The Great T5 Reflector Glarathon

[The Grim Reefer]

Forgot..

Fired up a T6 and a T5 on the ice cap ballast. Considering the T6 was underdriven by like 30% it did pretty good. Of course the 80 watt T5 was being overdriven so it put out more light but the T6 was using more watts I assume (110 watts as designed) than the T5 (100 watts as claimed by Ice Cap) the T6 was alot cooler. If this bad boy runs close to this temp at full wattage it should be nice. I will do a side by side with the T6 actinic (110 watt lamp)and the T5 actinic, that should be an honest assessment of what the T6 will do. I already like the color of the T6 better and that was running on a NO ballast.

 

[sjm817]

Sounds like "Mrs Grim" is very understanding. Mine is pretty cool too. Our living room has....errr.....changed...since I got into this hobby. :lol:

Good luck with the MH setup. I'm sure you will like it.

 

[lrsafari]

I got my 2 Icecap 660's today. Sounds like the T6's will be interesting then.

I think I am going to put the 2 T6's on 1 ballast and 4 T5's on the other.

Excitedly waiting for your technical assesment of the T6's, and if good, their ready availability.

Scott

 

[lrsafari]

Understanding wives....very handy to have around. I did my initial fill of the tank and sump Saturday.....lets just say I am glad she wanted the system on the marble in the dining room.....

I am having problems getting my overflows to handle my pump, so the tank almost overflowed a couple of times. Well, turned off the pump, but forgot to pull out the U-tubes. I heard the soft patter of water on hard surface about 5 minutes later.

She just gets me some towels and we start cleaning up.

Really helped eleviate the stress of poor calculations and oversites.

Scott

 

[The Grim Reefer]

The 660 should be able to drive 2 T6 and 3 T5's. The problem is the 10K T6 is a 140 watt lamps and the Ice is only 110 watts per channel the way I have it wired up. I need to find out if there is another way to wire it to drive the lamp full power.

 

[horkn]

hey grim, if you have the money to play with lights, go ahead.

you have already helped prove the effectiveness of t5 lights...

hell, if i had the $$ to dink with lights, i would have a tank full of corals

 

[lrsafari]

So each Icecap 660 will only drive 3 T5's? Or 2 T6's?

If my reading is correct, 1 660 will drive 4 of the 48" T5's, correct? You are saying that I can mix them, 3 and 2 of each on a single 660?

Sorry if I am a little dense.

Scott

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Ice Cap 660 will drive 4 T5's up to the 48" lamps, only 3 60" lamps. The 10K T6 is a 140 or 145 watt lamp. The Ice Cap ballast is a 4 channel, 110 watt ballast as far as I know. I might try posting in the IC forum tosee if there is a way to pull more watts through 2 channels. I really don't want to turn my ballast into a big firecracker, I gota closet full of contraband fireworks

 

[The Grim Reefer]

hey grim, if you have the money to play with lights, go ahead.

you have already helped prove the effectiveness of t5 lights...

hell, if i had the $$ to dink with lights, i would have a tank full of corals

Once I plop the halides over the tank we'll know how really effective the T5's are.

I already have a tank full of corals Just gotta let some grow and get rid of some others. I gotta go pick up three frags Saturday, Pink Birdsnest, Green Acro of some type and a Green and purple cap.

If I had as much physical ability and energy as I have time and money I'd open a store, but then again if I had the physical ability and energy I wouldn't have the time and money

 

[horkn]

If I had as much physical ability and energy as I have time and money I'd open a store, but then again if I had the physical ability and energy I wouldn't have the time and money

i am on the opposite end as you, but thats the age old problem

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Mine is the result of a car wreck. All in all I'd rather be back fixing the stinking laser printers and color copiers

 

[horkn]

hey grim, i wonder if you trim a little off the edges of the aqualux reflector, so they are 3" each , and then maybe i can run 4 over my tank...

and then take PAR meter readings just like the previous test....


come on, you can doooo eeet

 

[The Grim Reefer]

I'd do it if I had something to do it with I'd give it a shot. In your case it wouldbe a heck of a lot easier to just get a SLS reflector if your tank is 12".

 

[horkn]

you are probably right, since i do have a little over 2.5 inches left...


sometimes it takes someone else to see a different solution

 

[Deuce67]

Hey Grim! Got those 150 hqis on yet? Lets see some pics!

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Yeah, The Halides are on. Gotta come up with a way to mount the fixture right. I aint digging the pink looking actinics. They fluoresce the corals nice. Not sure if I like the 20K halides or not. See what happens once they burn in.

Here's a cheesy pic

 

[Deuce67]

Nice! I normally see other guys using those wall brackets for wall shelves and hang it on those. Is the 20kk too blue for you? Maybe it just need some burn in time.

 

[R33f3r]

lol, which "pink" actinics? I know what ya mean.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Are the lamps too blue for me? Yes

The actinics are PC's. They do fluoresce the corals pretty good but I am running my submersible blues to wash out the pink.

Now, I understand 20K halides have a lower PAR output than the 10K's and these lamps are not burned in yet so take this for what it is worth.

Ice Cap driven T5 (2 Aquablue, 1 GE 6500K, 1 Blueplus, 2 Blues(old style blueplus) lamps) 4 Ice Cap reflectors, 2 Sunlight Supply running on 2 Ice Cap 660 ballasts.

Halide system. Plain brown wrapper fixture with 168 watts PC actinics, 3 150 Watt 20000K DE halides.

Anyone care to guess how the halides compare to the T5's PAR at 18" of water with the lamps about the same distance above the water, 3 1/2 for T5 and 4 1/8 forthe halides?

 

[sjm817]

Uh Oh. Tidy Bowl man came to visit? :lol: