T5 lamp PAR readings
- Thread starter The Grim Reefer
- Start date
hot4teacher
New member
Believe it or not, I ordered 3 Tek T5 retro kits from customaquatics and two ballasts were Triads and one was Centium. I found that kind of odd.
Shawnts106
New member
Hey Grim... another question for you.
I hate to dig this topic into the ground... but...
So far I have replaced 2 of my 4 VHO bulbs with 2 T5's which are a Geismann Blue Plus, and a ATI Aquablue Special... I like it so far, colors are very good and I just got 3 small colonys of Rainbow Montipora that came in a bit browned... and now about a week or so later... they have colored up VERY nicely!...
MY question is this:
Right now I am running (1) VHO 50/50, (1) VHO Actinic, and the HO T5's mentioned above.
I am getting more and more into SPS, so far I have Several COlonys of Acro and Monti's , hydno etc... they are all placed in the high end of the tank... all are growing and looking WONDERFUL... but I am wanting to put a 6700K or so Kelvin bulb T5 for growth and health....
On the ATI the par for the SUN PRO is 356? I believe you posted? which isnt much more than the Aquablue Special...
DO you think that this will bleach the corals out or should I just stick with 2 of the Aquablue Specials and 2 of the Blue Plus...
would you recommend a T5 420nm actinic?
help me out, once again!
thanks alot!
I hate to dig this topic into the ground... but...
So far I have replaced 2 of my 4 VHO bulbs with 2 T5's which are a Geismann Blue Plus, and a ATI Aquablue Special... I like it so far, colors are very good and I just got 3 small colonys of Rainbow Montipora that came in a bit browned... and now about a week or so later... they have colored up VERY nicely!...
MY question is this:
Right now I am running (1) VHO 50/50, (1) VHO Actinic, and the HO T5's mentioned above.
I am getting more and more into SPS, so far I have Several COlonys of Acro and Monti's , hydno etc... they are all placed in the high end of the tank... all are growing and looking WONDERFUL... but I am wanting to put a 6700K or so Kelvin bulb T5 for growth and health....
On the ATI the par for the SUN PRO is 356? I believe you posted? which isnt much more than the Aquablue Special...
DO you think that this will bleach the corals out or should I just stick with 2 of the Aquablue Specials and 2 of the Blue Plus...
would you recommend a T5 420nm actinic?
help me out, once again!
thanks alot!
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
As long as you have a VHO running I would use that for a 420 actinic. If you do another T5 I would go with a UVL Aquasun
Shawnts106
New member
So I would then have
(1) VHO 420nm Actinic
(1) Geismann T5HO BLUE +
(1) ATI Aquablue Special
(1) ULV (URI) T5HO Aquasun?
what is the Kelvin on the Aquasun?
Why do you recommend keeping the VHO Actinic?
(1) VHO 420nm Actinic
(1) Geismann T5HO BLUE +
(1) ATI Aquablue Special
(1) ULV (URI) T5HO Aquasun?
what is the Kelvin on the Aquasun?
Why do you recommend keeping the VHO Actinic?
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
The VHO Actinic is at least as good as the best T5 actinic. No other VHO lamp can be seriously compared to t5's.
The Aquasun has a pinkish hue to it. Brings out red and purple colors really nice. Not sure of the K rating.
The Aquasun has a pinkish hue to it. Brings out red and purple colors really nice. Not sure of the K rating.
Shawnts106
New member
The UVL (URI) T5HO Aquasun has a Pinkish hue... I don't know that I would like that one.
Why would you recommend the Aquasun over a Miday by ATI or something?
Why would you recommend the Aquasun over a Miday by ATI or something?
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
More red in the spectrum. A guy did have pics showing the difference with a pink SPS running a GE 3000K and it was amazing. I think the 3000K is too much for a 4 lamp mix but the UVL should be fine. The Midday would be OK too if you are worried about it.
R.yumaDaddy?
