RedEyeReef
Active member
FastUno, I'm confused. Are you running T5's, MH, or both? What bulb combinations?
T5's: A cautionary note
- Thread starter gregt
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jnb
Premium Member
Fastuno - where did the handle evolve from - just curious
i have just finished reading most pages if not all -
Happy you are happy - couple of questions
do your new fixtures fans make much noise - if i got one i don't want to be surprised like some maristar users seem to be
can you post a picture of your tank without cutting off the fixture - i want to see it - you don't need to impress me by making me wait till your camera is there
does a 250 watt bulb really pull 250 or do the ballast somehow change the answer
you say your fixture is easy - does it have something that keeps it from accidently getting pushed to the side and falling in
how deep is it front to back (i think I remember you saying you had room to work in your tank)
you say it uses magnetic ballast - do these get very hot
how much would you say the fixture weighs
are you still as happy as you can imagine with the fixture? what would you cahnge?
thanks - even if you don't have the patience to offer all the answers - you just got me sort of excited and they are not open at this time to pick their brains.....
yo
i have just finished reading most pages if not all -
Happy you are happy - couple of questions
do your new fixtures fans make much noise - if i got one i don't want to be surprised like some maristar users seem to be
can you post a picture of your tank without cutting off the fixture - i want to see it - you don't need to impress me by making me wait till your camera is there
does a 250 watt bulb really pull 250 or do the ballast somehow change the answer
you say your fixture is easy - does it have something that keeps it from accidently getting pushed to the side and falling in
how deep is it front to back (i think I remember you saying you had room to work in your tank)
you say it uses magnetic ballast - do these get very hot
how much would you say the fixture weighs
are you still as happy as you can imagine with the fixture? what would you cahnge?
thanks - even if you don't have the patience to offer all the answers - you just got me sort of excited and they are not open at this time to pick their brains.....
yo
FastUno said:
FastUno
New member
"Hey FastUno - are you curious to try those superblue helios T5 bulbs?"
I have so many T5 bulbs, that I don't think I will be buying any new ones for now. I am curious as to what others will report about the effectiveness/look of the superblue bulb. Just might inspire me to check them out.
I have so many T5 bulbs, that I don't think I will be buying any new ones for now. I am curious as to what others will report about the effectiveness/look of the superblue bulb. Just might inspire me to check them out.
FastUno
New member
jnb, I was experiencing problems & had contacted others who have used T5 solely. It turns out that some of these reefers also had problems. What struck me was that no one was reporting them & the only thing I heard was how great T5's were at the time.
My tank is setup to be quiet. I have my return pump suspended in mid-tank (sump) to avoid vibration & use the energy efficient & quiet Deltec Skimmer & the Tunze Stream. With this being said my tank noise still masks the fan noise. They are even quieter than my PC fans. I too had asked other users of this fixture about noise levels. The IceCap fans are an add on to the fixture & I opted to go with those.
The wattage consumed by the bulbs is also a function of the ballasts, some ballasts will output more than 250, while others slightly less.
My tank is 18" deep & fixture is about 8 5/8" wide. I easily slide them back further when needed, but for the most part I don't have to touch that. I have enough room to feed the fish & put my hands in the tank if needed. I have only had to remove the fixtures to clean the plexi/glass so far. They are so much more lighter than the Tek T5 fixtures I had & I can truly appreciate this. The ballast is located in a remote box with a heat sink & does not get hot. It gets warm, just as your T5 fixtures would. On my tank the fixture sits on 1" bracing, so I have some play. If they should happen to fall off either end, my center brace catches the fall, so I don't ever foresee this as a problem.
Now for some MH woes & disadvantages.
1-MH & in particular 250W MH will increase ambient room temperatures. No matter how you look at this will be the case. I would estimate some 2-3 degrees, all depending on how big the room is. This is the nature of the MH lighting scheme & I think the only way around this is to ventilate or cool the room. When I am home during the day I have my AC running & at night or when I leave home I shut off the AC. The tank has still not reached over 84 on the hottest of days. I do always have the one clip on fan running in the sump during the day though.
2-MH's will cause your electric bill to be higher. As if I had to mention this.
Four T5 bulbs @ 48W = 192W vs MH/T5 setup = 596W. But I only run MH/T5's for 6 hrs & the rest of the time only run the 2 T5's.
3-The only disadvantage of my whole MH/T5 setup, which really is it's biggest advantage, is the plexi type cover. It's the secret to it's low tank heat emission & the protective layer for your bulbs & shields. There is one fan blowing air in & another that removes hot air out, as a result dust tends to accumulate on top of the shield. This forces you to clean the glass every 1-2 months. With all this being said, I would much rather have the shield on.
