T5's: A cautionary note

[FastUno]

I have one more question for FastUno:
What makes you think that the reason that some of your corals were not doing well in the T5 system was due to TOO MUCH light? How do you know it was not due to TOO LITTLE light? Or the wrong type of light? Or water quality? Or even how mature the tank was at the time as opposed to now.

I'm not asking this to be mean or confrontational. I'm just curious, and I also want to bring up a point. And that is that it's very hard to make conclusions like this with almost any system.

With certain corals it was quite evident. After giving them shade they got better, with others not so sure. For instance the maze brain got better after shading & then got worst when I tried reducing the shaded area. Mushrooms did not fare well even in shaded area & this was hard to believe since they had some heavy shading. I think they were not getting the proper spectrum in the position they were in.

These types of "what if" scenarios are always questionable, but what I can tell you is that most of the corals that I had trouble with I no longer have under the MH/T5 combo.

With the experience that I have gained from before I can go back & setup a great T5 system. I would simply avoid the corals that I know I had trouble with & get rid of any corals that have been added & that displayed a negative reaction. My first course of action would be to get rid of all brains, favias, & mushrooms. Unfortunately, these corals for now I want in my tank. There are so many more corals that you can keep with T5's than not.

jnb, how do you like the Hamilton 14K bulb?

 

[jnb]

I like it fine - don't see how it could be much better i need to add some color life to my tank - i ordered 20k but they did not come in - I may have trouble bringing myself to put them in when they get here.

do you believe I need to work my way up to running the mh for 6 or more hrs - of course you really don't know my tank - I just have to watch. I wonder how long it takes a ric to show its stressed before its too late - gotta manage the heat too I have a chiller but I don't want it running all that much.

I am confused as to optimal temps - I saw that one of the most respected reefers on RC Dr Ron recommended temps higher than what I see elsewhere when he was helping to troubleshoot someones tank - i beleive algae was the problem. So without causing a debate and runing this thread as well, what temp is best - I ask just one more time

jnb, how do you like the Hamilton 14K bulb? [/B][/QUOTE]

 

[The Grim Reefer]

JNB,

Run the halides and just grab a couple of the Helios T5 superblue strip lights for supplimental or dusk/dawn if you like the look of the halides alone. If dim doesn't bother you the look of just the superblues will be right up your alley. Check out the first 8 pics in my gallery. Simple install and they look killer. Your 14K halides probably put out less par than the T5's so you wont hurt anything.

 

[Aquactinics]

Grim,
Are the Helios T5s you have the "38W 47 inch" type? If so, those don't fit into most fixtures.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

The 38W was a misprint, they are 54 watts. I have them running in the helios striplight fixture so I didn't measure them but they are a little longer than a standard T5. Helios is supposed to be getting the standard lengths in. Someone else who got some bare lamps posted about them being a little too long to put in where the ATI's were without moving the endcaps out a little.

What do you think of the lamp?

 

[FastUno]

jnb, as was said, you should just use the MH for as long as you think you may need. I did the same with no consequences. This is considering that we are using only 250W & 14k or 20K bulbs. I can see the possibility of us needing to acclimate the T5 supplements that go on with the MH (all depending on bulb combo), but not the MH standalone.

Grim, the Helios T5 superblue give off as much par as the Aquablues, right? Has anyone really measured or is this an estimate? I just might replace one of my AB with the SB to see how it looks like. At the same token, my tank really pops as is with the 20K, might just look ridiculous with the SB, but it might look better when I am only running the 2 T5's?

Tom, right now I think the 20K XM & T5 is a great look & hard to beat for the most part. Growth seems to have progressed for certain corals & I am inclined to continue to use the XM bulb for years to come. Can't help but wonder if I would get even faster growth with a 14K bulb, something like the AC 14K. I just want to keep my options open for the future & was wondering about that Reef Fanatic ballast. Do you think they will fit (specs below)? Take a look at the plot to see why I would be interested in them.

250W Specification:
250W - SKU: MHBL_RF250EV2
Input Voltage: 120V AC
Input Current: 2.1A
Input Wattage: approximately 250W
Power Factor: Greater than 0.99
Lamp Current Crest Factor: Less than 1.8
THD: Less than 10%
Working Frequency: 38 - 70 kHz
Starting Time: Less than 5 seconds
Restarting Time: 5 to 15 minutes
Enclosure: Extruded aluminum
Dimension: 7.5" x 4" x 3.5"


http://www.reeflightinginfo.arvixe....avelength=400&Maxwavelength=700&Submit=Submit

 

[The Grim Reefer]

The Superblue I measured was a 54 watt lamp in the Helios fixture (no reflector) and it was in the 990's on contact. My overdriven 80 watt Blueplus, was in the 1200 range on contact measuring WITH the reflector. Running 2 54 watt lamps with no reflectors behind the UV sheild glass of the fixture 7" above the tank adds over 10 UMOL's at the sandbed. Running in a parabolic reflector on a better ballast lower down? I'd at least double it and more likely triple it. I gotta either score a 60" superblue or a 48" Blueplus to side by side them but at this point I think the Superblue will have higher output than the blueplus.

What are you doing for Halide ballasts now? Try a 14K EVC lamp. They are pretty cheap, are pretty blue for a 14K lamp and put out like 14% more par than the XM 20K. I have the DE's and like them.

