T5 lit tanks

nice. when you say 80w there 54w'ers overrdriven to 80w correct? with the 660 how many bulb feet/watts can you run off of one ballast? p.s. that branching hammer coral is sweeeeet!

also for thos eof you with slr reflectors, how did you mount them? how should i mount the retro fits to my canopy? also how tall should i make my canopy, i want my bulbs 4-5" off of the waters surface
 
Sorry, I should have been more precise. They are 60'' bulbs overdriven to somewhere around 100watts each, depending on the bulb. One Icecap 660 can only fire a total of three 60'' bulbs. I also have SLR reflectors and i use the icecap standoffs butted against each other.
 
"and i use the icecap standoffs butted against each other."-gabe3d

sorry im a newb to t5's, what are the standoffs? and what do you mean butted against each other? got a pic? thanks for the help btw
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12149718#post12149718 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SSalty
HBtank. Your aquarium looks awesome.

What bulb combo is that?
Click to expand...

Thanks! :)

That is my old combo. Right now I use:


Bulbs, front to back:

Blue + 54w
Super Actinic 39w
Blue + 39w
Fiji Purple 54w
Blue + 54w
Aquablue 54w

I have two shorter bulbs due to the hinge and canopy construction, 54w did not fit there. Works out though, I have found T5's are VERY bright, and I need some lower light areas on the side for some corals.

There are fired by a IC 660 and 430.

Some other pics:

tank-1.jpg


Newpinkstylo.jpg


Pinkstylo.jpg


Pinkcap.jpg


PurppleStyloandBN.jpg


GreenSuharsoni.jpg


Greenbluestag.jpg
 
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nice, i think i have finally made up my mind, i will be getting 6 t5's with accustart ballast and slr reflectors with the following bulbs:
front
ati blueplus
uvl 75/25
uvl aquasun
ati blueplus
ati aquablue
ati blueplus

how did you all mount your retro fits kits?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12159161#post12159161 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gsxunv04
nice, i think i have finally made up my mind, i will be getting 6 t5's with accustart ballast and slr reflectors with the following bulbs:
front
ati blueplus
uvl 75/25
uvl aquasun
ati blueplus
ati aquablue
ati blueplus

how did you all mount your retro fits kits?
Click to expand...

I would ditch the aquasun for an ATI procolor.

I dont like the aquasun or the other "daylight" bulbs. The purple/red colored bulbs are better in their place IMO...
 
Don't worry about PAR, its all about color IMO. Most have TOO much when it comes to T5's. I think people are just starting to accept they may in fact be brighter than most MH setups, in some cases by alot.

My coral did very poorly (color wise) when i ran an aquasun, and GE's. just too much light. And I had bleaching.

People talk about MH "hotspots"... Well with T5's your whole tank is a hotspot :)

Aquablues and blue plus have very good par, anyway.
 
nice! do you think if i had it this way it would be crisp and not too blue but not too yellow/white?
front
ati blue plus
ati aquablue
UVL 75/25
ati procolor
ati aquablue
ati blue plus
 
I think that would be bordering on yellow/white.

BTW, my FTS from before is with just my two 39w bulbs lit. That is my dawn dusk, and is a blue plus and super actinic.

With all my bulbs lit my tank is a crisp white. Just one aquablue and fiji purple was all I needed to compensate for 3 Blue Plus and one Super actinic.....
 
Hard to argue with HBTank's results. I love that purple stylo btw.

I don't see how that bulb combo would be yellow/white, although I've never personally tried the pro-color. I don't think you would need both the pro-color & uvl 75/25.

I know it's tough to justify, but I'd really recommend buying an extra bulb or two just to try some different combos. I really like the Fiji Purple.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12159354#post12159354 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by yeldarbj
Hard to argue with HBTank's results. I love that purple stylo btw.

I don't see how that bulb combo would be yellow/white, although I've never personally tried the pro-color. I don't think you would need both the pro-color & uvl 75/25.

I know it's tough to justify, but I'd really recommend buying an extra bulb or two just to try some different combos. I really like the Fiji Purple.
Click to expand...

Just one less blue plus than i would use.

Most recommend (at least the best tanks I have seen) 1:1 for aquablue:blue plus as a starting point.

That was more like 2:1 ,aquablue:blue+.... I classify blue+ on its own, it is the best bulb out there IMO. I am counting the 75/25 and procolor as aquablues when it comes to compensating for color and having enough Blue plus to go with them

Not exactly yellow, as not much in that kelvin range to make it to dull, but its not going to "pop" as much as with another blue plus IMO.

I personally aim for 3:1:1 (Blue+:Aquablue:fiji pruple) right now.... It is crisp white for me and pops everything....JMO
 
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Some beautiful lighting setups.

Wish I had the cash to switch from PC to T5.. Aquatinics TX5 setup is so nice..
 
The standoff from icecaps are a piece of plastic that will allow you to secure your endcaps to whatever you wish with a screw or bolt. The dimension are made in such that if you were to put them side by side, touching each other, the SLR reflectors will be spaced just right. This makes it a lot easier when you mount since you don't need to measure anything.

In terms of coloration it's really up to you to decide, what looks best. Even if you get the same exact bulb configuration it is not guaranteed you will have the exact same color as what you see on here. I think your best bet is to get as many bulbs as possible and try different combinations. Though I only use 9 bulbs i have a total of 16 or so bulbs at my house. You just got to try and see what you like. This is the beauty of T5, it allows you to fine tune the color to what your eyes like. Also, like HBtank said, don't worry about PAR too much, worry about color first. Just don't go all Fiji purple, or Actinic or Procolor, otherwise you'll be fine, good luck and HTH :)
 
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