T5 question

Fireworm

New member
Setting up a 50 breeder. I am going to run 1 660 IC ballast. I am going to keep some SPS, and a clam or 2. What bulbs are suggested for this? Will be running with IC reflectors.
 
1x Aquablue and 3x Blue + is probably a look you would like and it will have good par. In fact be careful acclimating things to that shallow of a tank with overdriven T5's.
 
I am downgradeing. I have a 90g with 2 IC 660's. So acclimateing should not be to bad. The bulds I have are not to old, but the ones that come with the smaller tank are around 12mos so I will have to replace bulbs soon after I get set up.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14980735#post14980735 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by joesfiddy
2 blue +
1 aqua blue special
1 aquasun lots of par off this bulb

That combo won't be very blue and the Aquasun and Aquablue will overwhelm the Blue+'s, especially when overdriven.
 
If you want blue than 2 blue+ will not be enough. Running bulbs on an ic660 overdrives the four bulbs making the blue+ more white than on a standard ballast. The best combo that I came up with is:

blue+
blue+
75/25
blue+

I ordered an aquablue special and tried it in different configs but it wasn't good at all as it is too white, so I went with the 75/25 that makes the oranges and pinks pop. Most people that do not run a 4 bulb on a 660 say it is too much blue, but they have no personal experience as overdriving the bulbs gives them a more white hint. Trust a person that runs a 4 bulb retro on a ic660 and spent $40 more on bulbs than he should have :(.
 
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<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14979185#post14979185 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nikon187
I would go with 2 ATI blue+/ G-man actinic+
1 figi purple
1 aquablue

I am running a very similar combo, except I don't have the aquablue, I have the UVL 75/25.


Here's a pic of what the tank looks like, except the camera picks up more of the blue--- it's not quite that blue looking but almost. Note that this is a small custom tank that's pretty shallow, so your mileage may vary ;)

NOTE: THESE ARE NOT OVERDRIVEN so this bulb combo would def show up more white than you see here.

fts_3-22-09.jpg

beerbottle_apr2009.jpg
 
First off.... IS THAT A BEER BOTTLE???? Cause that is so freaking cool. Your aqua scape is a true inspiration. I seriously love it. If I could pull it off with out the wife complaining, I would so do it..

So, running the 660 bulbs will change the color? I have been wondering about this for some time. Does it only do this on the blue bulbs, or does it on all bulbs? And does it effect the par of the bulbs?


Keep the pics coming
 
Real life just makes the greens, pinks, oranges pop a bit more than what is shown. Here are a couple and one decent one of the hammer.
DSC01940.jpg

DSC02169.jpg

DSC02193.jpg

DSC02184.jpg
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14983432#post14983432 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Fireworm
First off.... IS THAT A BEER BOTTLE???? Cause that is so freaking cool. Your aqua scape is a true inspiration. I seriously love it. If I could pull it off with out the wife complaining, I would so do it..

So, running the 660 bulbs will change the color? I have been wondering about this for some time. Does it only do this on the blue bulbs, or does it on all bulbs? And does it effect the par of the bulbs?


Keep the pics coming

Yes, it actually is one that was sitting in the ocean on a reef. Some diver found it and mailed it to a reefer in my area, but they traded it in to the LFS. I only paid $4 for it!


Yes, overdriving the bulbs will alter the color to more white on the bluer bulbs. I cannot say about all of them though, as I've never actually overdriven anything---- lots of folks on here have though.


Personally I don't consider overdriving anything unless the tank is especially deep (24" or more)
 
I think your bulbs need to have at least 4 overdriven if height is 18"or greater if you want clams on the sand bed and don't want to ever worry about placing anything higher. I have never felt that anything in my tank is getting too much light.
 
I am a huge fan of inverts. I like them more than fish. I want to be able to put at least 2 or 3 clams on the sand, and maybe a crocea up on the rock a little bit. I have a few pieces of SPS that I am going to try to keep, and might add a few more, but I will be a lot more selective this time. Money is tighter as well as space in the smaller tank. I will probably try to do more LPS like the acans. When I had MH I had to much light for them and could not keep them anywhere in there where they were happy. I had the same problem with my digi.
 
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