T5 ABUSER
Personally I think the actinic white appears more pink than the aquasun. But I could be colorblind.
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
You are probably right. I just like the way it brings out the colors of the rock in my tank. My corals are all just frags so I don't see a huge difference except for an unknown SPS that pops purple under the 3000K and maybe not quite as much under the Aquasun. It look a little more brown under a sun lamp but it could just be a crappy frag.
Henry Bowman
Reefing since '87
Grim
I am setting up my 90 gl 24" deep and my aquatinic "solar flare" is on the way. What bulbs and what configuration front to back would you use?
Thanks again for keeping up with this thread and answering all the questions.
I am setting up my 90 gl 24" deep and my aquatinic "solar flare" is on the way. What bulbs and what configuration front to back would you use?
Thanks again for keeping up with this thread and answering all the questions.
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
lamps overdriven, Nut sure what I would run really.
Maybe try
Front
Blue Plus
Super Actinic
Aquasun
Blue Plus
Midday
Blue Plus
Maybe try
Front
Blue Plus
Super Actinic
Aquasun
Blue Plus
Midday
Blue Plus
reefworldaq
New member
hai grim reefer, my tank was 60 x 30 x 50 cm and all is SPS with BB tank.
Can you estimate the best lighting, is it enough to use 6 x 24w T5HO? or maybe i should use 250w MH with supplement with T5HO actinic. Thank's
Can you estimate the best lighting, is it enough to use 6 x 24w T5HO? or maybe i should use 250w MH with supplement with T5HO actinic. Thank's
nightOwl
Premium Member
Its me again 
Its me again
Hi Grim,
It’s me again sorry to be worrisome, but I am still trying to get my head around these T5's and want to make sure I make an informed purchase. I have decided to order from ReefGeek, but need a few questions answered. Then I will off to drop a grand on fish stuff today
. I noticed that they have two setups for the 6 bulb retrofits. One that’s about $450 which I can add the SLR reflectors for an additional $12 and other one (IceCap) for $610. Part of the price is they let you pick any bulb you want which is great, but the main difference is the IceCap ballast. Currently I have my Outer Orbit 48†2x150 MH/ 2x 130 PC fixture suspended above my 90 gal tank. The Sunlight Supply Tek fixture is essentially the retrofit without the SLR reflectors for essentially the same price after adding bulbs and it looks pretty.
On a previous post for someone with a 90 gal you mentioned
Front
Blue Plus
Super Actinic
Aquasun
Blue Plus
Midday
Blue Plus
For bulb selection for a 6 bulb set up, but that was for overdriven. Previously you had mentioned I could get the 6 bulb retro with the SLR reflectors and upgrade to the IceCap ballast later. I trying to figure out should I go retro and upgrade or just get the regular fixture. To help me I have the following questions.
1. Having had no previous ballast experience or wiring, is the IceCap ballast worth the $150 difference between the retros?
2. I also noticed you keep mentioning overdriving the bulbs, is that something that is easy to do and can only be done on an IceCap ballast?
3. Will overdriving shorten the life of the ballast and/or the bulbs?
4. Are the SLR reflectors that good that you could recommend going to a retrofit over a fixture just to get them?
5. Do you suggest a different bulb setup when the bulbs are not overdriving?
Thanks,
Henry
Its me again
Hi Grim,
It’s me again sorry to be worrisome, but I am still trying to get my head around these T5's and want to make sure I make an informed purchase. I have decided to order from ReefGeek, but need a few questions answered. Then I will off to drop a grand on fish stuff today
. I noticed that they have two setups for the 6 bulb retrofits. One that’s about $450 which I can add the SLR reflectors for an additional $12 and other one (IceCap) for $610. Part of the price is they let you pick any bulb you want which is great, but the main difference is the IceCap ballast. Currently I have my Outer Orbit 48†2x150 MH/ 2x 130 PC fixture suspended above my 90 gal tank. The Sunlight Supply Tek fixture is essentially the retrofit without the SLR reflectors for essentially the same price after adding bulbs and it looks pretty. On a previous post for someone with a 90 gal you mentioned
Front
Blue Plus
Super Actinic
Aquasun
Blue Plus
Midday
Blue Plus
For bulb selection for a 6 bulb set up, but that was for overdriven. Previously you had mentioned I could get the 6 bulb retro with the SLR reflectors and upgrade to the IceCap ballast later. I trying to figure out should I go retro and upgrade or just get the regular fixture. To help me I have the following questions.