 

[FastUno]

Using M58 Magnetic ballast. This gives me higher par output than lets say an IC ballast would with the same XM 20K bulb.

I have not done a water change in three months. Perhaps I should force myself to do one today, although it does not look like it's needed.

I am also going to start using phosban today & setup my Tunze Osmolator. I have not touched this tank for a while now & it's time for some improvements.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

With the mag ballast the EVC might be a little whiter then you want. I run the DE's on the EVC e ballast which performs a little better than the reef fanatic.

 

[FastUno]

I am into that subdued & serene look, the XM's give me just that. Don't think I can go for a white or yellow look at all. Knowing me I probably won't be happy with the EVC's. I am so damn picky!


Long overdue video that I promised. I'll start off with a vid of frogspawn & then the section of my tank that holds the monti caps. Video is not the greatest & still does not capture true beauty of the corals or tank.

Frogspawn:
http://media.putfile.com/MOV0034362

Monti Cap side: (look at kenya tree above the Geen Toadstoal, it has grown much after MH addition & the colt which never grew before is now doing just that).
http://media.putfile.com/MOV0034656

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Dunno Uno, you might like the 14K lamps based on what I see in the video. Don't know how much whiter the mag ballasts would drive these lamps. They actually make the tips of my frogspawn look violet instead of pink. I gotta swap my camera software over to this laptop so I can do some pics.

 

[Codeman00]

Grim (or anyone else that owns Superblues),

I thought I was ordering Superblue bulbs...but I got a strange reflector, cords, and maybe a ballast in the reflector? Is that normal?? All I wanted was the bulb..and I got all of this extra stuff. No wonder it cost $46 per bulb. I really hate this Commodity Axis company...they dont give any details over email and dont offer phone support.

Can I remove this bulb and use my own reflector / ballast? Did you guys use the reflector and ballast that came with it or did you use a retro setup? Any help is appreciated.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Bummer. I actually do run the striplight like you got but in my case it made more sense. If you contact them again I think they will make it right. You could take the lamp out of the fixture. You have to be carefull doing it but you have to pry an endcap out of the frame. The lamp will be a little longer than your standard ATI's.

 

[jasondaven]

Hello. I am very interested in the light combo that you are using. I am in the process of setting up a 90g primarily sps system. I am looking at getting 2 M58 250w MH using xm10000K bulbs with 2 T5 flouros. What combo for the t5 bulbs do you use. What light cycle do you you use as far as the t5 and the MH are concerned? Thanks for your help!

Jay

 

[FastUno]

My combo is:
Aquactinics 2x250 (XM20K)/2x54 T5 (AB & B+)

But I grow softies & lps mostly. I only have a few SPS corals. Good thing you are going for the 10K bulb with your intentions.

Check out this site for more info or just send Tom (the owner) an email or PM.
http://www.aquactinics.com/Store/Lighting_Systems.htm

My schedule is as follows:
-11am T5's on
-3pm MH on
-9pm MH off
-11pm T5's off
-24/7 Moonlights on. Maybe I should consider putting this on a timer?

 

[Codeman00]

Grim,

I found out something very interesting today about the Helios SuperBlue bulb. I needed some more blue so I hooked up a Blue+ bulb. I can't tell them apart...both are the same color visually and flouresce the same. I think I just dropped $100 on lights that are the same as what I already had.

 

[FastUno]

Well that stinks!
But at least you will get a higher par output from the SuperBlues.
Also maybe you can replace your bulb once every 24 months since your par will be higher?

Are your other Blue+ bulbs burned in already? They tend to give off less blue (less intense) over a period of time.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Grim,

I found out something very interesting today about the Helios SuperBlue bulb. I needed some more blue so I hooked up a Blue+ bulb. I can't tell them apart...both are the same color visually and flouresce the same. I think I just dropped $100 on lights that are the same as what I already had.

You have a blueplus that fluoresces like a superblue? My superblue is way different than the bluepluses I have. I have 60" lamps and have the D&D Actinic Plus and ATI blues. The old style blue was not as good as the actinic plus and the plus I have is nothing like the superblue. Perhaps the blueplus has been changed again?

 

[Codeman00]

Tell me about it. I'm not going to use the SuperBlues...the bulbs are in this all in one fixture with a cheap throwaway ballast, cheap reflector and plug. I'd much rather use my Triad ballast and retros than this thing. I can't find a UL listing on it anywhere which concerns me too. The bulbs are so long that if they weren't in this cheap fixture, they would not fit underneath my 75 gal hood if retroed. Lets just say that this was a $100 mistake. I'm sending both of them back..one of them is unused, so maybe I can at least get half my money back.

Yeah, my other blue plus are burned in. This is getting crazy, buy my configuration now is XM10K 175x2, 2VHO Super Actinics, and 2 T5 blue plus. You'd think that if I didnt have heat issue with this that I could go up to 250Ws safely?

 

[Codeman00]

I don't see anything at all different in the two bulbs. Both flouresce the oranges well...and the greens somewhat. I don't see anything drastically different. I had no idea the blue plus was so actinic. Its not great, but its not bad either.

I just hope to get some $$ back for the superblues. Hard telling considering Commodity Axis customer support.