T5's: A cautionary note

Does any one know if there is a place to get ati fixtures in the u.s.? If not, are they ever planning on selling over here. I am looking for a fixture with 80w bulbs(72in), preferably 10 or more bulbs. what would be the next best thing if ati is not available?

Any help is appreciated:D
 
Thanks:) I have no idea what kind of ballast I haveLOL!! All I know is it's a TEK light 4 bulb unit over a 55 gallon tank......being a granny, I'm not too much up on technical stuff:)

fishy1
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7309419#post7309419 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by perc
Does any one know if there is a place to get ati fixtures in the u.s.? If not, are they ever planning on selling over here. I am looking for a fixture with 80w bulbs(72in), preferably 10 or more bulbs. what would be the next best thing if ati is not available?

Any help is appreciated:D
Click to expand...

www.aquactinics.com does a 72" fixture with 36" T5's side by side.
 
thanks grim

I was looking at that one, seems like its my only option for now.But i'd rather not have to buy twice as many bulbs for the same fixture, seeing as they dont go down in price much for the smaller bulbs.
where can I get the cheapest 80w ati bulbs?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7308842#post7308842 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by davejnz
Byropsis,that stuff is a PITA.It'll grow under blue light as well as 6.5k light.I had a nasty outbreak in my old reef.Actually,it was one of the deciding factors in tearing down that tank.Curing the rock in darkness(cooking,hate that term)for a couple months will get rid of it.What worked for me was simply pruning it then removeing the rock to my BB tank.Within a month,it whitened then died off.I've heard that sea hares will eat the stuff.I tried just about every other herbivore(excluding fish)and nothing would touch it.
Click to expand...

that is the point that I am at Dave.

this stuff sucks.

i have tried 2 sea hares, with not much impact before those died. the emerald crabs are hit or miss. my first one ate a ton of it the first few days, then basically doesnt touch it anymore. i added another EC, and it never touched the stuff.

i fear that taking the rocks out and keeping them in the dark in a spare 20g is my only hope.

my court jester goby loves the stuff though. i got the goby thin like they always are, and wuithin a few days, he was fat from eating all the bryopsis. too bad it doesnt make an impact on the stuff though. i would need maybe 30 of those gobies to do any damage to the bryopsis. :lol:
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7308779#post7308779 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Bathypelagic
I have noticed in the past several have mentioned Aqualux as a vendor for supplies, I see that they are giving up the ship and have some bulbs on special. Since I am not a T5 user I do not know the quality of the bulbs or if it's a good value, just thought I'd pass along the info.
Click to expand...

good, they have not always had the best prices on bulbs, but do price match others. the bulbs are the GE and ati/ d&d / geiseman like other e-tailers sell. these are the best bulbs out (well, until UVL comes into play). the rest of the supplies for t5ho are at lower prices tha other e-tailers though, so it sorta works out.

they have waived shipping fees for quite some time though.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7309797#post7309797 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
Aqualuxlighting.com is having a going out of business sale.
Click to expand...

if that is true, its a sad day for reefers...

i will check the site out and give a call if i need to..

competition drives prices down.
 
I am sure this has been asked before a few times on this thread, so I apologize in advance if folks are tired of talking about it :)

My T5 bulbs are 15 months old. I have the replacements purchased, and ready to go on the tank... but I am hesitating on replacing the current bulbs. The tank still looks quite bright... and the corals seem to be doing well. I have heard that the bulbs last anwhere from 1 year, to a year and a half or more. However, I don't have a light meter, and am not sure when the light output will have significantly decreased. Should I wait until I start to see a problem that could be light related (such as an algae outbreak, or perhaps a coral not doing as well) or simply replace them now?

Thanks--

Mike
 
Thanks Grim:)
That does suck about aqualux, I hope they can stick around.
(at least till I find the right fixture;) )
 
From IceCap:

ratherbediving - depending on the ballast you're using and the use or not of a fan, they might have another year left in them. Brand name lamps are rated for 20K hours and for a reef, 2 years was within the safe zone * for lamps overdriven by our VHO ballasts if fan cooled when running.

