T5 lighting

[lionhead]

I would go retro's that way you can upgrade the parts down the road. Better ballasts, reflectors, etc....... For bulb section may I suggest going with ATI blue + and blue specials. Maybe throw in a Fiji pink or a pro color bulb. The Current Nove extreme/Pro are a decent fixture as well. I run the six bulb over my 90gal mixed reef and love it. It works well for all kinds of corals.

[Tom@HaslettMI]

If you can build a canopy that you'll like I also vote for DIY or a retro kit. I also second the recommendation for ATI bulbs. Current USA bulbs are junk and I was not impressed with the 15K AquaScience bulb I tried. I think Giessmann (spelling?) are the same as ATI.

Also I think 8 bulbs might be overkill. Really depends on tank depth, a little on volume and the types of corals are your keeping. I only have three bulbs on a 50 breeder and keep all but the highest light demanding corals and clams.

HTH,
Tom

[dcook]

Thanks fellow Captive reef members
your advise really helps.

[ReeferRob]

If it were me, I would run 4 retro bulbs on a 660 IceCap Ballast and either add 2 bulbs on there smaller ballast and or 8-10 DIY Cree LED Retros with 2 different optics. Some flood optics some spot optics. The IceCap reflectors rock, I do like them better than in my Aquatinic Fixture.