Overall I am extremely happy with my new lighting setup. The only thing I regret is not getting them sooner & could only imagine how much more growth I would have gotten in the months that I had the T5's on. I had someone clip me some Clove Polyps, three arms to be exact. I had attached them to the same rock that my Blastos were on. For months in the T5 setup the three arms did not grow, but instead got progressively worst. I had given up on them. Just today I have noticed that the base of each arm is much more fleshier & that new ones have sprouted up, I have 6 arms now. I don't know if this is sheer coincidence, but it did happen after MH exposure.
I can't help but wonder how 150W DE MH bulbs would compare to the 250W MH's in this fixture? Less electricity, less heat, but how much more/less effective? Makes you wonder?
Old picture of tank & fixture when I first received them.
My tank is setup to be quiet. I have my return pump suspended in mid-tank (sump) to avoid vibration & use the energy efficient & quiet Deltec Skimmer & the Tunze Stream. With this being said my tank noise still masks the fan noise. They are even quieter than my PC fans. I too had asked other users of this fixture about noise levels. The IceCap fans are an add on to the fixture & I opted to go with those.
The wattage consumed by the bulbs is also a function of the ballasts, some ballasts will output more than 250, while others slightly less.
My tank is 18" deep & fixture is about 8 5/8" wide. I easily slide them back further when needed, but for the most part I don't have to touch that. I have enough room to feed the fish & put my hands in the tank if needed. I have only had to remove the fixtures to clean the plexi/glass so far. They are so much more lighter than the Tek T5 fixtures I had & I can truly appreciate this. The ballast is located in a remote box with a heat sink & does not get hot. It gets warm, just as your T5 fixtures would. On my tank the fixture sits on 1" bracing, so I have some play. If they should happen to fall off either end, my center brace catches the fall, so I don't ever foresee this as a problem.
Now for some MH woes & disadvantages.
1-MH & in particular 250W MH will increase ambient room temperatures. No matter how you look at this will be the case. I would estimate some 2-3 degrees, all depending on how big the room is. This is the nature of the MH lighting scheme & I think the only way around this is to ventilate or cool the room. When I am home during the day I have my AC running & at night or when I leave home I shut off the AC. The tank has still not reached over 84 on the hottest of days. I do always have the one clip on fan running in the sump during the day though.
2-MH's will cause your electric bill to be higher. As if I had to mention this.
Four T5 bulbs @ 48W = 192W vs MH/T5 setup = 596W. But I only run MH/T5's for 6 hrs & the rest of the time only run the 2 T5's.
3-The only disadvantage of my whole MH/T5 setup, which really is it's biggest advantage, is the plexi type cover. It's the secret to it's low tank heat emission & the protective layer for your bulbs & shields. There is one fan blowing air in & another that removes hot air out, as a result dust tends to accumulate on top of the shield. This forces you to clean the glass every 1-2 months. With all this being said, I would much rather have the shield on.
Overall I am extremely happy with my new lighting setup. The only thing I regret is not getting them sooner & could only imagine how much more growth I would have gotten in the months that I had the T5's on. I had someone clip me some Clove Polyps, three arms to be exact. I had attached them to the same rock that my Blastos were on. For months in the T5 setup the three arms did not grow, but instead got progressively worst. I had given up on them. Just today I have noticed that the base of each arm is much more fleshier & that new ones have sprouted up, I have 6 arms now. I don't know if this is sheer coincidence, but it did happen after MH exposure.
I can't help but wonder how 150W DE MH bulbs would compare to the 250W MH's in this fixture? Less electricity, less heat, but how much more/less effective? Makes you wonder?
Old picture of tank & fixture when I first received them.
dhoch
New member
I've been kind of lazy about following this thread, but just wanted to post something I found very interesting this weekend.
I was at MACNA at there was a lot of talk of our tanks getting TOO MUCH LIGHT.
There was a study done (allthough very preliminary) that at least suggested that at least one species of coral had a detremential affect of prolonged exposure to intense light over an extended period of time (200 uMols vs 100 uMols over a 15 hour light period over a period of about 30-60 days, can't remember the overall length of the experiment).
The study was done in Hawaii, where the person controlled for water and flow (it was the same, and just varied the light for coral frags of a single species of SPS). They found that over the course of the study (and they are still doing readings) that the photsynethic content of the corals went up under the 100 uMol lighting and under 200 uMol went up initially and then down afterwards.
THe thoughts was after noticing that most Hawaii days are sunning in the begining and cloudy later on. (for those who randomly turn off your tanks lights, or think that more light is always better I thought this would be interesting to you).
Dave
I was at MACNA at there was a lot of talk of our tanks getting TOO MUCH LIGHT.
There was a study done (allthough very preliminary) that at least suggested that at least one species of coral had a detremential affect of prolonged exposure to intense light over an extended period of time (200 uMols vs 100 uMols over a 15 hour light period over a period of about 30-60 days, can't remember the overall length of the experiment).
