The T5 Q&a Thread - split

I'm strongly considering going just T5 by purchasing a 5ft ATI Sunpower 8x80 but I can help but wonder why more don't just go only T5.

-why spend the money in equipment and electricity that comes w going w MH?

-what are the benefits of MH w/T5 over going only w/T5?

I'm not trying to argue. I want to get what will be best for the corals that will be going into my system so I'm wrestling with this decision.

Any insight is appreciated.

I think it's really just personal preference more than anything else.

To me MH is the simplest way to light a reef - pick a ballast and bulb and your good. T5, like LEDS, can be more challenging to get the look/color you prefer and it's just more challenging with multiple bulbs configurations and types. If done right, I think sps tanks under T5 can look fantastic though.

I have just gotten a MH setup going myself after giving leds a year+ trial. I plan to probably add T5's to supplement them.
 
Thanks Ac8bluewater...

I will take a look at your recommendation also.

What combination of actinic they made you?? For me it is very hard to order an equipment and when i put it in the tank i don't like it. I live in PR and the shipping to us is very expensive.

Thanks in advance...
I was afraid of the same thing so I ordered their standard actinic model. It has even split of 405,450 and 470nm.
I thought about adding some 420 but I figure they know what they're doing and have that as their standard model for a reason. Glad I got the standard model. I'm sure some 420s are fine but I know my 420 T5 bulbs just seem to make things a little darker.
If you scroll to bottom there is a couple photos with LED only and then all lights on:
http://www.dfwmas.org/Forums/viewtopic.php?f=100&t=113795&start=40
You have to spend a few dollars at Home depot to get some mounting brackets and bolts with the BML strip. I think the Reefbrite comes with it. That was one reason I considered the reefbrite but it was very easy with the BML. In my opinion the reefbrite should be the cheaper light. Not really sure how they're getting away with charging more money. I think the BML has about 90 actual watts vs. the Reefbrite was in the 70s. I am talking about the XB BML vs. reefbrite XHO 60"
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Also for people in Texas it's cheaper to buy from Aquarium specialty to avoid state tax.
 
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I was afraid of the same thing so I ordered their standard actinic model. It has even split of 405,450 and 470nm.
I thought about adding some 420 but I figure they know what they're doing and have that as their standard model for a reason. Glad I got the standard model. I'm sure some 420s are fine but I know my 420 T5 bulbs just seem to make things a little darker.
If you scroll to bottom there is a couple photos with LED only and then all lights on:
http://www.dfwmas.org/Forums/viewtopic.php?f=100&t=113795&start=40
You have to spend a few dollars at Home depot to get some mounting brackets and bolts with the BML strip. I think the Reefbrite comes with it. That was one reason I considered the reefbrite but it was very easy with the BML. In my opinion the reefbrite should be the cheaper light. Not really sure how they're getting away with charging more money. I think the BML has about 90 actual watts vs. the Reefbrite was in the 70s. I am talking about the XB BML vs. reefbrite XHO 60"
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View attachment 294156

Also for people in Texas it's cheaper to buy from Aquarium specialty to avoid state tax.

Thanks... Got the idea and also saw the before and after pics.. I already wrote BML for their suggestion. Thanks...
 
awesome! I currently have a 6 bulb dimable sunpower but will probably add a couple of these led strips if/when I upgrade to a wider tank.

I think t5 with led supplements are the best lighting combo out there if one wishes to avoid halides
 
I'm strongly considering going just T5 by purchasing a 5ft ATI Sunpower 8x80 but I can help but wonder why more don't just go only T5.

-why spend the money in equipment and electricity that comes w going w MH?

-what are the benefits of MH w/T5 over going only w/T5?

I'm not trying to argue. I want to get what will be best for the corals that will be going into my system so I'm wrestling with this decision.

Any insight is appreciated.
I chose T5 because the tanks I thought looked the best were T5, the amount of electricity is much less than MH, the heat is less, and the ability to tweak the spectrum is a plus for me.

The bulb replacement cost is not that big of a deal for me, when well cared for you can get 10 months out of a bulb and the newest bulbs hitting the market are getting cheaper(Giesemann and Pacific Sun). The cost is, however, one of the negatives people cite for T5s.

