Debating going to T5s...

dreaminmel

dreaminmel

New member
So with my tank changeover from acro dominant to LPS & Softies with a couple favorite acro, I am realizing that my 400w halides are probably a bit overkill. Not to mention I'd love to reduce the energy bill. ;)

While chatting with a fellow hobbyist today it was mentioned that I could probably run four or five 80w 5ft T5s over my tank. I already have one IceCap 660 ballast that was running my VHO bulbs. Here's my question...

Since the 660 ballast has a limit of 4 bulbs at a max of 4 ft in length, would that be enough over my 125g tank? My 125g is roughly 60" x 18" x 26" tall.

If more than four 4ft bulbs would be best then I'm sure I can locate an IceCap 430 for the additional needed power. In that scenario I could run three 5ft bulbs with the 660 and two more 5ft bulbs with the 430.

Before I start the hunt for the 430 though... just wanted some feedback from other T5'ers on how much is necessary.

Thanks for any feedback peeps.
 
I tried the t5 route for a little while. 3 60" bulbs will probably give a little extra oomph over 4 48" bulbs in a 26" deep tank (not saying it'll necessarily look brighter... it'll just penetrate further).

I'd do 3x60" and 2x48". Then you can do a dawn/dusk effect. One important thing to note when using icecap ballasts is that you MUST fan cool the t5 bulbs because they will be overdriven. Otherwise, youre bulbs will die quickly and you'l take a huge hit in par.
 
Mel, you can still run 4 5' bulbs with the 660. It will overdrive them to ~100W each iirc and you'll only be at 400w with the 660 maxing out at 440w (formerly 4 110w VHO bulbs). The 430 doesn't od the bulbs like the 660 does and you will only get 80w of output, which isn't a huge deal anyways. The 430 will only drive 1 or 2 (not 3 or 4) T5 bulbs, so just keep that in mind too.

T5 color rocks and is much easier to adjust to you and your corals liking. You'll be surprised what you can keep with 4 and 6 would keep just about anything happy and growing.

If you or anyone else wants to see color combinations just let me know as I've got about 12 different bulbs.

I've got a 430 as well if you're interested.
 
I am all for T5's. nice, even powerful distribution of light throughout your tank (given you have the right reflectors). i use 4 on a standard 55 (will switch to 6 when i set up my 90) and have growth on softies, lps, and sps alike from all parts of my tank. there are many different color combos you can use to pick the look you want. you will definitely need another ballast... and with 5 aforementioned bulbs that should be enough for nearly anything given its up high enough in your tank if need be..
 
Great feedback, thanks J! Because of the heat that the two 400w halides put off I've already got two large fans installed in the canopy section running 24/7.

Is there a reason that for the other two bulbs you'd only do 48"? The wood pieces in the canopy that they'd all attach to is a distance of 60" so I'm just wondering if there's a reason for it or if I'd be fine doing all 60" bulbs. If I do this, I'm already planning on running Geisemann bulbs that are stocked locally.
 
Walter, ygpm. :)

Cptn, What do you recommend for reflectors? I keep seeing these "clip on" ones online and am not sure of the efficiency...
 
Captain, I do not believe you can run 4 60" bulbs on a 660. Its basically capped at "16 feet" of bulbs.

Mel, you could run 2 more 60" bulbs off the 430. I had thought they can only run 48" bulbs but I was wrong. For reflectors, the best are the Aquaillumination clip-ons from reefgeek.

And even if you have to order it online, definitely spring for a KZ fiji purple... it is an awesome bulb and just one will change the look of your tank
 
Being deeper than wider you're going to want mode depth penetration and last I researched the narrower tek's were giving better depth penetration compared to the wide spread of the IC's and I'm not even sure if IC makes 60" reflectors. Here's a good read as well that condenses a lot of info from many of the threads here and elsewhere.

http://sites.google.com/site/tfivetesting/
 
jaybfresh said:
Captain, I do not believe you can run 4 60" bulbs on a 660. Its basically capped at "16 feet" of bulbs.
Click to expand...

The 16' is an old reference to the T12 VHO's and didn't always hold true as there were a few guys who used to fire 3 6' bulbs with a 660.

