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

[hskim]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7634017#post7634017 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Obi-dad
3000k? Hopefully that is a typo. That would be one yellow-red bulb.

They are really taking about 3000k.




Anyway, I have to wait for the 13000K HQI bulb, the one on the fixture had hole in the inside bubble.

I was checking out he corals and I really think 6000k Sun bulb helped a little but I'm not 100% sure the stylopora seems to have gotten darker. But I'm not going to wait for this to happen. I'm really set on proving that T5HO bulbs were the problem and with MH colors are back or something like that. And I hope you guys figure out a bulb combination that works with that 3000K bulb.

 

[Jacob D]

3000k - Yep, it's just an experiment.

 

[Serioussnaps]

Dont let the thread die.

 

[Large Polyp Dave]

To the T5 teklight users.... do you guys use the acrylic shields?

Is that possibly altering the light somehow to cause this?

 

[hskim]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7640972#post7640972 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Large Polyp Dave
To the T5 teklight users.... do you guys use the acrylic shields?

Is that possibly altering the light somehow to cause this?

I used the acrylic shields on my Tek. How do you know if this was the problem?


T5HOs are definatly brigher than MH. I put up the giesemann 13000K 150 watt MH and two 24 watt T5HO blue pluses last night and it does not come close to the T5HO's brightness. The giesemann has 102 watts more than the 96 watt T5 Tek light fixture but the brightness is actually a lot less. Watt per watt T5HO's produce twice as much light as any other light sources IMO.

 

[Large Polyp Dave]

I don't know if it was the problem. I'm just posing a possibility =)

 

[ahchung]

Acyclic board reduces light intensity by approximately 10%, according to LUX measurement.

 

[fishboarder]

I removed the acrylic shield on my tek a couple of months ago and have noticed improved growth and color. After I removed the shield, I moved the whole fixture up to about 5 inches above the water. It was about 3.5 inches before with the shield on.

David

 

[Large Polyp Dave]

I've spent the greater part of the day researching/pondering this issue:


Despite a whole slew of amazing T5 only tanks in Europe/UK/Asia, I haven't seen one from North American (no offence to anyone!)

There has to be something going on that we're just not "getting"... I mean our husbandry can't be THAT different right?

Some ideas came to mind:

1) The bulbs we use, whether they are ATI/D&D, are made in Europe.. is it possible that our current/voltage is causing the bulbs to burn differently than how the manufacturers planned?

2) Perhaps there is a small (but significant) amount of damaging UV that is being produced that is causing corals to lighten up like this? (possible caused by reason 1)

This is merely an opinion/thought, but like some users have posted in this thread, it really does seem like an issue of spectrum and not intensity.

Some corals bleach with relative ease at the bottom of tanks (like mushrooms) while the SPS at the top of the tank still do not have the colours we are looking for. It really don't think it is an issue of "over intensity".

Even mushrooms that are placed in caves still shrivel up and look very stressed... it doesn't make sense. It's very dim in the cave. But somehow, the relatively few photons that are making it to the mushroom are killing it.

When I had issues with melting mushrooms, I remember I placed a frag of the green/blue mushroom inside a cave and i snapped a tip off of an acro and mounted it to a piece of rubble. This acro frag also went into the cave. The cave was very dimly lit.

The mushroom melted at the exact same rate as the original mushroom colony that was out in full light.
On the other hand, the acro tip turned brown in the cave. When I placed it back in the open, it regained the colouration in the tip.

Again I could be wrong, but that little "experiment" seems very indicative of spectral issues and not intensity. Doens't it?

I hope this thread doens't die... I think that T5 users in North America need every bit of help we can get =)

Thanks for the discussion so far everyone!

 

[Jacob D]

Dave - I think as far as the voltage we decided that the ballasts should regulate the voltage to the bulbs - so it's probably not the issue.

I've never tried any mushrooms in my tank but I do have xenia that is growing on my overflow up to the water's surface, nephthea that is thriving, and zooanthids that are spreading like crazy. Just more food for thought for those who think the T5 are too intense.

 

[Large Polyp Dave]

mothra: ah okay. that would make sense. Ballasts regulating voltage.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

The one big difference between US and Europe is reflectors. I don't really think that is the problem. T5's are used a lot more in Europe. Perhaps the corals being raised under T5's makes a difference. Those corals might be 3 or 4th generations raised under T5's.

 

[dvanacker]

Some corals bleach with relative ease at the bottom of tanks (like mushrooms) while the SPS at the top of the tank still do not have the colours we are looking for. It really don't think it is an issue of "over intensity".

Even mushrooms that are placed in caves still shrivel up and look very stressed... it doesn't make sense. It's very dim in the cave. But somehow, the relatively few photons that are making it to the mushroom are killing it.

