# 30 inch tall aquarium lighting advice



## power2me (Mar 19, 2013)

Hi all! I just got a used old Oceanic brand 90g 48x15x30" tall. I was wondering if this fixture would put me in the low/med lighting range http://www.fishneedit.com/t5ho-4ft--2lamp-aquarium-light.html?
I'm trying to stay away from co2 but with the depth of this aquarium I'm not totally sure if it's a necessity to have more light and add co2 because of the 30" depth of this aquarium. Thanks in advance for any insight on this.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi power2me,

Unfortunately that is not one of the better reflectors available, you may want to look into other units with better PAR ratings at that depth. I would estimate the low end of the low light range with an estimated PAR value of about 20 at a depth of 28".


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## power2me (Mar 19, 2013)

Thanks for the advice, ill look into a fixture with better reflectors. Do you think that a 2 lamp fixture will work or should I look into a 3 lamp or maybe even a 4 lamp on separate timers so not all lamps are running at once except for a couple of hours. Than again I may just make a canopy and make something scalable. Start off with 2 t5hos and add a 3rd or 4th if needed. Looks like I have a bit to think about lol.


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

The reflectors in that fixture are thrash. A good reflector is wider. When you look at the lamp and reflector you see the real lamp in the middle and 2 reflections of it on each side.

Also a good reflector has more facets than just two.

http://www.aquaticlife.com/sites/default/files/products/main/AquaticLife_Retrofit_Kits_T5_HO_0.jpg

Great place to buy - reefgeek.
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/t5-fluorescent/let-lighting/miro-4-reflectors.html

No, you cannot replace the cheap fixture reflectors with the good ones. The good ones are wider.

30" is too deep for any light other than Metal Halide. Forget LED - they are not cheap at all, do not last as long as we all love to believe, and the nanometer specs are a joke. T5HO is the most reasonable choice. The ones you linked to will be fine. Just don't think you got the best deal.


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