*(still produce 90% or more of initial light output)

Andy
 
So i've read maybe 40% of this entire thread but mostly the beginning. I'v figured out the acclimation process for an entire tank by using the screens but how do I acclimate new additions?
I'll be setting up a 90 gal with the 6 bulb tek fixture. Will putting the new additions on the bottom of the tank be enough? I'm concerned about new softies.

Thanks.
 
I start every coral at the bottom of the tank regardless if its a high light Acropora sp. or a low light Blastomussa.Then its just a matter of observing it.If the coral appears to be receding/bleaching,shade it under an overhang.If all is well after a week or so,place it in the desired spot in your tank.
For the most part,softies are NOT low light corals with the exception of corallimorphs(mushrooms) and a few deepwater zoanthids(button polyps,yellow polyps,basically any polyps with a long fluted stalk and long tentacles).Colts,Leathers,GSP's,zoanthids,Xenia,they all do well under bright lighting.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7309852#post7309852 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ratherbediving
I am sure this has been asked before a few times on this thread, so I apologize in advance if folks are tired of talking about it :)

My T5 bulbs are 15 months old. I have the replacements purchased, and ready to go on the tank... but I am hesitating on replacing the current bulbs. The tank still looks quite bright... and the corals seem to be doing well. I have heard that the bulbs last anwhere from 1 year, to a year and a half or more. However, I don't have a light meter, and am not sure when the light output will have significantly decreased. Should I wait until I start to see a problem that could be light related (such as an algae outbreak, or perhaps a coral not doing as well) or simply replace them now?

Thanks--

Mike
Click to expand...

while i have not measured the output of my bilbs when new, or now at 17 months, they are still bright as all daylight, and dont seem to be showing any sign of abuse. and this is ona workhorse ballast, which is a hard start ballast, and is a little tougher on bulbs, but only during the startup vs program start ballasts.

my light setup still melts green striped shrooms like it did when i was 2 months old. that is a good enough light meter for my book.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7310118#post7310118 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mcegelsk
Grim-

What do you think the best Bulb configuration would be for the www.aquactinics.com does a 72" fixture with 36" T5's side by side? Taking into account a dawn/dusk idea. Thanks. ~Matt
Click to expand...

I'd go 4 rows of actinic plus, 1 row of aquablue and 2 rows of GE's.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7309887#post7309887 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by perc
Thanks Grim:)
That does suck about aqualux, I hope they can stick around.
(at least till I find the right fixture;) )
Click to expand...

Reefgeek is getting solid competition from Ocean Encounters (also a sponsor) Both have great customer service and good prices.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7309797#post7309797 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
Aqualuxlighting.com is having a going out of business sale.
Click to expand...

Does anyone have an alternate source for aqualuxlighting.com's computer designed reflectors? I can't figure out how to add them to my cart and I was really counting on them for my canopy retrofit!

Their wider reflectors were an important peice for me as I was going to install them now with my T8 and T6 bulbs, with a plan to eventually upgrade to IceCap driven T5's...
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7313560#post7313560 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
I'd go 4 rows of actinic plus, 1 row of aquablue and 2 rows of GE's.
Click to expand...

Grim-

Just a quick check on what your recommendation was and means.

GE's = 39 watt 36 inch T5 HO Fluorescent Aquarium Bulb: 39 watt 36 inch T5 HO 6500k GE Starcoat ????


Aquablue = 39 watt 36 inch T5 HO Fluorescent Aquarium Bulb: 39 watt 36 inch T5 HO 11,000k ATi AquaBlue???


Actinic Plus = 39 watt 36 inch T5 HO Fluorescent Aquarium Bulb: 39 watt 36 inch T5 HO 20,000k ATi Blue???

Are these correct? Thanks. ~Matt
 
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