Dave....I have green stripe mushrooms that shriveled and were basically not healthy in the open light on my sand bed. They were placed under a ledge and now they are healthy and multipyling.

I think your experiment with the acro and mushroom was flawed. Only because it takes the mushroom longer to show a lighting change then the acro. If the mushroom was left there (was it??) I believe over a month or longer it would have improved. The acro on the other hand can brown out in a shade situation really fast...a week or two.

Also I just want to mention that my ricordia was melting in the open light. Now it is in a cave and very healthy...fully extended and multiplying as well.

Another thing I've noticed is my pink zoa's that are brillant bright pink. I've given frags of these out to people with MH and when I see them later they are never the bright pink that I have them.

I think T5's are bright. Brighter then most people estimate them to be. Is there another factor then just that...I dont know, but I'm stickin around and experimenting. Also I hate repeating myself but Frank Esser's TOTM on advanced aquarist had 4 T5's on an 80g with SPS right to the bottom. It was loaded and beautiful. Notice that he is running with less bulbs then most of us would use. Ex. I use 4 bulbs myself on my 55g.

And I also think that some people on this thread are assuming that people with MH never have trouble getting the perfect color on their SPS. Even they have trouble with browing or lightening. I think the lightening aspect happens less with MH because some people over estimate the quality and intensity. This is just my opinion anyway.

Grim...funny you would mention reflector difference between US and EURO. I've thought of this as well. If you think about your par test done between TEK and IC SLR with a 10-20% difference in par....who is to say that the reflectors the are using arent 20-40% less effiecient then the ones we are??

 

[Jacob D]

DV,

What is your opinion on my case with acros showing steady growth but pale in color, while softies like xenia (at the waters surface), nephthea, and zooanthids do well? Would you conclude that the lights are too intense for sps 6-10" below the surface but not too intense for my soft corals?

 

[Jacob D]

And I also think that some people on this thread are assuming that people with MH never have trouble getting the perfect color on their SPS.

I don't think that at all, but something is up when the only tanks we can point to as successfull T5 lit tanks are TOTM. They are few and far between. I know maybe one or two people personally who have that quality of tank (MH lit), but many more who have 'nice' tanks - all with great color, and also lit by MH. In fact most of my corals are from people I know and I'm one of the only outsiders who has been running T5.

 

[dvanacker]

Xenia from what I've read will take in intense light with out a problem. So thats fine and goes along with what I know.

As for zooanthids. Well mine have always done great too. Getting intense color and good growth. I've noticed some can even take the heat up top coloring up great but others color dark and nice and look better down low.

As for SPS ..... Well it could be acclimatization problem. Many people with MH have to move a coral around 3,4,5 times before they figure out...ok this one likes to be up top for brillant blue or this green acro likes it down a little. what ever. Also it takes well established system to grow and color SPS like the picture you see on this forum. It takes time and tweeking. Everybody does it.

 

[Jacob D]

Aside from general husbandry, which I guess all of us in this discussion have to assume we all do a decent job of, I'm trying to determine if your position is that the light is too intese for acros, montis, sps in general, but not too intense for most soft corals? I have never heard of anything like that, there are guys running big 1000w halides out there and I KNOW that is more intense than my measly T5 setup

All of my SPS have been in my tank between 1-2 years, with an almost-complete-tank-crash, about halfway between. I have watched them go from brown to colorful-but-pale. Also I can go to any of my reefer buddies houses and look at the *exact* same corals in the similar conditions and see a big difference. This is why I have such a hard time believing it's an intensity issue.

I don't need TOTM coloration in my tank (like those tanks posted on this thread) I just want the same coloration that my neighbor gets using MH.

I guess we can go back and forth all day and neither of us will agree to eachother's point.

 

[Large Polyp Dave]

DVanacker,

I saw the totm on AA you linked earlier, and while it is a beautiful tank. It is once again an european tank using ATI bulbs on european ballasts.

There are many euro/asian tanks that are T5 that look amazing. It just seems that north america is hurting a little.

 

[clkwrk]

Think Dave is thining right ....IMO it doesn't matter what the bulbs are suppose to put out but what they do is a different story especially with all the different american ballasts being used. We already know ballast plays an dimportant role in the bulbs k temp.

I my self run a nutrient poor tank with tons and tons of flow 2 skimmers each is rated for a bigger tank than mine . I also have 5 250's over a 6x2x2 thats 1foot between bulbs I also run my lights for 11hrs a day . I have awesome colors and don't have the lightening bleaching problem ??

Shouldn't 5x250de 14k phx put out more than some t5 setup?

 

[sidog1]

Well, i posted that my pink lemonade's polyps were white and i was guessing it being from the height of the t5's. I raised my SLS tek light about 2.5 inches and the pink polyps are slowly coming back. There has been no downside to raising the lights. I may raise a lil more to see the difference....