The other difference is there is no shimmer(this is a negative for many people). I thought I'd be missing this, but frankly I quite like the constant, even illumination of the T5s. I can see the small details of the corals much more clearly, the shimmer kind of made it hard for me to focus before.

One other reason to go with T% only rather than MH is that you can hang a very nice looking T5 fixture over a rimless tank. I despise canopies and you pretty much need one to put a proper MH reflector above a tank. My 2cents...
 
awesome! I currently have a 6 bulb dimable sunpower but will probably add a couple of these led strips if/when I upgrade to a wider tank.

I think t5 with led supplements are the best lighting combo out there if one wishes to avoid halides
Ideally it would be nice to have white LEDs in the middle of the bulbs but you could still put an LED strip on each side. A daylight strip on one side for shimmer and an actinic on the other. But of course these high end strips aren't cheap so it adds up.
 
I was able to pick up a tek 8x54 for a good price. I have a standard 90. Should I run all 8 bulbs or can I leave two empty. I have sps prominent mixed reef. Maybe some bulb combos as well although there are tons here. Thx!
 
Iv just gone T5 after 2 years with LEDs and I'm loving it but I'm not sure if my bulb choice is correct for over all health

Iv got a 14 build set up over a 5x4

Blue+
True Actinic
Coral+
Blue+
True Actinic
Blue+
Figi purple
Blue+
Coral+
Blue+
True actinic
Figi purple
Blue+

My colours really pop in the 90% dominated tank I have and I'm happy with the over all colour and look but will my corals be happy with this set up ?
 
I am in the process of setting up a 90 gallon tank. I'm about to purchase a ati dimmable fixture with 6 bulbs but I am having trouble picking which bulbs I should purchase. I would like something close to 20k with great pop and par. Any suggestions?

How would this look?

B+
B+
Fiji purple
Coral+
B+
Lagoon Blue

Different order?

Thanks
 
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I am in the process of setting up a 90 gallon tank. I'm about to purchase a ati dimmable fixture with 6 bulbs but I am having trouble picking which bulbs I should purchase. I would like something close to 20k with great pop and par. Any suggestions?

How would this look?

B+
B+
Fiji purple
Coral+
B+
Lagoon Blue

Different order?

Thanks


I would start with 4 blue+ and a couple whiter bulbs of your choosing. I use coral + personally.

I bought 5 blue plus and then 5 other misc bulbs that I played around with until I found a combo I liked with my 6 bulb ati. I've heard good things about the geisseman bulbs that came out recently too, but don't know enough about them to say anything.
 
I would start with 4 blue+ and a couple whiter bulbs of your choosing. I use coral + personally.

I bought 5 blue plus and then 5 other misc bulbs that I played around with until I found a combo I liked with my 6 bulb ati. I've heard good things about the geisseman bulbs that came out recently too, but don't know enough about them to say anything.

Thanks for the input. I just ordered the fixture with the 6 bulbs that I mentioned just before midnight because one of the sights had a 10% promo going. I'll grab a few more bulbs once I get every up and going.
 
I bought 5 blue plus and then 5 other misc bulbs that I played around with until I found a combo I liked with my 6 bulb ati. I've heard good things about the geisseman bulbs that came out recently too, but don't know enough about them to say anything.

The new G man bulbs are vary comparable to the ATI bulbs. They do give a few extra options in the combination of white with blue. It would not surprise me if in 8 months people start comparing there different bulbs especially on set ups using fewer bulbs.

With the ATI bulbs your jumping from the Blue plus to Coral Plus and then the Aqua Blue Special. If you want anything brighter you need to go with the GE 6,500 K. G man offers several other options in this color range with different ratios between the blue and the "white" light. They also offer a Flora bulb which I'm enjoying as a substitute for the purple bulbs the red is there but not as intense in the purple bulbs resulting in slightly better coral pop of the florescence.
 
I would start with 4 blue+ and a couple whiter bulbs of your choosing. I use coral + personally.

