T5 Advice
- Thread starter RDuhb
- Start date
B+ with actinic and adjusting kessil Kelvin would be my suggestion. If you want a little more in the red and green spectrum then trade one actiinic for a coral plus. Its also hard to beat the actinics light spectrum for getting down in the low 400nm. Most LEDs struggle in that spectrum.
Lmax8rn
New member
I agree, I have a 6 bulb ATI, 60" bulbs. I have 5 T5's and I splurged on one of those white Eurotronics E5 LEDs that fit into the T5 fixture. The combo has resulted in CRAZY growth, with a very mixed reef. LPS are blowing up, can't stop the zoa growth, and the SPS are growing like crazy as well.
Lmax8rn
New member
I have a Eurotrinics E5 LED, one coral plus, one purple plus, a Geisman super chrome actinic, and two blue plus. IMO It is too white, I'm going to take out the actinic and add another blue plus. My tank is 24" deep, lights about 10" above the water surface, and I get about 540 par just under the water surface and around 250-274 on the sand bed. My corals are seriously blowing up (mixed reef, SPS, LPS, zoas, mushrooms).
daveonbass
New member
I have a 6 bulb ATI PM. I run:
Front:
Blue+
Blue+
Purple+ (I just ordered a coral+ to see if I like it)
Blue+
Blue+
Blue+
And I STILL think it's too white. I tried an Aquablue Special when I first got it years ago..and with just one AB Special the tank looks yellow. I can't even imagine what 2 ABS's would look like...Urine? I have tried to use Actinic in the 2nd and 5th slots for dawn dusk but the total color was again washed out and yellow because when all the lights were on the Actinics are lost...and so it's just whats left...in my case 3 Blue+ and one full spectrum bulb (didn't matter if it was a Fiji purple, ABS, or Purple+). Aquablue and purple+ (and Coral+ though I have not used one yet) are all "full spectrum" bulbs and will quickly over power 5 blue bulbs with just 1 in a 6 bulb configuration. In fact if I'm completely honest I was not happy with the light till 2 years ago when I built a 15 LED strip (7 blue and 7 royal Blue) to mount on the front of the fixture and add even more supplemental blue pop to the tank. that was also when my corals saw a huge spike in growth.
to the OP: If I had the kessils still and could mount them properly...and since they also provide blue to the tank...then I would run them in the middle and do 2 Blue+ in front and 2 Blue+ behind them. Then like others have said...use the white of the Kessils to adjust your final kelvin up or down till it pleases your eye.
Blue+ =============================
Blue+ =============================
Kessils ---O------------O-------------O-------------O----
Blue+ =============================
Blue+ =============================
Something like that.
Front:
Blue+
Blue+
Purple+ (I just ordered a coral+ to see if I like it)
Blue+
Blue+
Blue+
And I STILL think it's too white. I tried an Aquablue Special when I first got it years ago..and with just one AB Special the tank looks yellow. I can't even imagine what 2 ABS's would look like...Urine? I have tried to use Actinic in the 2nd and 5th slots for dawn dusk but the total color was again washed out and yellow because when all the lights were on the Actinics are lost...and so it's just whats left...in my case 3 Blue+ and one full spectrum bulb (didn't matter if it was a Fiji purple, ABS, or Purple+). Aquablue and purple+ (and Coral+ though I have not used one yet) are all "full spectrum" bulbs and will quickly over power 5 blue bulbs with just 1 in a 6 bulb configuration. In fact if I'm completely honest I was not happy with the light till 2 years ago when I built a 15 LED strip (7 blue and 7 royal Blue) to mount on the front of the fixture and add even more supplemental blue pop to the tank. that was also when my corals saw a huge spike in growth.
to the OP: If I had the kessils still and could mount them properly...and since they also provide blue to the tank...then I would run them in the middle and do 2 Blue+ in front and 2 Blue+ behind them. Then like others have said...use the white of the Kessils to adjust your final kelvin up or down till it pleases your eye.
Blue+ =============================
Blue+ =============================
Kessils ---O------------O-------------O-------------O----
Blue+ =============================
Blue+ =============================
Something like that.
drummerboyevil
New member
paal
New member
Best bet will probably be the Pacific Sun "Blue EX" bulb.
They released this about two years ago, but it has been unavailable now for some time. I was told it would probably return early next year. (send them an email and ask for it... maybe they will produce it earlier if more people "spam" them
)
Compared to their CrystalBlue tube (PS equivalent to ATI Blue+) you can see it will be much darker blue, but without turning too violet like an actinic bulb:
From left to right:
1. Crystal Blue
2. Shallow Water or Spectra+, not sure
3. Blue EX
4. Ultrawide UV
5. Shallow Water or Spectra+, not sure
6. Blue EX
7. Pigment INT+
8. Crystal Blue
They released this about two years ago, but it has been unavailable now for some time. I was told it would probably return early next year. (send them an email and ask for it... maybe they will produce it earlier if more people "spam" them
)Compared to their CrystalBlue tube (PS equivalent to ATI Blue+) you can see it will be much darker blue, but without turning too violet like an actinic bulb:
From left to right:
1. Crystal Blue
2. Shallow Water or Spectra+, not sure
3. Blue EX
4. Ultrawide UV
5. Shallow Water or Spectra+, not sure
6. Blue EX
7. Pigment INT+
8. Crystal Blue
daveonbass
New member
I'll be honest...I never thought to blame the "blue+" (probably due to the name) for being too white...but...you're probably correct. especially once they burn in and lose their spectrum. I'm going to look into the other brands Blue Bulbs. Also...I'm extremely interested in these E5 LED bulbs to replace one or 2 bulbs in the fixture...the Blue Pop bulbs are very blue.
running all 6 slots as Blue+ makes the tank look like slightly watered down windex. So, they are "blue" enough I guess. and I have had huge success with them (so as a creature of habit it's hard to switch to the unknown).
I will also add that I just got my BRS order today and finally have a Coral+ and so far I love it. Granted it is a NEW bulb so I'm sure it's spectrum is just wowing me in the immediate moment. But in comparison to the way I'm used to seeing the tank with the Purple+ I'm already liking how less "dull" it is. It's a crisper looking bulb that may actually be more "white" to the eye than a P+...but it seems to be a more crisp and more bluish white than the P+ so it's very pleasing to me. Also...for full disclosure...I will admit that I order from BRS because they carry the ATI brand that I trust for a good price and offer free shipping weather I order 1 bulb or multiple bulbs. So If they don't carry it I haven't seen it. But I want to thank everyone for all the new things for me to research and see if I want to give my money to another brand.
running all 6 slots as Blue+ makes the tank look like slightly watered down windex. So, they are "blue" enough I guess. and I have had huge success with them (so as a creature of habit it's hard to switch to the unknown).
I will also add that I just got my BRS order today and finally have a Coral+ and so far I love it. Granted it is a NEW bulb so I'm sure it's spectrum is just wowing me in the immediate moment. But in comparison to the way I'm used to seeing the tank with the Purple+ I'm already liking how less "dull" it is. It's a crisper looking bulb that may actually be more "white" to the eye than a P+...but it seems to be a more crisp and more bluish white than the P+ so it's very pleasing to me. Also...for full disclosure...I will admit that I order from BRS because they carry the ATI brand that I trust for a good price and offer free shipping weather I order 1 bulb or multiple bulbs. So If they don't carry it I haven't seen it. But I want to thank everyone for all the new things for me to research and see if I want to give my money to another brand.
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