# Which setup?



## janboogy (Jan 3, 2007)

Hi folks! As my “holiday season” gift to myself I purchased a 65 gallon tank 
(36” L x 18” W x 24” H) that will eventually become heavily planted with compressed co2 . My problem is I’m having a difficult time determining which lighting setup I should buy. I have narrowed it down to three options:

1) Coralife 36” Aqua light 2x96W = 192W = 2.95 WPG
2) Tek Tight T5 36” 4x39W = 156W = 2.4 WPG
3) Tek Light T5 36” 6x39W = 234W = 3.6 WPG

I have been told that the T5’s put out more light so I should not get the 6x39W and that the 4x39W would be sufficient. The Aqua light is an option only because of its low initial cost in comparison to the Tek Lights, but I’m a little worried that the pc lights won’t penetrate all the way down my 24” tank, although, I’ve heard otherwise. I won’t be growing very difficult plants but if I wanted to in the future, which set up would you guys recommend with out going overboard? I really don’t want to get into MH’s because of heat issues and hanging things from my ceiling or walls in my new apt. Great forum btw!


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Welcome to APC :mrgreen: 

I'm a big fan of Coralife fixtures, they give alot of bang for the buck. I don't forsee any problems in using this fixture with a 24" height tank.


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## Mud Pie Mama (Jul 30, 2006)

Dontcha just love the holidays! Most often my favorite gifts are those I git myself! 

From all I've heard and read the biggest difference in better light penetration (besides M.H.) will be from good reflectors.

If you have the bucks right now definately go for the Tek light - they've the best reflectors on the market. Also with a linear tube not as much light is lost from restrike where the tube fold back on itself. 

I'm firmly convinced that the future will see more and more planted enthusiast going this route. I'm hoping to see some lighting manufacturers' produce a broader range of t-5 in K ratings and specialised plant spectrums. (I'm currently in LOVE with my t-8 All Glass 8000K tubes, hoping they'll move into the t-5's.) I'm all for more choices and hoping additional competition will bring some of the pricing down.

I purchased a Coralife fixture for one tank, my 46 bow which is a similar 36" length. I HATE the 6700K it came with; very green in color. It made my red plants ugly, they just never 'popped' as nicely as in my t-8 tank. There is no where near the selection of bulbs available in the 34" 96w CF tube. If you're even the slightest picky about best colors and visuals this is a downside. I eventually replaced the bulb that came with the Coralife with Current's SunPaq 6700K/10000K - its better, (at least I can now tolerate looking at this tank ) but its not my favorite. 

If you go with CF the best size for bulb selection is the 55/65w. Also if you do decide to stick with CF the best reflectors would be those from A.H. Supply. 

I don't have a 65g tank so I can't give personal evidence on whether 4 or 6 tubes would be best. If you don't want difficult plants and will be happy selecting those which do well in your set up the 4 will do fine. But if you're looking for the ultimate tank which can grow challenging plants or very low ground covers like HC or glosso then probably 6 tubes. Although I think if I had to make a choice I'd go with more because of the 24" depth. I would just be sure to select a unit that has multiple power cords so you could adjust the lights as needed; perhaps running a mid-day burst scenario.


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## janboogy (Jan 3, 2007)

Mud Pie Mama, thanks for the insight. I'm going to go with the teks, but still cant decide between the 4 or 6 bulb...almost a $200 difference!


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## IUnknown (Feb 24, 2004)

I think in the end you probably wont want the six bay unless you plan to use it on a reef system down the road. I've got a 24" tek and only use half the light. Search the forums and see if anyone else with your type setup has any advice.


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## epicfish (Sep 11, 2006)

janboogy said:


> Mud Pie Mama, thanks for the insight. I'm going to go with the teks, but still cant decide between the 4 or 6 bulb...almost a $200 difference!


The 4-bulb system is wired for two bulbs on a ballast and the other two on a separate ballast. I believe the 6-bulb system has 2 bulbs on one ballast and 4 bulbs on another ballast.

Running two bulbs at the same time won't be enough, so you're going to have to run at least 4 bulbs for 2.4WPG. If you had the 6-bulb setup, you could fire the last two bulbs for 3-4 hours during the middle of the day for a burst effect of 3.6 WPG for that short period.

2.4 WPG is good enough for most, if not all, plants...3.6 WPG would be nice if you wanted to grow carpet plants quickly or if you like trimming every week. =)

If you're on a budget, go with the 4-bulb fixture...don't forget you're going to spend money on CO2 and substrate too! If you have a larger budget...then hey, 6-bulbs is nice too. =)


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