Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board  

Go Back   Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board > General > Reef

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 02-28-2010, 01:57 AM
cordeiro cordeiro is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Edmonton Alberta
Posts: 92
cordeiro is on a distinguished road
Default 4ft light 6ft tank

Will a 4 foot light fixture work on a 6 foot tank???
We are trying to figure out if it is good enough lighting
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 02-28-2010, 02:14 AM
SeaHorse_Fanatic SeaHorse_Fanatic is offline
Gold Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Burnaby
Posts: 4,880
SeaHorse_Fanatic will become famous soon enough
Default

Nope. Did that when we got our first 6' reef tank & it was BAD. Nowhere near enough spread or light for the 6' length. Don't waste your money. Just save up to get a proper 6' light. In general, each MH will do a 2' spread.

Anthony
__________________
If you see it, can take care of it, better get it or put it on hold. Otherwise, it'll be gone & you'll regret it!
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 02-28-2010, 03:04 AM
corpusse's Avatar
corpusse corpusse is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Mississauga
Posts: 394
corpusse is on a distinguished road
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by SeaHorse_Fanatic View Post
Nope. Did that when we got our first 6' reef tank & it was BAD. Nowhere near enough spread or light for the 6' length. Don't waste your money. Just save up to get a proper 6' light. In general, each MH will do a 2' spread.

Anthony

I would say it depends.

If you had a 10x54w T5 you could hang them high enough to give you enough spread.

It also depends what kind of tank you want. Jam packed with SPS, a mixed reef, softies ect.

I run 6x54w over my 5 foot tank. I have no problems with a clam on the bottom or sps, and I also have shaded areas on the sides for other corals. Personally I like a bit of uneven light vs the perfectly lit tanks we often see, but again it depends what your goals are.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 02-28-2010, 03:13 AM
cordeiro cordeiro is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Edmonton Alberta
Posts: 92
cordeiro is on a distinguished road
Default

well i have a normal t5 light (8x35w) 6' long.. and im thinking about havein all dif stuff in my tank, and so far no luck.. i would love a 6' light but only can find 4' lights...
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 02-28-2010, 03:14 AM
shrimpchips's Avatar
shrimpchips shrimpchips is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Ontario
Posts: 440
shrimpchips is on a distinguished road
Default

With MHs it works less well since MHs are spotlights, but who uses MHs these days anyways

A lot of European tanks use a shorter fixture than the tank - go on some European forums and you'll see many with 6 foot tanks with 4 or 5 foot fixtures.
__________________
Spontaneously Purchased Scleractinian anonymous
Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 05:08 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.3
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.