Need Help with DIY lights

[NJFishy]

Ok I need to put lights in my canopy. I'm not sure what kind to buy. From what I've read I think retrofits are the way to go, but I am up for others experienced ideas. My tank is a 55g. and is seven months old. I'm not looking to grow anything that needs a huge amount of light. So I was thinking pc and maybe a T5. My canopy measures 15" high I've included pics. I hope someone can give me some ideas and maybe some pics of their canopys.
canopy measures 48x13x15

I just don't know where to start.
Thanks

 

[NJFishy]

Here's the canopy

 

[home wrecker]

if your not goin to grow any sps i would say just go t5's with a nice set of moon lights .....look for a retro fit t5 setup with each bulb comin with there own reflector

....by the way very nice canopy ....did u build it yourself ???

 

[pecan2phat]

If your mainly keeping fish and some soft corals with a splash of LPS, then go with this T5 retro kit. Two sets will give you a total of four 54w T5 bulbs. It will easily mount to the top of your canopy and you will have plenty of room to work with when you do maintenance or what not. I mount 3 of these to my 90g @ work and it will sustain an rose anemone, mushrooms and yuma polyps. I would recommend 4 though since the second ballast can handle 2 54w lamps.
You can wire the first set to be actinic or blue bulbs on first and the 2nd set as your whites but stagger the blue and white bulbs. Just wire accordingly.
If you have no need for metal halide pendants, then don't get them as they will definitely heat up your water 8 months out of the year and you will eventually need a chiller plus the evaporation will be less without halides.
Here's a link to the retros. This is one set, you will need two. You also need to pick up bulbs.

Whatever you do, do NOT go with power compacts

http://www.hellolights.com/482x54wt5hor.html

Before ordering, check with Ronen (Deepwater Extreme). He is a vendor on this forum and can get usually get you the same item for about the same price or sometimes less. He can also probably get the bulbs also.

 

[NJFishy]

Ok I will check out the site. I was going to go with 36" lights I'm afraid that the 48" will be to tight. Could you tell me if these lights would be ok
4 X 39 watt T5 HO these's a guy in calif selling them all ready set for $189 they look like this but of course with 4 lights also they are made my catalina aquatiums. I can use all the help I can get, I'm noy sure how good I'll be at wiring. Also I can get moon lights installed in the unit for $40. Please let me know what you think I appreciate it.

 

[pecan2phat]

50% of T5 lighting is based on the design and quality of the reflector in use. There's only two fixtures that have caught my eye, which would be Tek or Aquatinics. Since your using a retro, these fixtures are a moot point. I would only use Ice Cap or Sunlight Suppy T5 reflectors. The ones in your picture seem to missing the "M" shape parabolic design.
The 54w retro kit would fit, the bulbs are not truely 48". From endcap to endcap, it's about 47" and your canopy should be 48" to 49" on the inside since it needs to sit outside of your tank rim.
You should stay with a 54w retro either way that you choose.

 

[reefoman]

IMHO 6x48" (54w)

regards,
mark

 

[grisha]

you may want to get waterproof end caps for your retrofit as well

 

[masterswimmer]

At House of Fish we run T5's on all our tanks. It's a good choice for all the reasons mentioned above. In addition to whats been discussed, you can coordinate the bulb combinations to really dial in the best kelvin rating for growth and viewing pleasure.

If you'd like to discuss the options, feel free to give us a shout.

Russ

 

[SuRFeR BoY]

some vendors sell t5s on this site so ask around before you buy anything... make sure you have enough wattage if you want to keep sps.. it is deff possible but your water quality must be perfect.. i like t5s and will one day upgrade to t5 and/or mhs if i have the money for a chiller and my eletric bill. as of now i run pc and vho mix on my reef and am currently housing a branching monti digi as an experiment. so far it is growing and thriving extremely well. it started out as one branch and is now push 3 spikes since. placement, water quality and flow are key :wink1:

 

[SuRFeR BoY]

ps i do not plan on keeping any acros