I bought 5 blue plus and then 5 other misc bulbs that I played around with until I found a combo I liked with my 6 bulb ati. I've heard good things about the geisseman bulbs that came out recently too, but don't know enough about them to say anything.
I bought a giesmann actinic to compare to the ATI.. It was very similar.
Maybe slightly brighter but really not enough difference to win some blind taste tests. I ended up ditching 420 actinic bulbs all together for B+ and LED strip.
I wouldn't mind trying some others just for fun. I did try the GE6500 and didn't like it too much. It may very well grow corals faster but I just didn't want it as a full time bulb.
 
Looking too buy the aquaticlife 72 inch fixture too go over my 125 gallon reef. It comes with 12x39w bulbs. What would be a good combo for strictly an lps tank with acans/clams on the sand bed
 
Just installed new ATI bulbs in my 36" 4 bulb fixture. 50/50 of the Blue plus and Coral Plus. It is very bright and very BLUE. A lot more blue than others pics I have seen running the exact combo.

This is my first run with ATI bulbs, so is burn in required and will the blue subside? Would swapping the order if the bulbs in the fixture have any impact?

Attached pics are pretty close to what it looks like in person. The brightest one is what you see in person standing if front of it. Any ideas?
 

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Just installed new ATI bulbs in my 36" 4 bulb fixture. 50/50 of the Blue plus and Coral Plus. It is very bright and very BLUE. A lot more blue than others pics I have seen running the exact combo.

This is my first run with ATI bulbs, so is burn in required and will the blue subside? Would swapping the order if the bulbs in the fixture have any impact?

Attached pics are pretty close to what it looks like in person. The brightest one is what you see in person standing if front of it. Any ideas?
Do have them alternating in the fixture? It's really hard to get a color you love with just 4 bulbs.
Example
C+
b+
C+
B+

if so that's really the best blending your going to get imo.. You can theoretically run any of the "full spectrum" bulbs you want in any amount so for Instance you could run 3x C+ and 1x B+ etc.

Also swapping the coral + for giesemann aqua blue Azure will be a lot less blue from my recent experience with them and brighten up the tank a lot . I honestly feel I will always have an Azure in my lineup vs a C+ just for the color temperature between the two.

I would wait for others advice also but having spare bulbs is always a good thing especially when you are searching for a color you love.. It's best to give it a few days also to get used to it and see if you can live with it...
 
^ They are alternating. Front to back is B+, C+, B+, C+. I will swap them and see if there is any difference.

Also, there might be less bluewash after they have been running for a few hours. I will know when I get home this afternoon.

I am running them in a 36" Coralife HO Lunar fixture, so I am not sure if the ballast may have something to do with it as suggested.

I know there will not be much variety or flexability with a 4 bulb, but Ive seen numerous B+ & C+ combos that werent as bluewashed that looked amazing.

Maybe its a combo of my fixture, ballasts, canopy and lack of color in the tank, but blue is blue. lol!

Just like you stated, I agree it will be a good idea to have spare bulbs. I know it is a simple issue and hopefully it will grow on me, but I am trying to avoid the "windex" look per say.
 
Asked in the general lighting/equipment forum, but thought to ask again here as more specific.

We have a newborn baby and we also have a tank with ATI T5 6-bulb fixture. There is some light spillage and we sometimes bring the baby in the vicinity of the tank.

He's not really next to it, but there is some light that falls onto his face/eyes.

Does anyone know if this could be a problem for his eyes? We're using B+ and C+ bulbs.
 
Anyone with opinions on what bulb combo to go with for my 125 gallon lps dominated reef. Fixture is 72inch aquatic life 12X39w. 6 bulbs on each side. Was thinking 8 blue+ 2 coral+ and 2 purple+. Any input or suggestions welcome
 
This thread is so large to search now...

Since the Purple + has so much red - Is it possible that this can lead to possible algae issues in the system?

I know alot of people (ToTM specifically) who use a Purple + bulb in their combination (which I simply copied) but I was considering dropping the Purple + because I have this linger nuissance algae despite my NO3 and PO4 levels reading zero. I am just trying to remove the factors that can be allowing this algae to linger in the system.
 
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