The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
I would do 8 actinic plus and then mix up the 6 with GE and Aquablue
T5's: A cautionary note
- Thread starter JohnL
- Start date
Am contemplating going to T5 on my 40G 36x15x16 acrylic tank.
After reading a lot about low light critters not liking the intense lighting, I was wondering if I should just put a 24" 4 bulb retro or fixture over the middle of the tank, which would leave the sides more shaded.
But having 4x24w might not be enough for any sps corals?
Will the eurobracing on the sides cut down enough on the light intensity on the sides to allow shrooms and such, if I go with the 36" 4x39w set-up?
The tank is fairly new and not much is in it, yet.
A small hammer, candy cane, a leather, a few zoas.
I'm not planning on a lot of sps.
Also, would a GE day, 1 Aquablue and 2 blueplus be a good bulb combination, and how should they be lined up to achieve the bluest possible look? Will the GE day make it too yellow?
After reading a lot about low light critters not liking the intense lighting, I was wondering if I should just put a 24" 4 bulb retro or fixture over the middle of the tank, which would leave the sides more shaded.
But having 4x24w might not be enough for any sps corals?
Will the eurobracing on the sides cut down enough on the light intensity on the sides to allow shrooms and such, if I go with the 36" 4x39w set-up?
The tank is fairly new and not much is in it, yet.
A small hammer, candy cane, a leather, a few zoas.
I'm not planning on a lot of sps.
Also, would a GE day, 1 Aquablue and 2 blueplus be a good bulb combination, and how should they be lined up to achieve the bluest possible look? Will the GE day make it too yellow?
All mine (leather, zoo, and shrooms, and hammer you listed) seem to like the high light other than the candy, I just put him on the far side of the tank out of the direct light and is doing excellent. He is on one of the sides of the tank that is displayed but due to 22" high rock he is easily shadded.
Keep in mind I run 8 x bulbs.
Hope that helps.
Keep in mind I run 8 x bulbs.
Hope that helps.
Each tank is different. I use my own custom made reflectors, and everyones bulb configuration is different, along with tank depths.
I would say 4 bulb config with parobolic reflectors would be great. If the reflectors are decent they will penetrate the 15-16" depth no prob. I personaly would probably go with a 6 bulb kit and set it up so I dont have to use the 2 if I dont have to. I wanted a 6 bulb and went 8 just in case, but it works quite well with all 8, I could get away with 6 and move acros up but why? Much funner with them spead out all over the place with very little limitations.
You just have to get creative with some things, I build up my rock high so there is plenty of room to make everything happy.
the only thing I have that really is sensative to my light is one of my green open brains. I moved him under a cavern on the floor about 1/2 in the light and half out, and he loves it now. Full light he was not responding well. Also one color of my mushrooms didnt like the direct light up high. Just a matter of lowering them.
Keep in mind the light with 8 bulbs is pretty intense and I am running 5x (gueissmen / ati) 11k bulbs with blue + as my itanic light in there. But I have SPS everywhere in the tank even on the floor even a low light SPS acro in the same cavern thats doing fine.
I personally think the Guessmen / ATI bulb is much better than the GE (based on light output variety) and the ATI has a much longer testing history and has proved time and time again to produce awesome SPS coral growth, I havent used the GE bulb and for 4 bucks more for the ati / gueissmen I will stick with it for a sure thing.
I would say 4 bulb config with parobolic reflectors would be great. If the reflectors are decent they will penetrate the 15-16" depth no prob. I personaly would probably go with a 6 bulb kit and set it up so I dont have to use the 2 if I dont have to. I wanted a 6 bulb and went 8 just in case, but it works quite well with all 8, I could get away with 6 and move acros up but why? Much funner with them spead out all over the place with very little limitations.
You just have to get creative with some things, I build up my rock high so there is plenty of room to make everything happy.
the only thing I have that really is sensative to my light is one of my green open brains. I moved him under a cavern on the floor about 1/2 in the light and half out, and he loves it now. Full light he was not responding well. Also one color of my mushrooms didnt like the direct light up high. Just a matter of lowering them.
Keep in mind the light with 8 bulbs is pretty intense and I am running 5x (gueissmen / ati) 11k bulbs with blue + as my itanic light in there. But I have SPS everywhere in the tank even on the floor even a low light SPS acro in the same cavern thats doing fine.
I personally think the Guessmen / ATI bulb is much better than the GE (based on light output variety) and the ATI has a much longer testing history and has proved time and time again to produce awesome SPS coral growth, I havent used the GE bulb and for 4 bucks more for the ati / gueissmen I will stick with it for a sure thing.
rdmpe
New member
Question for you all: What are the latest and greatest choices for T5 supplements to a MH fixture? I have a Maristar with the blueline magnetic ballasts and I'm looking to replace the stock T5's (which seem fairly purple to me) with something else.
Right now I'm using pheonix 14K MH's. I'd like to go back to the Ushio 10K's that I have sitting here, I miss the brightness. But I would need better supplemental than I have right now cuz with the 10K the coral colors just aren't there.
Right now I'm using pheonix 14K MH's. I'd like to go back to the Ushio 10K's that I have sitting here, I miss the brightness. But I would need better supplemental than I have right now cuz with the 10K the coral colors just aren't there.
NorthernCF
Premium Member
try the blue plus or the UV brand full actinic.
