nano Box RETRO : 24" 4 Bulb Unit with Dual RET...

www.nano-reef.com

 

[cozzietrade78]

I'm currently running a hybrid system over a waterbox 110. The tank is 4ft . I'm using (4) 48in geismann t-5's (2) tropics and (2) aqua blue coral. My leds consist of(3) AI prime 16's .Very even coverage. I have a 4th ai prime still in the box I won from a local reef store raffle. I honestly don't feel I need for the 4th light, the coverage is so good.