The study was done in Hawaii, where the person controlled for water and flow (it was the same, and just varied the light for coral frags of a single species of SPS). They found that over the course of the study (and they are still doing readings) that the photsynethic content of the corals went up under the 100 uMol lighting and under 200 uMol went up initially and then down afterwards.
THe thoughts was after noticing that most Hawaii days are sunning in the begining and cloudy later on. (for those who randomly turn off your tanks lights, or think that more light is always better I thought this would be interesting to you).
Dave
jnb
Premium Member
did you upgrade to a different ballast for the mh's?
is the icecap ballast upgrade just for the t-5's?
why would one upgrade the ballast for either the mh or t-5?
your moonlights - are they attached to the shield?
is there something I should mention so I get my moonlights directed better - based on your experience?
is it difficult to take out to clean the dust off(like our tek shields which I don't use anymore)?
do you still love your 20,000's?
can I assume you have NO regrets or curiousness about weather 175's would have sufficed?
did you get the bronze finish - if so, can I see it up close - I noticed you asked this some moons ago elsewhere but I did not see a proper reply?
sorry to take your time - I just want your experienced opinion because you asked and asked - I am trying to leverage off of the threads you made, as you did your search, as best I can - one the most valuable if not the most when trying to reach a decision so I do not have to buy yet another fixture 1.5 yrs from now
do you have trouble being satisfied such that the burning de question is driving you nuts? suppose to be funny...
I can't help but wonder how 150W DE MH bulbs would compare to the 250W MH's in this fixture? Less electricity, less heat, but how much more/less effective? Makes you wonder?
is the icecap ballast upgrade just for the t-5's?
why would one upgrade the ballast for either the mh or t-5?
your moonlights - are they attached to the shield?
is there something I should mention so I get my moonlights directed better - based on your experience?
is it difficult to take out to clean the dust off(like our tek shields which I don't use anymore)?
do you still love your 20,000's?
can I assume you have NO regrets or curiousness about weather 175's would have sufficed?
did you get the bronze finish - if so, can I see it up close - I noticed you asked this some moons ago elsewhere but I did not see a proper reply?
sorry to take your time - I just want your experienced opinion because you asked and asked - I am trying to leverage off of the threads you made, as you did your search, as best I can - one the most valuable if not the most when trying to reach a decision so I do not have to buy yet another fixture 1.5 yrs from now
do you have trouble being satisfied such that the burning de question is driving you nuts? suppose to be funny...
I can't help but wonder how 150W DE MH bulbs would compare to the 250W MH's in this fixture? Less electricity, less heat, but how much more/less effective? Makes you wonder?
jnb
Premium Member
this makes sense is verified to some extent in this thread
i have 4 of my 6 bulbs , on a three foot tek over a four ft tank, on today and am thinking of running two for more hrs of the day - i struggle - the green mushrooms circled are fried looking= i wonder if i can get away with 2 mh at 150 or 175 in the fixture fastuno has now - i hate stress in my tank - i don't need bright - i dive 1oo times a year and gloomy does not impact me - but i do like color pop - i friggin stressed over the right lite
i have 4 of my 6 bulbs , on a three foot tek over a four ft tank, on today and am thinking of running two for more hrs of the day - i struggle - the green mushrooms circled are fried looking= i wonder if i can get away with 2 mh at 150 or 175 in the fixture fastuno has now - i hate stress in my tank - i don't need bright - i dive 1oo times a year and gloomy does not impact me - but i do like color pop - i friggin stressed over the right lite
dhoch said:
FastUno
New member
RGibson, I could understand slightly higher than 150W per bulb, but as much as a 250W MH bulb? Hmmmm, anyone else on this?
dhoch, interesting. I have heard of local reefers reducing their lighting period & noticing better growth & coloration in their corals. This has prompted me to only expose my tank to 6hrs of full light. If I can save on electricity & have a better outcome, then I thought it was worth the try. So far so good.
Damn I wish I can go to MACNA!
dhoch, interesting. I have heard of local reefers reducing their lighting period & noticing better growth & coloration in their corals. This has prompted me to only expose my tank to 6hrs of full light. If I can save on electricity & have a better outcome, then I thought it was worth the try. So far so good.
Damn I wish I can go to MACNA!
FastUno
New member
jnb, no I did not upgrade my ballast. If you look at Sanjay's MH plots, you will notice that the magnetic ballast gives higher par output for the XM 20K bulbs (http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe....avelength=400&Maxwavelength=700&Submit=Submit). This is not true for some of the other 14 or 15K bulbs though. I am a beast when it comes to that perfect look. I look at online pictures, local reef tank, pet shop tank...etc. I have only found 3 perfect looks (this is very subjective though), based upon good amount of light & right amount of pop. I will list them in order of preference.
