Whats T5 lighting, and retro fitting?

[Dancing4raiin]

What is the diffrence between all the diffrent type of lighting? I am completely lost on this. Trying to get a feel for all the diffrent needs before i start setting up my 60 gallon tank. Right now i just have a dx nano cube.

[ckusnierek]

Whiskey should chine in here he seems to be an "expert" in lighting.
Basically there are 5 types of tank lighting:
standard flourscent (no good for SW, maybe FO)(outdated)
VHO (very high output) flourscent (outdated) (ok not so outdated)(just cant find the at any LFS aroun me)
Power Compact Flourscent (ok for soft corals and som LPS)
T5 & T5HO (high output) this is the most bang for your buck.
Metal Halide (THE BEST!!!!)

The are t different configuration of each of these. There are standard fixtures and pendants and then there are retros. Fixtures and pentants either hang over the tank or sit in top of the tank and Retros mount under a canopy.

There are MANY thing to consider in lighting. What are you wanting to keep? tank size? tank depth? What color spectrum do you want?

I spent alot on powercompact because I though more watts meant more light in the tank. this is not true PC lighting penatrates the water far less than T5s do. so your better off with a few 54w T5s than a couple 96w PCs and the bulds get "weaker" quicker and you need to hange them more often.

T5s can cost almost as much as Halide but you can find good deals on them. With enough T5s you can keep anything you want.

Metal is the ultimate. Drawbacks are the bulbs are expensive, and they hto HOT. using them under a canopy you will need a chiller or a good fan.

Like I said I'm no expert! HTH

[Dancing4raiin]

Thank you chris, Right now i have a jbj Nano cube which i've really enjoyed(have not killed any fish yet) In my garage i have a 45 gallon corner tank, and a standard 60 gallon which i believe messeares somewhere between 48''l 16'' 16''h that i will want to use, i was looking at how someone custom made a cabnet for a 90 gallon, and it was amazing the work that this man did.

[tperk9784]

T5's are best when used with individual reflectors.

I wouldn't call VHO outdated, lots of people still use them and they seem to be one of the best bulbs for actinic supps.

Your choice of lighting really should depend on what you want to keep in the tank.

plan good now, pay less in the long run.

[hng]

Dancing - that is a very BIG question to try to answer. Chris did a good job, but I would also add that lighting depends a lot on what you plan to keep. Think about your corals and let your system be determined by that. A 90 gal tank is a great size for a reef tank. In general, corner tanks are not recommended since they do not use standard sized lighting - and that could get tricky to overcome. What are your plans for your tank?

[ckusnierek]

Yes plan your lighting around what you want to keep but also consider that whay you want to keeo now will probally be different in a year or two