moving FROM T5

[SnowManSnow]

hi folks.

long story short

i have a successful sps tank that has been running a Aquactinics Constellation 48" 7 lamp fixture for years. Growth is great... colors... well I can just never get the colors to compose.

for lack of a better illustration my corals look a bit like a zeovit system, but I'm not into that look really...

tests are great... please don't ask... they are great... everything 0s out with standard tests... but the color.... MEH....

since I've been out of MH for some time I wanted to see what kind of FIXTURE you would recommend... I've had 400w before, but it seemed too much for a 24" deep tank...

Am I thinking right... IF there were no other husbandry issues could the lighting be my issue?

pics will follow very soon.

oh... if i xfer to mh again I WILL need a fixture and not a retrofit :/

B

 

[SnowManSnow]

Here are some pics. Not sure if you can tell what's happening, but growth is great. Colors.... Like I say

 

[JAustin]

are you 100% sure you don't have any AEFW?

I ran two 400W Radiums over my old 120g and had great color and growth! That being said I was using Luminbright Large Pendants and that's not what you want. When positioned correctly they look nice and not like a retro rust pile.

 

[SnowManSnow]

AEFW... ummmmmmm
English please

 

[SnowManSnow]

ok.. no bite marks, or dead flesh.. just light colors.. growth and other health are pretty good

 

[reefsahoy]

whats you bulb combo on your t5's? that can have a HUGE imapct on colors. it could also be that your corals need food if your tank is too clean.

 

[jackson6745]

You should be able to get deep/rich colors under t5's. You need to balance your nutrient level. More feeding while remaining low nutrient, shorten photoperiod and possible raise fixture a little.

The way things are, that blue stag looks sick! Just throw all the other corals out an keep that one . FYI, AEFW's can affect your colors where the coral will lighten up. You can't always see the damage clearly from them. I would dip a faded colony or two to be sure.

 

[SnowManSnow]

whats you bulb combo on your t5's? that can have a HUGE imapct on colors. it could also be that your corals need food if your tank is too clean.

my lamp combo is... 3 ATI Blue + , 2 ATI Blue Special, 1 ATI Purple +, and a GE 6500K. To my knowledge thats a pretty good combo...

B

 

[SnowManSnow]

I DO run a BubbleKING mini200 on this 120, so I could be suffering from lack of nutrients I suppose

 

[SnowManSnow]

You should be able to get deep/rich colors under t5's. You need to balance your nutrient level. More feeding while remaining low nutrient, shorten photoperiod and possible raise fixture a little.

The way things are, that blue stag looks sick! Just throw all the other corals out an keep that one . FYI, AEFW's can affect your colors where the coral will lighten up. You can't always see the damage clearly from them. I would dip a faded colony or two to be sure.

thanks for the compliment.. the one in the middle is some kinda ORA purple tort.. I forget all the fancy names..

 

[reefsahoy]

my lamp combo is... 3 ATI Blue + , 2 ATI Blue Special, 1 ATI Purple +, and a GE 6500K. To my knowledge thats a pretty good combo...

B

personally, i'd lose the 6500k for sure. that will give that wash out pale colorless look. if you have another ati blue+ to swap out the 6500k' i'd try it. when i first tried t5's the bulb combo was killing me until i found the right combo. theres a few threads that go over the combo in the lighting forum. i think reefgeek will recommend combos depending on your personal taste. i think if you get the right combo you head will spin when the corals color up. after changing the bulb you'll see an instant difference.

 

[SnowManSnow]

it is a yellowish daylight lamp for sure, but it also offers some of the highest par available in T5s.. VERY under rated lamp..

at leas according to Grim's tests

 

[reefsahoy]

your concern was coral colors as you stated in your opening post. 7 bulbs on that size tank doesn't require the 6500k bulb. the other bulbs will be more than sufficient to light that even as a sps tank assuming a decent fixture, so i'd go for the blue+. give it a try and i gurantee you'll never go back to the 6500k bulb!

 

[MrHarvard]

You should be able to grow colorful sps with T5s. I have a sps dominate 40g breeder with only 4 ATI bulbs and I have colorful acros even at the sand bed level. Your bulb combo is your issue! I would run 3 ATI blue plus, 2 ATI aqua blue, and 1 purple plus. You should Ditch the 6500 for sure there is no need for it unless you are tring to grow macro algae in your display. Assuming all nutrient levels are as described switching to the bulb combo I suggested will have those corals colored up within a couple of months. Just my .02c

 

[dutch27]

I ran that 6500k bulb in my 8 bulb T5 for about a year. When I replaced my bulbs recently I got rid of it, and it makes a big difference in color. A single 6500k in a 8 bulb fixture that was blue+, fiji purple, and coral+ completely washed the colors. Just replace that one bulb with a blue+, or a coral+ if you want it less 20k looking, and it'll improve your colors.

For reference, I run a 120g, mostly SPS, with an 8 bulb Nova Extreme T5. 4 blue+, 1 purple+ (kinda hate it), 3 coral+. Gives it somewhere between 14k-20k look, and gives the color some pop.

Edit: Just saw the pics, is that a large leather? Alot of people say leathers are rough in SPS tanks as their chemical warfare can have a big impact on them. Any thought to taking that out?