boodlefish
Premium Member
i totaly agree james.
just most arguments here seem to be over skimmiers like its the be all end all of reefing.
just most arguments here seem to be over skimmiers like its the be all end all of reefing.
sps growth under t5's
- Thread starter boodlefish
- Start date
boodlefish
Premium Member
thats what i'm talk'n about snaza
how old is your 120?
common reefers keep the pics comming.
how old is your 120?
common reefers keep the pics comming.
boodlefish
Premium Member
Shadowramy i didnt mean it like that i just had heard of people switching to t5's to get better coloration thats all.
and snaza for 3 weeks old that 7 gal is looking nice!
keep the pics coming
and snaza for 3 weeks old that 7 gal is looking nice!
keep the pics coming
boodlefish
Premium Member
deklin,
what size tank do you have under those 6 bulbs of light?
what size tank do you have under those 6 bulbs of light?
Aqua Keepers
New member
So, what's the proper way to cool and vent? I'm going retro
boodlefish
Premium Member
sana,
now that is what i am talking about. i think that is the light i want, it looks good man, i dont think it looks too blue but im sure its different in person.
is this the original set up or have you had other lights, if so how do the compair? and you gota tell me how much better is the growth under that bad boy honestly?
ok i think i want t5's over mh, but i gotta see some more pics, common show of your t5 driven reefs.
now that is what i am talking about. i think that is the light i want, it looks good man, i dont think it looks too blue but im sure its different in person.
is this the original set up or have you had other lights, if so how do the compair? and you gota tell me how much better is the growth under that bad boy honestly?
ok i think i want t5's over mh, but i gotta see some more pics, common show of your t5 driven reefs.
jamesdawson
New member
T5s have a "coldspot" which is the end of the lamp where the manufacturer's writing is. What you need to do on a retro is have all the lamps oriented so the coldspots are at the same end and blow a fan across that end and it will hit all the coldspots. You want the temperature of the coldspot to as close to 113 fahrenheit as you can get it consistently. This keeps the rest of the bulb(s) at 95 fahrenheit which is the optimal temp for making PAR and bulb longevity.
Best way to measure the temp is with a non-contact thermometer, ie laser pyrometer. You can get one for like a $30 one from harbor freight tools. Kragen also sells a more expensive one for measuring brake and engine temps.
Good luck,
James
sanababit
Active member
Boodlefish.... I get good growth out of that fixture, and the color are awsome, the powermodule is a very well done and sexy light fixture, lol, the only things i can complain is that the splash screen gets a lot of salt creep on it and i need to clean it every so often, you need space to hang that big boy, ohh and dont let any saltwater hit the reflectors or they will rust and corrode like crazy....
sana
sana
Aqua Keepers
New member
It just so happens that I won a $5 coupon for harbor freight tools yesterday. I guess i'll be using it today.
Mykel Obvious
New member
What happens to the PAR if the bulbs are cooler than that? Which is worse, too hot or too cool (I would imaging too hot would degrade life faster) Wouldn't you need some sort of temp controller on the fan to cut it off if it drops the bulbs temp too much? Or would a variable speed fan be better, just turn it down till the bulbs read 113F at the cold-spot and hope the house temp doesn't change to much? Anything else I might need to keep in mind?
Just wondering as I might go with retro over ATI to save almost $500 (that's a skimmer upgrade right there
) and want to figure out how to set them up to maximize PAR and bulb life
victor_c3
Premium Member
I'm running a 30 gallon tank with 4x 24 watt and I have decent growth and coloration in my corals as well. My tank doesn't compare at all to anything that has been posted on here, but I'm proud of it none the less. even on the outer edges of the tank that aren't directly under the T5s I still have problems with some lower light SPS bleaching like my Atlantis Meteor Shower Cyphastrea Ocellina.
I even have a millepora that is thriving placed directly on the bottom glass of my bare bottom tank. There is more than enough light with 4x24 watt T5s.
I think 4x 24 watt is all I need for my 30 gallon SPS nano.
jamesdawson
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13525967#post13525967 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mykel Obvious
What happens to the PAR if the bulbs are cooler than that? Which is worse, too hot or too cool (I would imaging too hot would degrade life faster) Wouldn't you need some sort of temp controller on the fan to cut it off if it drops the bulbs temp too much? Or would a variable speed fan be better, just turn it down till the bulbs read 113F at the cold-spot and hope the house temp doesn't change to much? Anything else I might need to keep in mind?
Just wondering as I might go with retro over ATI to save almost $500 (that's a skimmer upgrade right there
Overcooling drops PAR also. It can take a while but usually you can get the desired temp to be stable. If you have a Profilux controller you can set it to vary the speed of a 1-10v fan in order to maintain a constant temp at the temp sensor. If you can afford a Profilux though, you might as well get an actively cooled T5 fixture like the PowerModul, Sfiligoi Stealth, or the les expensive and very effective Aquatinics Constellation or TX5 IMO.
James
empireinc00
New member
I have t5 set up for 2 years now. Last July I change from nova t5 to tek 8x54w. The result is stunning. I have 150 g 30" deep and everything is doing really really well.
July 08 before changing to tek
Oct 08 -- today
I have no complaint with tek fixture.
July 08 before changing to tek
Oct 08 -- today
I have no complaint with tek fixture.
Canadian
Premium Member
James, I know you love to trash Tek fixtures every chance you get, and I think with good reason - the lack of active cooling is kind of ridiculous. But also keep this in mind: the 6 lamp Sfiligoi fixtures do not have a "$20" fan either - no active cooling and costs at least twice as much as a SLS Tek light. So if you really want to criticize a company for poor design (and obscene pricing as an extra added bonus) I'd pay more attention to Sfiligoi (admittedly they are sexy fixtures but their design is weak).
I'm just sayin' . . .
I'm just sayin' . . .
Last edited:
jamesdawson
New member
No problem Andrew,
I should have specified that i only recommend the Sfilgoi Stealths that are actively cooled.
I recommend against any T5 fixture that lack active cooling. Sfiligoi's T5 fixtures are very rare (no doubt because of the price) TekLights are fairly common (also because of their price). This is the main reason I have warned people against Teks so much. I have come to the realization that in this hobby if you buy cheap the first time you usually spend more money then you have to in the long run by buying quality the next time so I'm just trying to help people out.
Since I have owned both a Tek and now a PowerModul I feel pretty qualified to make these recommendations.
James
I should have specified that i only recommend the Sfilgoi Stealths that are actively cooled.
I recommend against any T5 fixture that lack active cooling. Sfiligoi's T5 fixtures are very rare (no doubt because of the price) TekLights are fairly common (also because of their price). This is the main reason I have warned people against Teks so much. I have come to the realization that in this hobby if you buy cheap the first time you usually spend more money then you have to in the long run by buying quality the next time so I'm just trying to help people out.
Since I have owned both a Tek and now a PowerModul I feel pretty qualified to make these recommendations.
James
specialreef
New member
TaG UP.
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