T,5 ligts

[tony02133]

I have a t,5 fixture with a 10000k square pin bulb and a actinic blue bulb, just want to know how close I have to put them to my tan:der:

 

[tony02133]

Tank*

 

[WatercolorsGuy]

Re: T,5 ligts

Are you sure they are T5's or possibly PC (power compact) bulbs? "square pin" makes me think power compact bulbs. Are they kind of "U" shaped/dual tubes or straight?

 

[tony02133]

They are straight they have two workhorse ballast went i trade theme they had 96 wats coralife bulbs

 

[tony02133]

They are dual bulbs

 

[tony02133]

http://m1302.photobucket.com/albumv...AU5WTwwl/Y/NC7QETwYb3iLPWiQu1Lz7dptZJpnyJGsw=

 

[JNG]

Those are power compact bulbs not t5 florescent bulbs. If you have a cover on them, you can place then pretty much where you want them. if you have a hood start up around 6" or so and go from there.

 

[tony02133]

O man!! So they work for soft corals or they are useless

 

[tony02133]

They are 4" from the tank with no cover

 

[FinsUp]

They'll probably work for softies. Definitely not for SPS. Do you know how old the bulbs are? If not, you may want to replace them.

 

[tony02133]

I just replace the 10000k two weeks ago I need to replace the blue one do you think 4" from the tank its ok

 

[FinsUp]

I saw that you said there's no cover. Is there anything to block splashes from hitting the light bulbs, salt creep, etc? I wouldn't worry about how close PC bulbs are to the water as far as light itself, but I wouldn't want the combo of water and electricity to cause a problem.

 

[tony02133]

I have a glass cover I just want to now how close they need to be for the corals

 

[FinsUp]

Cool.
The closer the better. They're power compacts.

 

[tony02133]

2" ? For how much can I buy led lights

 

[FinsUp]

LEDs come in all sizes, varying qualities, with different options, and at a wide range of prices. They're definitely not one size fits all like PCs or T5s. I'd recommend doing a bit of research on them and figuring out which ones will work best for your tank and the corals you want to keep.

 

[tony02133]

I just want to keep soft corals for now my tank is only 4 months old, what type of soft coral can i keep with this light

 

[FinsUp]

leathers, mushrooms, xenia, and some zoas should be fine under power compacts. When you're looking at corals, ask which ones are low to medium light corals and go from there. You'll be fine. Softies are great. SPS are a lot harder to keep, not just from the lighting angle, but also for water chemistry demands, and they don't move in the current like softies do.

 

[tony02133]

Thank you so much, I still have alot to learn

 

[FinsUp]

That's why we're here! :smile: