# 2x54 T5 HO over 55 gallon too much light?t



## SpeedEuphoria (Aug 5, 2008)

From experienced people, I have learned that a single Giesemann 54w T5HO with a TEK II reflector on a 55G with good CO2 will grow "high light" plants.


You have a Icecap ballast I presume which overdrives the bulbs, so you should not have a problem with a single bulb. From what I've seen the Ice cap puts ~85w into a 54w bulb

If you need a ballast, the Advance ICN2S54 will run 1 or 2 54w T5HO bulb and should cost ~$40.


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## Ramirez (Jan 12, 2006)

The regular Icecap retrofit kit does not come with the high end Icecap ballast. The one the kit comes with is a Universal, I think.


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## KDahlin (Mar 12, 2007)

I bought a 4 X 54W T5HO Catalina fixture to replace my 2 X 65W PC JBJ light on my 55 gallon. I only use 2 of the bulbs of the Catalina light. I bought the 4 X 54W because it was on sale and also I thought it gave me latitude to use the extra light as a noonday burst if I wanted. I didn't notice the 2 bulbs of T5 being that much brighter but I did notice my red plants got much redder with the T5s.


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## Stevie D (Jul 16, 2008)

I just bought the catalina 4x54 watt for my 55 gallon. I use 2 of the lights for 9 hours with a 3 hour noon burst with all 4. It is a lot of light, but manageable. You definitely will need co2 with that much lighting. I have 2 tanks in my living room with t5's and yes they do light up the room, i never really have to turn on the lights in the living room!

Stevie D


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

I have a TEK 4x54w T5HO fixtures with Giesemann bulbs. I agree, it's a lot of light, but my plants really love it.

I would not suggest running just 1 bulb. You should do fine with 2. If you have algae problems, raise the lights up higher from the tank to decrease the lighting. You can also shorten your photoperiod (which, if too long, can cause algae no matter what the lighting).


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## BigPaul (Jul 16, 2007)

If your plants are doing well with the coralife fixture, they will do better with the T-5 setup. When I swapped out my coralife for a 2x54 glo fixture, the plants pearled earlier and the reds got redder. Less light spillage out of the tank as well. It's not too much light


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