Well im on my way to downsizing and buying a really nice custom 50 breeder tank. 36x18x16. Rimless with starphire glass. With this setup i will be needing a fixture that is hangable. Now the good stuff. Im kinda torn between a mh/pc fixture and a 6 bulb fixture. I know the mh.pc fixture will reach my needs but what i really need to know is if the 6 bulb t5 fixture is adequete enough for a full blown sps reef at 16 inches? I would really like the 6 bulb fixture due to the combination of coloring and bulbs i can choose from.  So what do you guys think? Anyone around here have experiance? I have already gotten over the fact that the t5's will not have the amazing shimmer like the mh but iv never had t5's and its something i wanna monkey around with.

How many watts are the t5s? IMO many people under rate the capabilities of t5s. They say MH are required but that is not the case. And at 16" depth I'm almost postive sps will do fine.

To me, you will be fine. I have a 40g breeder that may or may not be switched over to a reef (we're only talking a like 2-4" height difference between our tanks) and planned on doing T5's. If you have about a hour or two of extra time, take a look at Reefcentral's Tank of the Month from months past. There are quite a few that are strictly T5 lit, full blown SPS monsters.

My only advice would be:

- Go with high quality individual reflectors. Icecap makes some killer ones from my reading.

- Don't skimp on the bulb! Bulb selection can be the make or break point. I suggest taking a look through Grimreefers HUGE topic on bulb selection on Reefcentral's site. People ask him what he'd use, and he gives them the setup for their tank size/coral/etc. I'd consider him a T5 "guru".

- Prepare to deal with heat like you would with a metal halide. Granted it may seem they are putting out less heat, but you have to remember the heat is spread over 3 feet instead of 6 inches. Lot of discussion on which is hotter. Personally, treat them as the same as T5's run better the cooler they are anyways (you win both ways).

To answer the above post, the bulbs should be 39w each.

yes sir 39 watts each. I just found grims page. Seems like they should be ok. Im not to worried about the heat since i never had problems with my MH lights i had setup in my basement. I will be buying a fixture so the ice cap reflectors are a negative. Iv been looking at the current nova extreme pro or the tek fixture. Each are 6 bulbs. The nova has built in fans but not as good of reflectors where the tek fixture has superior reflectors but no fans.

It's hard to say which one to go with, they both have their selling points. If the fixture was going to be in a canopy, I'd go with the Tek for sure. That way you can hide the ugly clip on fans that will cool the unit. They are a tried and proven unit though.

The new Nova's, can't comment on those.

Apott05 said :

yes sir 39 watts each. I just found grims page. Seems like they should be ok. Im not to worried about the heat since i never had problems with my MH lights i had setup in my basement. I will be buying a fixture so the ice cap reflectors are a negative. Iv been looking at the current nova extreme pro or the tek fixture. Each are 6 bulbs. The nova has built in fans but not as good of reflectors where the tek fixture has superior reflectors but no fans.

i would go with the 54 watt t5's myself

would if i could. Tank is only 36 inches which is what the 39 watt bulbs measure. If i could i wouldnt even mind an 8 bulb fixture.

The legs on my 4x54 watt T5 adjust and could be put over a 36 inch tank( its a Currant USA fixture) Just a thought. Get a 4x54 or a 6x54 watt and Adjust the legs to fit on a 36 in tank!heck i had mine on a 30in 20g long tank!!!

54w bulbs are 48" long (give or take depending on brand). They won't fit, and look nice, over a 50g breeder.

To me its hard to beat the M/H when you consider the PAR values.  The others are cooler and cheaper which is nice but I think if you want superior coral growth then there is only one choice.

Others will agree or not and that makes no difference to me, my acro growth speaks for itself