Anyone have 48" T5's to part with?

[Kalied20]

I got a fixture with 3 blues and 3 10k's. I was wondering what 4 10k's or maybe adding a 6500k would look like. If anyone has theses that there are not using I would be interested in buying them.

 

[crumbletop]

I have the following that have been used only briefly if at all. I could sell you some or all of them, but I'd need to sell them for close to the reefgeek pricing, since I have them laying around to use when my current lights start to go. That will likely be in another 6-8 months, so I'm willing to let these go and reorder when the time comes. Here is what I have

GE 6500K
ATI Actinic Blue
Giesemann Aquablue+
Giesemann Actinic+
UVL Super Actinic

 

[buzzbait00]

Crumbletop what combo are you running now?I have 6x54's and am fixinng to buy new bulbs.I read a thread here on rc by (the God of T5's)Grim Reefer.He sugested this:

BP
UVL Super Actinic
ATI Aquablue
UVL Aquasun
ATI Aquablue
BP

Sounds good to me!What u think?

 

[crumbletop]

Hmm. From memory, I think I am running this:

-- BACK --
UVL Super Actinic
Giesemann AquaBlue
Giesemann Blue Plus
Giesemann AquaBlue
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Actinic White
-- FRONT --

Your recommended config seems a bit heavy on blue in the front and back and too yellow in the middle -- at least that is my guess about what it would look like. The beauty of T5s is that you can move them around in a more staggered fashion like I have them, and experiment to get a look you like. I'd recommend getting a couple of extra bulbs (like maybe 8 total) to experiment with. Maybe an extra Super Actinic or an ATI Actinic, and maybe an extra Aquablue.

 

[DMBillies]

I have VHO's on the outside and 4 T5's in the middle on my 90... this is my configuration.

VHO Super Actinic
T5 Giesemann Actinic +
T5 GE 6500K
T5 Giesemann Actinic +
T5 Giesemann Blue +
VHO Super Actinic

I like a bluer look to my tank, so I am a little heavy on the actinic, but that 6500K really washes out the blues. So, I imagine if I took that out and went with a Blue + in it's place I would also have to replace one of the Actinic + to get it back to a similar look. I have done very little tinkering with my light set-up (I figured I would mess around a little once I need to buy replacements), but I know Jack has and his advice about buying extras is good. With enough playing around you should be able to get the exact look that you and your corals like. One of the knocks against T5's is that they don't emit spikes at various wavelengths of the spectrum like a halide does, but by mixing up bulb combos you can easily replicate that.

 

[gflat65]

What is the life expectancy of a T5 bulb and what kind of cost are you looking at per bulb?

 

[crumbletop]

The life expectancy I believe depends on whether or not they are being overdriven, whether or not they are being cooled, and the bulb temp. Actinics are a little less stable than aquablues, apparently. I believe people run their bulbs around 18-24 months (12-18 months on actinics). The cost per bulb is around $20.

 

[gflat65]

Thats a bit cheaper than MH and VHO's, huh... Of course, I change mine out before most say you should (SE's at 9 months, DE's at 12 months, VHO's at 6 months, etc.).

 

[DMBillies]

Resisting...urge...to start...war...of MH...vs. T5.........:blown:

 

[Kalied20]

T5's ARE BETTER AND CHEAPER TO RUN

:smokin:

 

[gflat65]

I doubt I'll be switching any time in the near future... I'm happy with the results I've gotten under MH and VHO's. I haven't seen many SPS tanks that have as much algae as mine and the same color (something is compensating for high nutrient and I think it is the MH)...

 

[ct_vol]

My electric bill was starting to kill me... lol Too many tanks for my own good... So I've made the switch from MH's to T5's... So far, I have to admit that I'm pleasantly surprised... Especially since I was a skeptic and was a huge advocate of DE's... But time will tell if they maintain color... I'll get back with ya in a few months...