t5 light question help please.

[pwall97]

ok i have a 96 inch long tank by 20 inches deep and 24 inchs wide..how many t5 bulbs would i need..i will some day want to keey a reef with hard corals and soft dont want to be limited..and i dont want mh system..i want a t5 system..so how many bulbs would i need maybe 2 48 inches 6 bulbs t5 system that would be 12 bulbs or maybe 2 48 inches 8 bubs system that would be 16 bulbs??or more u guys tell me please thank you..

 

[Ben1]

I use 12 over my 36" wide tank. With a 96" tank though I think I would be going 2 of the 8 bulb fixtures giving 8 tubes front to back for the length of your reef. Just keep in mind with that many bulb you are figuring in the $400-$500 range every 10 months for bulb replacement.

 

[Nemo2007]

I agree with Ben. I used to use an 8 bulb system over a 23 inch deep, 4 foot tank. The more the better for what you desire in the future. Just remember, not all T5 systems are created equal. I think I would have done better with a six bulb system that used individual reflectors and higher quality ballast. Mine had only one large parabolic reflector and cheap Chinese internal ballast. The highest performing systems, in my opinion, over drive the bulbs usually with IceCap ballast which would also shorten bulb life and increase expense.

I wonder if any of those 80 watt T5 systems are available on this side of the pond.