NorthernCF
Premium Member
Back to back with an old full actinic. The new one has a little more punch, pop, florescence... But, the basic look is similar to the old style. I personally like the blue look better than purple? violet... everyone says I am bad with color... but I think you know what I mean
rdmpe
New member
Are these the ones you are talking about?
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...D&Product_Code=UV-F39T5/03&Category_Code=UVT5
Are these more toward blue or more toward purple?
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...D&Product_Code=UV-F39T5/03&Category_Code=UVT5
Are these more toward blue or more toward purple?
rdmpe
New member
I've been skimming over this thread and the initial reactions to these bulbs seems rather negative.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=788754&perpage=25&pagenumber=7
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=788754&perpage=25&pagenumber=7
I have some and like them. It depends on what you are doing. I'm running 2 x 54W each of the UVL SA, DD AB, and DD B+ and think it is a very nice combo. I used to run a 50/50 mix of AB and B+. It was too white and getting back to the title of this thread, too much light. I had some serious bleaching going on because of it. I wanted to cut down on the lighting and add some more color, florescence. The new combo looks really nice and my Cap's color is coming back.
NorthernCF
Premium Member
Thats a good point sjm... I run only 6 bulbs on an acro tank 2.5' wide
2 bulbs 12 hours
and the others 4 hours I have enough light to make sure I put any new acros on the BOTTOM of the tank when introducing them.
Some folks might want to have a longer photo period, and that could be helped by having a little less PAR.
2 bulbs 12 hours
and the others 4 hours I have enough light to make sure I put any new acros on the BOTTOM of the tank when introducing them.
Some folks might want to have a longer photo period, and that could be helped by having a little less PAR.
reef211
New member
Hey there guys, I just got mine new T5 8x54 for my 75gal. The light come with 4 aquablue and 4 blueplus. And i think i made a mistake by shocking my corals with it. I used to have a JBJ 4x65 on the tank, I forgot to lower the time on the light, so my toadstool and mushroom was getting way to much lights, that it melt a hole in the center of my toadstool leather and my mushroom is not opening up to the fullest. The reason why i'm telling this is that i don't want you guys to make the same mistake. But it's kool i love the way the T5 look on my tank. For me to get the 20k look i went with 4 blueplus ,2 actinic 03 and 2 aquablue. The order i have them in is B+,AB,B+,A03,A03,B+,AB,B+. Do you guys think that my Toadstool and mushroom will push through?
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
Give them time, and in the meantime, perhaps a shorter daily photoperiod would help...4 hours for a week or two, then 6 hours, etc... Or, just leave half the bulbs off for a while. The 8x54watt fixture is prolly about 3x the light of that 4x65 watt fixture, or even more if your PC bulbs were old. Keep that in mind.
Some shrooms and open-brain types dont like the T5 at all...my dark purple shrooms hate it as well as my metallic lobo/welso/trachy open-brain corals. No luck there unless you have a tank with at least 24" of height (30" would be ideal).
I helped a buddy retrofit a 150g a month ago with 8x80watt T5s...that tank is 30" tall, and the previous lighting was 2x250wattSE at each end, a 400watt Radium in the middle, and 2x110watt VHOs...since the switch, the T5s have improved the color if the corals on the bottom, and the maxima clams on the bottom dont seem to mind (4" of sand maybe). Compared to what the tank was before, the T5s look brighter at the bottom....thats pretty strong considering the 400watt halide and VHOs that were there before. Some of the 'deepwater' and other acros on the bottom are going through a growth spurt right now...Tort, wallindo, carolineana, suharsonoi, and even some milliporas. A couple of the digis at the top of the tank (6" from the surface) had to be moved down a little because they were starting to bleach.
Some shrooms and open-brain types dont like the T5 at all...my dark purple shrooms hate it as well as my metallic lobo/welso/trachy open-brain corals. No luck there unless you have a tank with at least 24" of height (30" would be ideal).
I helped a buddy retrofit a 150g a month ago with 8x80watt T5s...that tank is 30" tall, and the previous lighting was 2x250wattSE at each end, a 400watt Radium in the middle, and 2x110watt VHOs...since the switch, the T5s have improved the color if the corals on the bottom, and the maxima clams on the bottom dont seem to mind (4" of sand maybe). Compared to what the tank was before, the T5s look brighter at the bottom....thats pretty strong considering the 400watt halide and VHOs that were there before. Some of the 'deepwater' and other acros on the bottom are going through a growth spurt right now...Tort, wallindo, carolineana, suharsonoi, and even some milliporas. A couple of the digis at the top of the tank (6" from the surface) had to be moved down a little because they were starting to bleach.
reef211
New member
Hey thanks man, I was thinking about moving all my shroom to the floor and all my zoo to the middle will that help them out? and reduce to the time on the light too. Here is a list or corals i have in the tank, fox coral, hammer coral, bubble coral, frogspawn, green,yellow,red,pink,orange zoos, brown,red,purple and green shroom, a few acro, three toadstood leather and some green star poly. what area should i place them in from high to low Hahnmeister?
NorthernCF
Premium Member
I have a 75 with 6 bulbs and I keep all of those half way down. The GSP most zoa and the acros can go higher, but move them up slowly. (some zoa seem to like lower light so if you can frag each in half and test them in different spots, you will have the perfect place figured out in a couple of months )
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