pick my lights....please...im scared...

[Weezel111]

ok...first off let me say SORRY for asking a question thats been asked 1000 times b4...i read through about 40 pages on this forum just now trying to find a similar thread to use but to no avail...

buying a 4 lamp t-5 tek lite when i get home today...i need to buy the bulbs as well...what bulbs should i get? this is all chinese to me...and im not chinese....

oh if it matters, its a72 bow (48 inches)

here are the options reefgeek offers...

12000K AQUABLUE SPECIAL BY ATI
6500K DAYLIGHT T5 BY Gen Elec
6000K MIDDAY SUN BY GIESSMANN
11000K AQUABLUE PLUS BY GIESEMANN
ACTINIC PLUS BY GIESEMANN
PURE ACTINIC 03 BY GIESEMANN
10000K AQUASUN BY UV LIGHTING
12000K ACTINIC WHITE 50/50 BY UV LIGHTING
SUPER ACTINIC BY UV LIGHTING


thank you all

 

[jag1979]

are you looking for growth or color? or a middle ground?

 

[Weezel111]

id say more color than growth...but i dont want them to be stagnant...my tank is used for viewing, not propagation and sale...so color

 

[ReefWreak]

Lol. Just PM The Grim Reefer and ask. He knows everything about T5 tank/bulb lighting combinations.

 

[UCanDoIt]

SUPER ACTINIC BY UV LIGHTING
12000K AQUABLUE SPECIAL BY ATI
ACTINIC PLUS BY GIESEMANN (aka Blue Plus)
SUPER ACTINIC BY UV LIGHTING

Only you can determine what really looks good to you. I like the above combo for cosmetics as everything pops out at you.

 

[GSMguy]

ucan do it is on to it i would go that route

 

[Weezel111]

yeah i know grim is the one to ask but i dont want to bother...there are plenty of others to offer advice...grims probably already got 800 other pms so i figured i wouldnt...lol

ucandoit...thank oyu...i know it all comes down to personal preference but i dont even know where to start as ive never bought lights before...im gonna go by your recommendation...

one question though, with those 2 actinics am i still going to have enough light to grow my corals...ive always heard that actinics dont count towards the overall wattage...or am i wrong?

 

[dwdenny]

I also depends on what you are going to be keeping as well. If it is going to have corals research their needs for lighting as well. I would start with a 4X54w like ucandoit said. If you can retro it will save you a little $ and you can add more light later on as you gain more knowledge and want to keep more demanding corals. I am in the same boat here I have a 175MH I can use but I like the life span of the T5 lamps. OH the choices we have to make. lol

 

[GSMguy]

i dont think the 2 actinics will be too much you can always add a ge daylight later to boost par if you need it but i think forals will be happy with that setup
or take out one super actinic and add onother aquablue

 

[UCanDoIt]

Just like everyone is saying, it depends on what corals you plan on keeping. When I had low light corals, I could only use 2 bulbs out of 4 bulbs as 4 bulbs on at the same time melted my mushrooms and bleached some of my LPS. I only suggested that combination because you wanted color more than growth and if you don't have any high demanding corals, it will be fine. If you do, put them near the top of your tank closer to the whiter light. That combination I suggested will be a little on the blue side, but that makes all colors pop out. BTW, great choice on the Tek light, it's great!

 

[GSMguy]

if you run a clip on fan over the bulbs of that TEK you can raise par without changing bulbs
4 bulbs is plenty of light

 

[jmchzn]

should have gotten a SOLARIS. Simple solution for complicated problem

 

[GSMguy]

solaris the llight that cost as much as a car

 

[kodyboy]

I would go with one daylight (6500K) 2 actinic plus and one superactinic from UVI.

 

[GSMguy]

just remember the daylight bulbs have great par but seem to wash out the other colors

 

[Twisted]

I called reefgeeks and ordered my tek lights yesterday, and they were very helpful. In fact I more or less told him I was looking for a balance in color, and growth, and he commented on that maybe I wanted a 14000k type look, white, with a bit on the bluish side.
A friend of mine run 14000k halides on his tank, and another guy I know has 20000ks on one tank, and 10000ks on another tank, and I think the 14000k is my favorite coloration, so I said sure.
So he went through what he felt would be a good mix and mentioned his resources were not just personal experience, but people all over that use thier products, so I said go with it!

So if you are willing to take our opinions on what lights to go with, you may just want to call reefgeeks and see what they have to tell you.

 

[GSMguy]

they are REEF GEEKS they will take care of you
by the way the 10k 20k 14k thing is a joke my ushio 20k is way whiter and less blue than pheonix 14ks
good luck with the light you should be very happy