doodoobrown
New member
i was thinking of trying out t-5s on the 300 and getting rid of the vhos. anyone got pics of there tank under t-5s. any comments on whether or not you like them.
pics of t5's
- Thread starter doodoobrown
- Start date
DMBillies
Active member
This pic is a few months ago right after I set-up my 90. I am using 4x54W T5's (Giesmann Aquablue+, Giesmann Actinic+, and 2 GE 6500K daylights) in a TEK fixture mounted in my hood and 2x110 VHO's (Super Actinics). The fixture was used and the bulbs came with it. It's a little bit too white for my tastes and I'll probably change the ratio when I need to buy bulbs. I don't have much means for comparison, but I've been very happy with the growth and really glad that I have not had to get a chiller. Corals that had previously been brown under my old PC's in my smaller tank colored up like crazy when I upgraded and all of them are the color they are supposed to be at this point. You might get a little bit better growth out of halides (particularly for corals that love a lot of light), but it is definitely the more economical route in the long run. T5's are pretty expensive to start compared to other lighting options (comparable to halides I'd say when you consider bulbs, ballasts, etc.) but will save you money on electricity and not put off so much heat into your house. As far as a comparison to VHO's, I can't really say. I used the T5/VHO combo because I got a good deal on both the TEK fixture and the VHO's (which fit nice and snug in my hood). There wasn't really a lot of method to that madness and now that they make the super actinic T5's there's probably not a real good reason for me to have a mix. Anyway, good luck with the decision.
crumbletop
New member
Re: pics of t5's
I've got a 6x54W Tek retrofit on my 90. They put out a lot of light. I'm still fiddling with bulb combination to see what I like. I have pretty much let each new bulb combo run for at least 5 or 6 weeks to see how the corals like them. Just yesterday I swapped in an additional Super Actinic trying to go from what I thought was a tad too white to what I think now is probably a tad too blue. This is what I was/am running:
Before Yesterday (maybe a tad too white for my taste -- but overall I really liked this bulb combo):
--FRONT--
AquaBlue
Super Actinic
AquaBlue
Actinic White
Actinic Plus
AquaBlue
--BACK--
Now (maybe a tad too blue):
--FRONT--
AquaBlue
Super Actinic
Actinic White
Actinic Plus
Super Actinic
AquaBlue
--BACK--
I haven't really figured out how to do tank pics, so I don't have any. You are welcome to come over sometime and see them in action, though. That might give you a chance to ask q's and get a feel for what you think of T5s.
Jack
I've got a 6x54W Tek retrofit on my 90. They put out a lot of light. I'm still fiddling with bulb combination to see what I like. I have pretty much let each new bulb combo run for at least 5 or 6 weeks to see how the corals like them. Just yesterday I swapped in an additional Super Actinic trying to go from what I thought was a tad too white to what I think now is probably a tad too blue. This is what I was/am running:
Before Yesterday (maybe a tad too white for my taste -- but overall I really liked this bulb combo):
--FRONT--
AquaBlue
Super Actinic
AquaBlue
Actinic White
Actinic Plus
AquaBlue
--BACK--
Now (maybe a tad too blue):
--FRONT--
AquaBlue
Super Actinic
Actinic White
Actinic Plus
Super Actinic
AquaBlue
--BACK--
I haven't really figured out how to do tank pics, so I don't have any. You are welcome to come over sometime and see them in action, though. That might give you a chance to ask q's and get a feel for what you think of T5s.
Jack
doodoobrown
New member
just trying to go over some options for the new setup. i am planning on keeping mostly soft in the new tank. tons of zoas, rics and shrooms. the only thing i am worried about is my clams. i have been reading and they seem to be fine in most setups under t-5s. i already have a icecap 660 so i may go ahead and get some reflectors and bulbs and give it a try. if i like it i will probably get rid of the mhs. i dont really want the extra heat and i would really like to use the canopy that came with the tank. it however doesnt give me enough clearance to use the mh or offer enough ventelation to keep the tank from boiling under mh. anyone have any endcaps or icecap or tek refelectors they are looking to get rid of?
crumbletop
New member
Here is my stab at taking some pics. I can't get closeups because the autofocus freaks out. I think the color may be a little off too. One point of embarassment -- the green evil mels on the top left has now had 3 days of "nipping" by a flame angel that has been in there for about 2 weeks. He left it alone until a couple of days ago and now all the polyps that were about 1cm long are nowhere to be found 
As you can see, I have nuthin but small frags at this point 
Full Tank:
Left Side:
As you can see, I have nuthin but small frags at this point Full Tank:
Left Side:
Fanof49ASU
Premium Member
Can you change it to manual focus? Does it have a macro setting?
The pics aren't bad at all.
Also.....my green mels has started 'coloring' up pretty good. My lighting is still way too low.....and it's gonna have to wait a little longer.
The pics aren't bad at all.
Also.....my green mels has started 'coloring' up pretty good. My lighting is still way too low.....and it's gonna have to wait a little longer.
crumbletop
New member
I have no idea on the focus. I tried to figure it out one time. It has some knobs and a couple of buttons and a teeny-weeny LCD screen that is hard to see focus on. I think I tried it once and gave up.
sleevasteve
New member
Anybody else willing to share some T5 pics?? I got some, but my tank's not done yet, so I would also like to see what they will look like. Here was my deciding pic when I was deciding between PCs and T5s (The PC bulbs are higher wattage than the T5s):
http://notlehs.home.mchsi.com/salt10/t5_pc.jpg
http://notlehs.home.mchsi.com/salt10/t5_pc.jpg
crumbletop
New member
You are welcome. I'll give you a call.
Jack
Jack
doodoobrown
New member
i am going to use t-5s on the new tank. i already aquired 4 icecap slr's and will be on the lookout for some more. i am going to wire the first 4 up using my 660. im sure i will be adding many more
crumbletop
New member
Sweet! Make sure you use fans on those bulbs. The IceCap ballast overdrives the bulbs so they run hotter (and brighter). Apparently the life of the bulbs will be decreased unless you run some fans to keep them cool. Also, make sure you acclimate those softies well. The T5s will be really bright.
