Bulb choices for a VHO and T5 setup?

Thanks DarG.......so what is the overall length of a 48" T5 with endcaps, mounts, etc. and what is the overall length of a 46.5" VHO with endcaps, mounts, etc. I am banking on the fact that I can mount them to my canopy lid which I believe is about 48.25" by 10.25"(the part that raises at least, so width is negotiable).....if it won't fit I suppose I'll take it apart and doctor it up.
 
I have VHO's for my tank and would like some suggestion on T-5 for replacements. Right now I'm using UVL bulbs, 2 Super Atinics and 2 Atinic Whites, the standard combination I believe. Using 48" bulbs now but will switch to 46.5" when I start the conversion. I think for now I'm going to stick with VHO for Super Atinics for now. I use Fulham Workhorse 7's for ballast and would like to know what bulbs would keep my color either the same or slightly more blue. I plan on having 2 T-5 and 2 VHO with the next bulb change and then maybe adding 2 additional T-5's later for a total of 4 T-5 and 2 VHO. The T-5 will not be overdriven since I'm not using IceCap ballasts but from what I've read there should still be an improvement in par. I just don't want to change the color much, definately no more yellow than it is now, but I don't like to waste money on bulbs I don't like. So what would you guys recommend.
 
Arc eye ... overall length of 48" T5 with end caps is under 48". It's very close to 46 1/4" to back of endcaps. The mounts stick out a little past that and it depends on how you face the mounts because they will work either way. But when you orient them the way that matches the VHO mounts (they do need to be oriented a certian direction for the wires) they are only 47" to the ends of the end cap mounts. So, you're fine with length. The 46.5" VHO would be the same or within fractions end cap back to end cap back. The outsides of the mounts would be the same as well.

booker ... I would say that 2 Giesemann Aquablue T5's with the two VHO's would give you a slightly bluer look than you have now. If you want to stay the same, The UVL Actinic White T5's would do it.
 
Two Aquablues will definitely be more blue, but my fear is that you'll wash out colors and it may even hurt to look at how blue it is.

On my 58g I run 3 T5s - a UVL Actinic White, an ATI Blue Plus, and (temporarily) a Current 10k bulb. I also run two Hagen Marine-Glo T10s for additional color and dusk-to-dawn control. These bulbs give me a very crisp white - definitely not too much blue, but absolutely no yellow. On another tank at the shop I used to work at, I played with a number of color combinations - one that others seemed to like (although I don't like too much blue) used 2 UVL Super Actinics, 1 Current Blue, and 1 Current 10k. The Current Blue is very similar in color to the ATI Blue Plus; it just puts out significantly less PAR.

Now, at the shop we also used to run VHO combos with 2 Super Actinics and 2 Actinic Whites - a combo that I couldn't stand, as it appeared much too pink and yellow. The T5 Actinic White does still burn with some pink to it, but appears to be much whiter in the tank than the Aquasun.

If you like the look of the VHO Actinic White but want more blue, then I would suggest sticking with 1 T5 Actinic White and adding an ATI Blue Plus. I am a tad hesitant to recommend the UVL bulb, though, as I do find it much too pink. Not sure what it is about UVL bulbs, but they seem to burn pink in non-overdriven situations; all of the Actinic White/Aquasuns that I played around with on either Workhorse ballasts or other high output ballasts burn with that pink hue I keep talking about, and it was noticeable in the tank. The same bulbs on Icecap ballasts, though, had the same hue, but appeared to be white in the tank.

To make a long story short (and sorry for being lond winded) you would likely be happy with an Actinic White and an ATI Blue Plus with your VHO Super Actinics. Personally I would again choose the GE 6500k bulb to complement the ATI Blue Plus if you want more blue - but it all really comes down to your opinion of the Actinic White bulb. Sorry if any of that was confusing - I'm sure I probably didn't help you at all. If I still had access to my T5s and all of those setups, I would try to take some pictures. I'll see if I can get some on Wednesday - no guarantees, though.
 
Man Shade, we definitely dont see colors nearly the same. I ran a VHO only set-up for over 10 years. I would never describe two actinic whites and two super actinics as pink and yellow. That combo appeared crisp white with an actinic tint, not what I would call yellow in the least and the actinic is not what I would call pink. :eek:

And I have used aquablues to whiten up a halide or halide + T5 combo that was too blue. Swapping an aquablue for a Blue + or the like. YOu could be right about two aquablues and two VHO's being too blue for some tastes. I have never personally tried the combo. Just seems like it would only add a little more blue than going with two actinics whites along with the super actinics. The actinic white I believe is already rated a 12000K while the Aquablue is rated an 11000K. I see the aquablue as bluer despite the ratings but ... I have run the aquablues with the T5 superactinics and I dont see it as nearly as blue as you describe.

Like I said Arc Eye, you will have to try for yourself and see what you like. You have two people here who see the same bulbs as very different colors. We are both very well intentioned but we simply dont see the colors the same way. That's pretty typical, I just went through a similar thing with my wife and a fiji purple.
Unfortunatley, it's doesnt make for cut and dry help for you. :)
 
very interesting indeed............my current thinking is to split the difference and go for one midday like the GE 6500K and one aquablue. It just seems that if I don't get at least one full spectrum bulb, the reds, yellows, and oranges would be really muted. Any of you guys know a thread with pics I should look at?

