Coralife T5 fixture

[Blackheart]

Could I get away with using this on my 56 gallon column tank for lowlight to medium plants?

http://www.marineandreef.com/Aqualig...p/res58021.htm

[somewhatshocked]

Unfortunately not. A 30" T5NO fixture would work on a tank that's about 12-15" deep for low light.

Note that you're looking at the marine version. The freshwater version costs about $30-$35 at most retailers.

Have you referred to the lighting sticky to review PAR data for various fixtures that are available?

[Blackheart]

Ah okay.. well how about this one?

http://www.marineandreef.com/Nova_Ex...p/rcu01138.htm

and No I haven't lol I have no idea what to do now. that stuff is very confusing to me

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Originally Posted by Blackheart

Could I get away with using this on my 56 gallon column tank for lowlight to medium plants?

http://www.marineandreef.com/Aqualig...p/res58021.htm

Hi Blackheart,

I believe that tank is 24" deep? If so, and allowing for 2" of substrate, you have about 22" from the top to the substrate.

I agree a T5-NO is not sufficient light. I would recommend a good 1X24 watt T5-HO fixture like Tek or maybe Catalina with a 6700K/plant bulb. If you think you might go CO2 later, they also make a 2X24 watt fixture with separate cords and switches so you can one now and increase your light level later. The 1X24 watt will give you a PAR of about 30 which is low/medium light. The 2X24 watt will give you a PAR of 60 which is medium light.

Or, if you like DIY you could use a 1X55 watt AH Supply Power Compact kit for a PAR of about 40 and medium light.

If you want to learn more about lighting, I recommend:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=105774

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=184368

Hope this helps!

[Edub]

that coralife t5no fixture is sketchy at best, even if it was the right light for your needs. I have personally burned through over a half dozen of the 30 inch versions myself all in just a few months. Bulbs flicker and burn out like crazy. I figured picking up a couple of $30 lights for my tank would save me money, but at replacement bulbs costing about $15 a pop I quickly ended up spending more than I would have buying a more quality fixture in the first place. Because of my experience with that light I will not be buying more coralife products, and have made the switch to led so I (hopefully!) wont have to replace bulbs for a verrrrrry long time.

[somewhatshocked]

There are tons of threads about contacting customer service to resolve problems like that. Once fixtures get replaced, there's no issue.

I had mine replaced in just two days and haven't had an issue since.

Any time you have a problem with a new product, contact the manufacturer for support.

Originally Posted by Edub

that coralife t5no fixture is sketchy at best, even if it was the right light for your needs. I have personally burned through over a half dozen of the 30 inch versions myself all in just a few months. Bulbs flicker and burn out like crazy. I figured picking up a couple of $30 lights for my tank would save me money, but at replacement bulbs costing about $15 a pop I quickly ended up spending more than I would have buying a more quality fixture in the first place. Because of my experience with that light I will not be buying more coralife products, and have made the switch to led so I (hopefully!) wont have to replace bulbs for a verrrrrry long time.

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Hi All,

Typically the complaint I hear about the Coralife fixtures (and some others) is fan noise and fan reliability; either initially or after being in service for a while.

[Blackheart]

thanks much

I actually decided to go with the Zoo Med AquaSun T5-HO Double Light Linear Fluorescent Hood. May not be the greatest, but it got pretty good reviews on Amazon, and was darn cheap. only 63 bucks. And I can add as much light as I need. one 24 watt bulb, or two of them, which I will probably do