Radion G3's with T5's

[hawaiifavo]

Here is my current light setup and schedule.

<a href="http://s1199.photobucket.com/user/favo1984/media/Screenshot%202016-03-28%2020.29.13.png.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/favo1984/Screenshot%202016-03-28%2020.29.13.png" border="0" alt=" photo Screenshot 2016-03-28 20.29.13.png"/></a>

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I was given a T5 retro kit by a friend who got three of them when he bought a used tank setup. He bought some bulbs and used 2 of the retro kits along with his LEDs and then gave me the 3rd.

After about a month of seeing my friends LED T5 hyrbid results (great coloring and growth on his SPS) I was finally convinced and sprung for some bulbs for the LED retro kit.

My Radions have been great but I haven't been satisfied with the growth on some my SPS corals. Tank parameters are spot on so I'm not convinced its anything but the lights at this point.

Nitrate:0.5
Phosphate:0.025
pH: 8.3
Calcium:450 ppm
Mag:1200 mg/Lt
Alk: 8.5 dKh
Salinity: 1.026

So i bought two 54 watt ATI Coral Plus bulbs and installed the retro kit...

1st bulb installed:
<a href="http://s1199.photobucket.com/user/favo1984/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-03/95ED75F2-F329-4A92-BFA9-18D75D466115.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/favo1984/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-03/95ED75F2-F329-4A92-BFA9-18D75D466115.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 95ED75F2-F329-4A92-BFA9-18D75D466115.jpg"/></a>

2nd bulb installed:
<a href="http://s1199.photobucket.com/user/favo1984/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-03/D0F9F0FE-CF22-448F-885C-EE718C6B7454.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/favo1984/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-03/D0F9F0FE-CF22-448F-885C-EE718C6B7454.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo D0F9F0FE-CF22-448F-885C-EE718C6B7454.jpg"/></a>

Cable management time....
<a href="http://s1199.photobucket.com/user/favo1984/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-03/808AD015-EE0D-4511-AEF3-E56D04A1F9EF.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/favo1984/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-03/808AD015-EE0D-4511-AEF3-E56D04A1F9EF.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 808AD015-EE0D-4511-AEF3-E56D04A1F9EF.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s1199.photobucket.com/user/favo1984/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-03/9990E22D-127D-4FAA-87E3-E57D7B614AFC.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/favo1984/Mobile%20Uploads/2016-03/9990E22D-127D-4FAA-87E3-E57D7B614AFC.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 9990E22D-127D-4FAA-87E3-E57D7B614AFC.jpg"/></a>


Now that the install is complete; its programming time and this is where I'm looking for some advise and assistance...

I decided to slowly implement the T5s into my regular schedule one hour at a time in weekly increments. My radions hit their peak between 1:30pm-7:30pm at 50%.

To accommodate the T5's I have reduced the peak time of the radions by 10% (from 50% to 40%).

See below new schedule for the next week:

<a href="http://s1199.photobucket.com/user/favo1984/media/Screenshot%202016-03-28%2020.06.14.png.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/aa477/favo1984/Screenshot%202016-03-28%2020.06.14.png" border="0" alt=" photo Screenshot 2016-03-28 20.06.14.png"/></a>


So here are my questions:

1. Is a 10% reduction in brightness enough?
2. Should I give it 1 week or two weeks before adding an extra hour to the T5 schedule.
3. Would you guys recommend a different approach entirely?

 

[drummerboyevil]

I personally wouldn't touch the programming on the radions. I'd just add the T5s starting at like 2 hours a day and increase by an hour every few days.

Honestly, I would probably just run them 8 hours a day to start off lol. I don't think you're going to cause any issues with 2 t5s.

 

[hawaiifavo]

I personally wouldn't touch the programming on the radions. I'd just add the T5s starting at like 2 hours a day and increase by an hour every few days.

Honestly, I would probably just run them 8 hours a day to start off lol. I don't think you're going to cause any issues with 2 t5s.

Ah, that would be great. I went through a lot to get the Radions tuned in. I have never used anything other than LED's so I'm not sure what kind of power to expect from the T5's.

 

[hawaiifavo]

So I went back to my original schedule and have started running the T5's for two hours during the peak of my normal Radion schedule. Will do this for two weeks and monitor the corals closely and see how they go.

 

[drummerboyevil]

Sounds like a good plan.