1. Having had no previous ballast experience or wiring, is the IceCap ballast worth the $150 difference between the retros?
2. I also noticed you keep mentioning overdriving the bulbs, is that something that is easy to do and can only be done on an IceCap ballast?
3. Will overdriving shorten the life of the ballast and/or the bulbs?
4. Are the SLR reflectors that good that you could recommend going to a retrofit over a fixture just to get them?
5. Do you suggest a different bulb setup when the bulbs are not overdriving?
Thanks,
Henry
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
The T5's are enough. Best lighting depends on your particular situation. If you like shimmer lines and heat isn't an issue Halides are the way to go.
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
1. Having had no previous ballast experience or wiring, is the IceCap ballast worth the $150 difference between the retros?
Definatly worth the money, just a matter of do you need overdriven lamps
2. I also noticed you keep mentioning overdriving the bulbs, is that something that is easy to do and can only be done on an IceCap ballast?
The IC ballasts automatically overdrive the lamps. You do need to add fans but you should do that with ANY T5 system overdriven or not
3. Will overdriving shorten the life of the ballast and/or the bulbs?
If you run fans to keep the lamps from getting too hot overdriving doesn't seem to shorten lamp life but this is open to debate
4. Are the SLR reflectors that good that you could recommend going to a retrofit over a fixture just to get them?Yes, either that or buy the 5 lamp Aquactinics unit which has reflectors as good or slightly better than Ice Cap's. It also uses a fan for active cooling and is designed to sit right on the tank.
5. Do you suggest a different bulb setup when the bulbs are not overdriving?
Depends on the look you want. Overdriven the sun lamps tend to look more white to me but I am not sure it really matters. I am just a little more comfortable with the idea of 2 suns, 2 actinics and 2 blueplus if the unit is overdriven. Regularlly driven I'd probably throw in a aquablue instead of one of the suns or in place of an actinic.
Definatly worth the money, just a matter of do you need overdriven lamps
2. I also noticed you keep mentioning overdriving the bulbs, is that something that is easy to do and can only be done on an IceCap ballast?
The IC ballasts automatically overdrive the lamps. You do need to add fans but you should do that with ANY T5 system overdriven or not
3. Will overdriving shorten the life of the ballast and/or the bulbs?
If you run fans to keep the lamps from getting too hot overdriving doesn't seem to shorten lamp life but this is open to debate
4. Are the SLR reflectors that good that you could recommend going to a retrofit over a fixture just to get them?Yes, either that or buy the 5 lamp Aquactinics unit which has reflectors as good or slightly better than Ice Cap's. It also uses a fan for active cooling and is designed to sit right on the tank.
5. Do you suggest a different bulb setup when the bulbs are not overdriving?
Depends on the look you want. Overdriven the sun lamps tend to look more white to me but I am not sure it really matters. I am just a little more comfortable with the idea of 2 suns, 2 actinics and 2 blueplus if the unit is overdriven. Regularlly driven I'd probably throw in a aquablue instead of one of the suns or in place of an actinic.
Shawnts106
New member
WOW 3000K would be like crazy... Ill stay away from that one for now.
Ok, so its down to either the
(1) UVL(URI) T5HO Aquasun
or
(1) Geismann Miday T5HO
Which would give "overall" better growth and COLOR?
I want my yellows to stay yellow, and not turn green too!
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