My T5 55g tank....and coral lightening

Can't wait to see how those bulbs are going to look

I just ordered my TEK t5 6 bulb fixture with 3 AB and 3 B+

I feel like an impatient kid on x-mas and cannot wait until they come!!

btw: Horace, do you have any other photos from that guys tank? the link on the previous page isn't working.
 
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Horace,

be sure to let us know what happens with the new UV lighting bulbs. I want to order the super actinic bulbs but can't afford it right now. I got laid off a few weeks back.
 
I am now running 2 of them with 2 blue+ as actinics and I have 2 AB on a different ballast. I run the 4 actinics for 12 hours and the AB for about 7. I love the color and my corals flouresce quite abit better than they ever have. I am pleased. I am just going to have to wait and see how my corals react to the change.
 
Horace,

Could you list all the bulbs that you are currently running ( and ballast) and the order in which you have them sorted without using abbreviations? I get confused as there are so many T5 bulbs.
 
Front:
UVL Super Actinic (Ballast 1)
Aquablue (Ballast 2)
Blue+, also known as Actinic+ (Ballast 1)
Aquablue (Ballast2)
Actinic+ (Ballast 3)
UVL Super Actinic (Ballast 3)

All ballasts are 54w Triad ballasts

When only ballasts 1&3 are on the tank looks awesome :). When all three are on, the tank looks like a 14k Hamilton IMO.
 
OMG....what is that guy doing to his corals to get them that colorfull.....

really. what is his secret. Hey guys what do you think about feeding the tank or corals with phyto's or anything else for that matter??
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7506897#post7506897 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dvanacker
OMG....what is that guy doing to his corals to get them that colorfull.....

really. what is his secret. Hey guys what do you think about feeding the tank or corals with phyto's or anything else for that matter??


I feed phytos and zoos everyday. Even though my corals are lighter in color than when I got them but they are growing real fast.
 
On a wierd note, and I dont know if this is related or not, I ran some NO lamps overdriven over one of my tanks, and I had some real bad lightening of colors. They were just standard daylight bulbs.
 
Thanks for taking the time to do that. I will be very interested to see what you come up with in the near future.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7506897#post7506897 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dvanacker
OMG....what is that guy doing to his corals to get them that colorfull.....

really. what is his secret. Hey guys what do you think about feeding the tank or corals with phyto's or anything else for that matter??

A few things....

A) Good Coral Species :P
B) Good Husbandry
C) Zeovit (low nutrients, feeds corals)
D) High Kelvin, High PAR lighting (400w XM20k + VHO SA + T5 B+)
E) High Flow

He does not use any phyto, but he does use nearly all of the Zeovit products. I cant say for sure if they are making the difference or not, but needless to say I am using Zeovit myself now :).
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7508459#post7508459 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CamBarr
quick question what par are we looking for. for color and growth???

He riddles us the eternal riddle:D

From what I have read at least 200 or so maybe for high light acros and such and not that much for other stuff, sort of, kinda, I think, sometimes.

There isn't really a hard and fast number.
 
Why don’t we start measuring par instead of Kelvin ratings? I understand that in order to achieve good coloration we need to high in spectral plots but shouldn’t we be considering par as well when looking into bulbs.
 
The lamps are designed to put light out in a certain specrum, or K rating. PAR is affected by the ballast, reflector, distance the lights are above the tank. Once the light hits the tank the depth and water clarity determin how far the light travels. There is no way a manufacturer could accuratly say what the amount of PAR their product will produce.
 
ahh i see

but couldent we get a ball park concedering we have limited bulbs reflectors and ballasts???
 
Color fading

Color fading

I too have four 36" T5's over a 50 gal tank and although the light is pleasant to the eye, almost all my corals have washed out as far as color goes. I have a finger coral that appears healthy and grows, but is completely stark white, compared to the healthy pink look it had when first introduced. I don't know who manufactured the bulbs, they came with the Current light fixture, and have Current printed on them. It becomes very frustrating, because the tank checks out very healthy, but I've stopped placing any new corals in there, because of the results. Growth and expansion are satisfactory.

Personally I don't think it's intensity, I'm not buying the brighter than MH idea, more a question of spectrum and which bulbs are being used. I think we need a little more knowledge on our bulb options, because apart from the bleaching the T5's seam to work great.

MGB
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7509276#post7509276 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CamBarr
ahh i see

but couldent we get a ball park concedering we have limited bulbs reflectors and ballasts???


Here is a simple and safe rule of thumb. Standard driven Tek system is going to be as good or better than most 175 watt halides but not as good as most "good" 250 watt halides. Add Ice Cap reflectors and they will be close to 250 watt halides. Add Ice Cap ballasts and they will be better than all but the best 250 watt halides.

I base the above on a 6 lamp T5 system. An 8 lamp Tek over a 48x24x24 tank will likely be more intense than any 175 watt halide and a majority of the SE 250's. If you drop to 4 lamps you are getting back closer to the 175 watt systems. Too many variable to try to create a absolute standard.
 
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