1-14K MH Hamilton bulbs with 2 T5 Actinics. I can't say enough about this combo. Truly impressive. On their own the MH bulbs have a great effect on coloration & when the actinics are on it gives it that extra pop. Hard to describe, but a must see.
2-XM 20K with AB & B+. At first I was worried the XM 20K's would look too blue or not provide enough light. After running them I no longer see this as an issue. On my next bulb purchase I would either go for #1 or remain with this #2 setup.
3-T5 bulb combos.
The T5's have their own ballast. I would upgrade the ballast if I knew a particular bulb that I was about to purchase gives off higher par with this new e-ballast. I am glad I went with the 250W bulbs vs the 175W, because this gives me greater flexibility. With Par output control & bulb choice. To go from 175W to 250W in this setup is not such a big deal, you use the same fixtures & you can trade in your ballast box/ballast. The moonlight LED's attach to the MH bulb socket & are AWESOME. I too had worries & questions, but all I can say is get them, because you will love them as I do.
The cover cleaning requires you to remove the fixture from tank. Unscrew 4 screws & slide the cover off. The cover is much smaller (narrower) than the 6 bulb T5 cover & can be cleaned quicker. One wet towel & another dry towel does the trick.
I have the black fixtures. I understand the questioning, because I had similar ones for other owners. A lighting purchase is not something you want to go through very often. I am beyond satisfied with my purchase, more so than what I had expected. No matter what size/type of tank I have I will always go with this setup. This might be of some consolation to you, so that you know I have not gotten caught up in the subjectivity of my own purchase. Of all the questions that I had for other users/owners, not one person had anything bad to say about their Aquactinics setup.
1-14K MH Hamilton bulbs with 2 T5 Actinics. I can't say enough about this combo. Truly impressive. On their own the MH bulbs have a great effect on coloration & when the actinics are on it gives it that extra pop. Hard to describe, but a must see.
2-XM 20K with AB & B+. At first I was worried the XM 20K's would look too blue or not provide enough light. After running them I no longer see this as an issue. On my next bulb purchase I would either go for #1 or remain with this #2 setup.
3-T5 bulb combos.
The T5's have their own ballast. I would upgrade the ballast if I knew a particular bulb that I was about to purchase gives off higher par with this new e-ballast. I am glad I went with the 250W bulbs vs the 175W, because this gives me greater flexibility. With Par output control & bulb choice. To go from 175W to 250W in this setup is not such a big deal, you use the same fixtures & you can trade in your ballast box/ballast. The moonlight LED's attach to the MH bulb socket & are AWESOME. I too had worries & questions, but all I can say is get them, because you will love them as I do.
The cover cleaning requires you to remove the fixture from tank. Unscrew 4 screws & slide the cover off. The cover is much smaller (narrower) than the 6 bulb T5 cover & can be cleaned quicker. One wet towel & another dry towel does the trick.
I have the black fixtures. I understand the questioning, because I had similar ones for other owners. A lighting purchase is not something you want to go through very often. I am beyond satisfied with my purchase, more so than what I had expected. No matter what size/type of tank I have I will always go with this setup. This might be of some consolation to you, so that you know I have not gotten caught up in the subjectivity of my own purchase. Of all the questions that I had for other users/owners, not one person had anything bad to say about their Aquactinics setup.
FastUno
New member
One note on Magnetic vs Electronic ballast. Generally e-ballast cost more, use less electricity, & give off less heat.
In my case, since the magnetic ballast comes free with the fixtures, it would take longer for me to recoup the money saved on electricity vs the money spent on the e-ballast. If there was a bulb that gave that perfect look & higher par, then I would upgrade with no questions asked.
In my case, since the magnetic ballast comes free with the fixtures, it would take longer for me to recoup the money saved on electricity vs the money spent on the e-ballast. If there was a bulb that gave that perfect look & higher par, then I would upgrade with no questions asked.
amheck
New member
FastUno, How much was your hood? I'm trying to get to the companies webpage, but have been unable to do so all day. I'm looking for an all-in-one system with MH and T5/PC. Although I think I originally started reading this thread cause I wanted to get the Tek lights.
Did you consider the Current Outer Orbits at all?
Aaron
Did you consider the Current Outer Orbits at all?
Aaron
So what would everyone recommed for a 72" 125g lps tank. I currently run a 4x96w pc corallife fixture with 2 160w vho's,and it's about time to change the pc bulbs. If I kept the vho's for actinics what would I need in the way of t5s? Would 4 80w be too much? Maybe just go with 4 39w or 54w?
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
With VHO actinics I would run 3 80 watt T5's, I GE Daylight and 2 Aquablues. That would only take 1 ice cap ballast and should put out plenty of light for LPS. I was running 6 on my 125 and it was overkill.
RedEyeReef
Active member
The Grim Reefer said:
Are you saying you can run 6 T5's off one IceCap 660? If so, have you done this?
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