Thanks for the help!
 
I dont know of any sites with photos of tanks under different T5 combos. Somebody else may.
Dont sweat it Arc Eye. You'll get if figured out pretty quickly.
Lots of people like to throw a full spectrum into the mix. Definitely worth a look. Youll probably end up accuumulating some extra T5 bulbs before too long into getting your lighting up and running. Never can hurt (except for the wallet) to have some extras to play with. You never know when the itch to change the look may strike. Or, you may want to try something different for the corals growth or bring out the colors in them. Plus, when it comes time to change old bulbs, or if one goes prematurely or gets broken, you'll have some on hand. I've got a bunch of extras now, especially after going down from 4 to 2 T5's.
I have 12 alone that came out of Current USA fixtures because I swapped in better bulbs right from the beginning. Thankfully most of the other spares I have will find use when it comes time to change bulbs dure to age.

You'll get it all figured out pretty quickly.
 
DarG and Shade many thanks for the info. I looked at serveral pics of tanks on this and other web forums but with variances in camera settings, monitors, etc. I really think their not a good representation. I like the look I have now, a little bluer wouldn't bother me or the same, just wanted some suggestions to get me in the ballpark. One more question, does anyone know if I can use the mounts for T-12 endcaps with T-5 endcaps? I haven't found a drawing for the endcaps to compare, thought it might be worth a shot. Thanks again.
 
No, the mounts are the same size but the T12 VHO endcap is a screw mount, the T5 endcap snaps in the mount. Atleast that's the only one I have seen and I think the ones I have are both from the same company (German made).

But, the mounts for both have the same spacing for the mounting holes. As long as you orient the T5 mount the same way as the T12 mount the 46.5" VHO and 48" T5 will both fit in the same location. All you have to do is change mounts and end caps ... and ballast if you are not using an IceCap.
 
I plan on using the workhorse7 ballast. Is that a problem? Wasn't really interested in overdriving the bulbs so I figured the ballast would work. Please correct me if this isn't the case. Thanks again
 
I mentioned the IceCap because it would drive both the VHO and the T5. Yes, it overdrives T5 but it doesnt overdrive VHO.
Workhorse shouldnt be a problem. I dont know much about them. It's a T5 ballast, right? Or will it run both T5 and VHO?
 
Workhorse is a 220 watt ballast split to 4 bulbs. Basically for VHO you just tie 2 of the hot leads together and get 110 watts, 2VHO per ballast. For T-5 one would use the leads singulary and drive 4 T-5 at 55 watts each. I'm all for saving money were I can and these are around 30 bucks each.
 
DarG, perhaps we are seeing colors very differently. All I can remember from the Actinic White/Super Actinic setup was hideous pink, though. Maybe it was a strange batch of bulbs or it could just be poor memory. Recently, though, I did test a 4 bulb T5 set in a Current fixture with an Aquasun, an Actinic White, an ATI Blue Plus, and a UVL Super Actinic. Talk about pink... but, like I said earlier, I put the same UVL bulbs in my Icecap-overdriven setup and they burned white. I dunno. Beats me.

Now that I think about it, though, all of my experiences with 48" T5 Actinic Whites have been fairly consistent: they seem to be very white. In fact, one of my friends has 2 Super Actinics and 2 Actinic Whites over a 110g reef - the color is definitely good, but if it came down to personal taste, I would swap one of the Super Actinics for a Blue Plus and one of the Actinic Whites for a GE 6500k.

Basically what this all boils down to is that we're all going to like different color combos... and in this case, it seems like we even see different colors. :) I wish we could recommend a couple of bulbs that would definitely get you where you want to be. I arrived at my bulb combo after a lot of testing with a lot of different bulbs..... and most T5ers end up doing the same. Personally I would choose an Aquablue and GE 6500k in this situation... but that's only because I've tested all of these bulbs and found what I liked.

DarG, I'm not doubting your experiences by any means... I guess what we can all take from this is that we have to be as objective as possible. Like I said, I will do my best to snap some shots of some of the bulbs in action. The Grim Reefer had a thread not long ago with a lot of side by side comparison shots, but I simply can't find it - if anyone can, please link to it - I want to bookmark it.

By the way, there is no problem with running T5s off of Workhorse ballasts - however, they are instant start ballasts, not program start, so you will reduce the amount of turn-on cycles of the bulb. However, unless you are turning the bulbs on and off a hundred times a day, you'll still be changing them well before they burn out. Also, and maybe it's just me, but my Aquasun bulb burned pink when I ran it on a Workhorse ballast. Take that with a grain of salt, though, as I can't do any further testing at the moment. :(
 
Well, that didn't take much searching. This is the thread I was talking about. The differences between some of the bulbs may be subtle, but hopefully the pics will be of some help. Thanks to The Grim Reefer.

T5 Lamp Pics
 
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