[NQuaday]

Hey everyone,

I have a 90 gallon in the planning stages and I am trying to figure out the lighting. I would like to do a med/high light and will be using pressurized CO2.

I would prefer to do LED since I believe that in the long run it will save money over T5s but I am worried the initial costs of LEDs will be too much. Several of the fixtures I was looking at:

Finnex Ray 2 DS dual 7000K
EVO quad using 3W LEDs

If I had to go T5s, I would go with a catalina fixture (either 3 or 4 bulb). Any opinions on these fixtures or other possibilities out there? Thanks!

 

[Ruxl]

What are the dimensions of the 90? If it is a 48x18x24, I would say the Ray2 will only put you in low-low/med light. I had one on my 36x18x24 and after switching to a BML XB dutch the difference in growth is night and day.

 

[NQuaday]

It is the standard 90 gallon so 24 inches deep. I was afraid that I may have to get more than 1 LED fixture in order to get adequate light.

 

[ChadO]

You might be able to do a single fixture if you go BML XB unit. Their website is done well, and if you have questions, they are great to talk to with to get the right unit. If you go T5HO, you'll definitely need a quad unit if you are shooting for high light. You also need to think about the heat factor as well.

 

[NQuaday]

What kind of light intensity can I expect with an aquatic life 48 inch dual T5 fixture?

 

[Raymond S.]

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=184368
The T5 chart on there plus a bit of figuring gives me 45-50 PAR.
But the Catalina is on there too.