From Icecap
" Product Description
Along with the 430 model, IceCap fluorescent lamp ballasts have been the industry leader for nearly twenty years. Rugged, reliable, and efficient are just some of the many accolades for this category classic ballast. The 660 can drive all VHO, PC and T5HO lamps in any combination up to 4 lamps, with a total not exceeding 440 Watts. It is fully dimmable when driving VHO lamps, operates silently, and is fully repairable with a 3-year warranty. It is a high frequency solution for aquarium, industrial, UV, germicidal, and horticultural applications."

Additional Information


<table class="data-table" id="product-attribute-specs-table" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="first odd"> <td class="label">Wattage</td> <td class="data last">max. 440w</td> </tr> <tr class="last even"> <td class="label">Model</td> <td class="data last">660 VHO Ballast</td></tr></tbody></table>

jaybfresh said:
And even if you have to order it online, definitely spring for a KZ fiji purple... it is an awesome bulb and just one will change the look of your tank
Click to expand...

The Fiji is awesome and does for reds/purples what actinic does for blues and greens.
 
Ok so then assuming I run four 60" bulbs on the 660 and two 60" bulbs on the 430, I'd prefer to have the two on the 430 be the dawn/dusk bulbs for ease of timing. With the tank being viewable from both sides... any suggestions for bulb color arrangement? (including at least one KZ Fiji purple ;) ) Keep in mind I love the blue spectrum of my 20k XM halides but am not opposed to going a tad bit whiter. lol
 
Captain do you know if there has been a change to 660s in the last couple years? This was from icecap in 2005:

"The limits of the 660 for T-5 lamps is 4 X 54 watt T-5 lamps or 3 X 80 watt T-5 lamps. "
 
And even if you have to order it online, definitely spring for a KZ fiji purple... it is an awesome bulb and just one will change the look of your tank
Click to expand...
for sure its an awesome bulb! also, you might wanna check out the grim reefer's website. it shows a bunch about t5 lighting and different combos for them. also aforementioned are the super atinics are amazing, im running 2 of them, one actinic plus, and a regular 10k (grim reefer's suggestion). i have been told that the grim reefer's suggestions are a bit on the blue side and it is a ever so slightly unnatural in terms of the sun's natural light to be honest but due to the shortage of bulbs that can fit on my tank, i can only pick a few. but wow, colors pop better than almost anything ive seen. the site is definitely worth checking out to get an idea of color combinations, and super actinics have the highest PAR value of any actinic bulb on the market, (that i know of at least) so theyre worth it.

a great reflector wraps slightly around each bulb for maximum output. they are called individual parabolic reflectors. It catches all of the light emitted from your bulb that would otherwise not be in your tank and push it into your tank instead of elsewhere. I was gonna say Current makes an awesome fixture for your tank but they dont make a 5 foot fixture, only 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, and 6 foot, (working in retail at a LFS makes you remember these kind of things) hah.


jaybfresh - i am not sure. i would doubt it. that would be quite inconsistent for the company to do that if it was, and shame on them if true
 
Last edited:
There are 2 captains in this thread! Haha

I was asking captain7359 since he suggested the 4x80w on one ballast, but I'm sure Mel appreciates the answers from everyone!!
 
Mel, long time no talk :wavehand:


The nicest tank I have seen using T5 lighting uses the following combination from front to rear:

ATI blue+
UV Aquasun
UV Super Actinic
KZ Fiji Purple
ATI blue+
ATI Aquablue Special

Give a nice almost radium like look IMO.
 
Hiya Ryan! :D

Hmmm... That sounds like it'd be a great lineup. My concern with the tank being viewable from both sides is that my rockstack is center and coral are on both sides. I wonder if I'd want an aquasun (or equivalent) on each side to make sure coral on both sides got some "sun"?
 
jaybfresh said:
There are 2 captains in this thread! Haha

I was asking captain7359 since he suggested the 4x80w on one ballast, but I'm sure Mel appreciates the answers from everyone!!
Click to expand...

oh haha... i didnt even notice.

....ya know this here forum aint big enough for us two here captains, ya hear...???
 
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