Just installed my Odyssea 24" quad T5 light.

[Webmanny]

Hey guys,

I recently decided I was going to give T5 lights, as I've heard that many users here have had better growth and color.

I just installed it and I don't really like the way the tank looks. The setup has two 10,000k bulbs and two blue bulbs. It also had 4 moonlight LEDs, but they don't make a difference.

In my opinion the tank looks too white/yellow. I've heard of people changing the bulbs the moment they get this unit, but I don't know what bulbs to get or if I should even bother.

In sharing a few pictures below if the before and after. Please note that I currently run a DIY LED system, which has been working great so far and even growing SPS corals without issues.

I think I've made a mistake by getting this light and may soon sell it. Please talk me out of it with some of your recommendations of bulbs I can get to make this a better unit.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

 

[Birtikidis]

I had the 48" fixture and got new bulbs almost immediately. I went with one of the fiji purple, one 10k and two of the blue 15k bulbs. I liked it, it was a good deal more blue than the stock lights.

 

[Birtikidis]

I think I actually kept the 15k bulbs for a while.

 

[nathan1986]

I run 3 ati blue plus and 1 ati coral plus

 

[Webmanny]

So maybe by just replacing one of the white 10k lights with a purple plus our a coral plus, I may get better color or would you guys recommend replacing the stock blue lights for better ATI bulbs too?

 

[Webmanny]

I run 3 ati blue plus and 1 ati coral plus

Interesting... No white bulbs at all?

 

[Birtikidis]

I just looked at my order history from Marine Depot. I went with the 12k bulbs for my white, fiji purprle and kept the two blues. It was not nearly as white.

 

[nathan1986]

No. I havent ran white bulbs in awhile. Not even on my biocube. The coral plus is a purplish white color so i have that as the first bulb

 

[snake1]

On one of my tanks I'm running 3 blue plus and 1 purple plus..and it looks awesome imo

 

[Webmanny]

On one of my tanks I'm running 3 blue plus and 1 purple plus..and it looks awesome imo

Do you mind if I ask if you can share a picture or two of your tank? I would like to see a FTS with this light combination.

 

[nathan1986]

Ive been wanting to try the 3 blue with 1 purple. Curious to see how it compares to the 3 blue and 1 coral

 

[oblio]

Webmanny,
One of the most appealing things about a t5 multi bulb set up is the ability to make the tank "look" like you want. Don't panic I'm sure you will find something that works for you. I used to run a 8 bulb and only ran 1 white bulb (a 12k). You are running 2 10k's out of 4, that alone is going to make it look really washed out. Even changing the position on the bulbs will change the way the tank looks. White closer to the front the whiter the tank looks. Your going to want to swap out at least one of those whites to reduce the yellow/white. It's really about personal preference achieving the look you want.

Hope this helps a little

 

[MrHarvard]

I ran 2 ATI blue plus, 1 ATI aqua blue special, and 1 KZ fiji purple in my 4 bulb T5 fixture. It was over a 40g breeder loaded with SPS and it looked great, corals were all colored up, and I had good growth. I also mounted 2 Ecoxotic panorama pro led strips in the center of the fixture for shimmer and pop (you may have to add some supplemental leds to get the look your after). Keep in mind it may take some time for you to get used to the T5s if you have always had leds. I personally like the after pics better than the before that you posted.

 

[Webmanny]

This is all great feedback guys and what I was looking for. I really appreciate it. I have already started looking for different color ATI bulbs online and will also start designing a way to add brighter LEDs to this setup.

The first thing I noticed was how washed up the corals looked and the second was the missing shimmer.

Having said that, it looks like these can be solved by changing the bulbs and adding LEDs. I'll make these changes and report back in a days.

Thank you all for your help.

 

[MichaelDavid]

I dont run any white bulbs. 3 blue and 1 purple for me. I know a few lfs's that dont run any white bulbs on there tanks. With t5's, you can play with different bulbs to get the color you want.

 

[IrishTang]

I bought the 48 inch 4 bulb set up and did the same, switched out the stock bulbs for 3 blue + and a coral +. I like the blue look. I also have the current orbit LED fixture that I use for my moon lights and supplemental lighting. Like you said the moonlights on the T5 fixture are very dim. I recently bought a Reefbreeder I will be using in my new set up with the T5's on each side.

 

[nathan1986]

If you dont want to pay the extra for shipping bulbs i know coral corral and marine warehouse both carry ati bulbs in the common colors

 

[timnem70]

Two ATI blue+, One ATI Purple + and an ATI Coral plus had my tank looking beautiful and great growth.

 

[stravo71]

Purple , red and two blues here with a blue tru lumen les strip and a 12k white and blue mixed tru lumen led strip

 

[Webmanny]

Update.

Went to FAIOS and got 4 new bulbs. One 14k white, 2 true blue and one kind if pink. The tank looks great and the corals are adapting well.

Seeing this light has given me some ideas for my next light.

I'll post some pics tomorrow of the new lights on the tank.