T5 lighting and BTA Health

[Frank789]

What combination of T5 bulbs would be best to support BTA health? I'm primarily considering ATI bulbs in a TX5 fixture.

 

[bues0022]

What fixture do you have? How many bulbs? Individual reflectors? Active cooling? What size tank? How much do you feed? Where in the tank is the BTA?

 

[Frank789]

TX5 is an actively cooled, 5 bulb fixture with individual reflectors. RBTAs have settled about half way from the top of a 55 gal tank. Fed pieces of shrimp or scallops about once per week. Tentacles are more stringy now and one nem looks like it's lost some color.

 

[R33f3r]

On my 75, I use 2 blue+ and 2 fiji purples. My bta has changed from a pure rose to green, orange, and pink---almost a rainbow bta. My nem sits at the bottom and is thriving well.

 

[bues0022]

Sorry, I was reading on my phone and didn't see that last part about your fixture. IMO, stringy tentacles or bubbled tentacles aren't necessarily a correlation between light levels. I haven't seen any great evidence to suggest why some bubble and some don't. I used to have one RBTA that at times would have half bubbled, and half stringy.

As far as bulb selection goes, I personally don't really like to use actinic T5 bulbs. There are bulbs (I don't have T5's anymore so forgive my forgetfulness) that will give the visual coloration of actinics, but with much higher par. I do really like the Fiji purple bulbs, they give quite a great POP.

 

[Frank789]

I'm currently using a combination of UVL bulbs - 3 actinic whites and 2 indigo suns. Would like to try to get the bubble tips back and thought that bulbs with more PAR might help. I'm considering ATI - 3 blue+, aquablue special, and purple plus.

 

[bues0022]

There hasn't been any positive correlation between higher light and the ability of BTA's bubbling up. Some theories have been tossed around, but it seems like for every theory there are a few others who claim it doesn't work at all. You could always try it though...

 

[Frank789]

There hasn't been any positive correlation between higher light and the ability of BTA's bubbling up. Some theories have been tossed around, but it seems like for every theory there are a few others who claim it doesn't work at all. You could always try it though...

Thanks. Bulbs need to be changed soon, so I'll give the ATIs a try. Are there any other environmental or nutritional factors that are believed to affect bubbling?