New tank

I baught a used 90 gallin tank. The t5s are kinda shot. I was thinking of just doing ballast kits but I have never worked with them. How many do I need (reef tank)? I also didnt want to trash my p/c from old tank, its shorter 36" and my new tank is 48", but I was thinkibg of mounting the p/c in the middle and doing the t5 on each side. My p/c also has a moon light. Any suggestions.

Can anyone help me?

Awesome Congrats on the new 90!! I do not think that PC's are powerful enough for a 90 gallon so I would not use those. I would suggest going with ether T5's 4 bulbs or more (preferably more like 6 or 8 especially with a 90 gal.) with individual reflectors or metal halides. But it also depends on what you are planning on keeping. ;)

Thank you for your advice atleast i have a plat form to work off of.

Soft corals, anenomes and clams

With the depth of the 90 and wanting clams and anemones you need pretty intense lights. How many T5's do you have? Do they have individual reflectors?

I think I found a fixture that will work for me, which has individual reflectors and the moonlighting I want. I will just have to place coralos and inverts accordingly.

Hey Sweatpea,

You will definitely want to go with T5s and not PCs. Also, it’s very important to get the right brand of bulbs and the right color combination. All bulbs are not created equal. At the price of bulbs you want to get it right the first time. You know I’ve been setting up my aquaculture and that includes the lighting system. In the process I’ve spent/wasted a lot of money on getting the right bulbs. Through that effort (expense) I’ve found a great combo of bulbs for color and growth. I’ve settled on the brand ATI in two different colors, Blue Plus and Aqua Special. In my 48” x 8 bulb Tek fixture, I’m using 6 Blue Plus and 2 Aqua Special. The color rendition is incredible and in one week I’m seeing noticeable growth on some corals.

You are about 80 miles South of me. You should consider making the drive and check out the lights and our aquaculture.

Dick

It would definitely be worth a ride to Dick's!