The T5 Q&a Thread - split

Not sure about AL bulbs but if you buy two supplementals I would go with either two ATI blue + or one Blue+/One ATI actinic. I prefer the look of two BLue plus and it has the 420 built in to it but I'm currently running one Blue + and one actinic for dusk dawn to see if my corals color up better. Running two blue + the tank is much brighter.
 
well i'll admit, i like a more blue looking tank, however that's where the AI leds come into play. in total i have 3 sol super blues and 3 hydras aswell but i haven't had as much success with the hydras as i did with the sol super blues.

i will be buying the ATI bulbs (holding out for boxing day sale soon :D )

this is the tank, crappy ipotato pic but you get the idea

image_zps1b4b5790.jpg


so basically the lights will go like this:



and i'll hang the entire shabang from the celing.
 
I have a 6 bulb sunpower. Thinking 4 blue plus, purple plus, GE 6500. I added one blue plus and took away an aqua blue special. This okay?
 
Hey Flexin, It's funny b/c i just retrofitted my 2 hydra's with 2 36" t5's. Here's a pic.



Tomorrow i'm heading over to Champion Lighting supply to pick up some geisman bulbs but unsure what combo. The bulbs in the pic are WAY old. I was thinking super actinic and a super purple.
 
I have a 6 bulb sunpower. Thinking 4 blue plus, purple plus, GE 6500. I added one blue plus and took away an aqua blue special. This okay?


I would think it's fine. I use 4 b+ and 2 c+ in mine and I love the look. I'm pretty sure you could use b+ as a stand alone bulb so adding one more is not an issue. I tried p+ alone and with coral+ and didn't find it appealing, but I hear it looks good with a 6500k near it. Maybe some pics once you get them lined up
 
I'm pretty sure you could use b+ as a stand alone bulb so adding one more is not an issue.

If you used B+ as a stand alone bulb, then what how would your fish and those corals with reflective pigments look? Mixing B+ with white tubes, such as coral +, is a good idea to have a balanced spectrum, so that your yellow tang or pink stylophora, for example, would look yellow and pink.
 
If you used B+ as a stand alone bulb, then what how would your fish and those corals with reflective pigments look? Mixing B+ with white tubes, such as coral +, is a good idea to have a balanced spectrum, so that your yellow tang or pink stylophora, for example, would look yellow and pink.


I wouldn't do it personally, but I remember an ati rep saying that on this thread I believe. It may not look the best to our eyes, but will grow coral, this was the impression I gathered.
 
Ok guys I've been toying with the idea of retrofitting T5's around my Hydra 52s, but I really feel like doing a retrofit will not be the best in the long run and have been reading about cooling the bulbs and other issues. I like the idea of just having something ready to go out of the box.

I think I'm sort of leaning toward just getting an 6bulb or 8 bulb powermodule and just hanging it inside my canopy. The tank is 50*24*18 if I didnt say that already before. I worry about the extra weight though hanging on the tank. I think the dimensions of the tank allow some extra room however than a std 48" tank. I would be hanging such that 3-4" are left above the light. I also would cut out a few spots for venting.

Please give me some feedback on this as most of the lights are now great buys due to Black Friday deals.
 
Because your tank is shallow (18" high?), you will find that unless you hang it high, e.g. 8" over the water surface, a power module will cast HUGE amount of light over your corals. This is what I found out when I switched from 6 X 39W sunpower to 8 X 39W Powermodule with ATI bulbs (5 X ATI Blue + and 3 X ATI Coral +). I measured over 300 mmol PAR on the sand bed. This may be too much for some corals if you have a mixed tank with LPS. If you can address the hanging issue, then I think you will not regret a Powermodule.

One way of addressing this issue is to buy a dimmable unit, of course. However, I am led to believe that dimmable units shorten the longevity of T5 tubes. As you already know, I would like to be able to use my tubes for at least 10 months before replacing them.
 
Ok guys I've been toying with the idea of retrofitting T5's around my Hydra 52s, but I really feel like doing a retrofit will not be the best in the long run and have been reading about cooling the bulbs and other issues. I like the idea of just having something ready to go out of the box.

I think I'm sort of leaning toward just getting an 6bulb or 8 bulb powermodule and just hanging it inside my canopy. The tank is 50*24*18 if I didnt say that already before. I worry about the extra weight though hanging on the tank. I think the dimensions of the tank allow some extra room however than a std 48" tank. I would be hanging such that 3-4" are left above the light. I also would cut out a few spots for venting.

Please give me some feedback on this as most of the lights are now great buys due to Black Friday deals.

Hanging in a canopy can be done but you must set it up properly. You'll need venting on the side where the hot air escapes or you'll fry your fixture.

Also, you'll usually void any warranty if put in a canopy. Just an FYI
 
So lets leave the Powermodule out and just talk about the 6 or 8 bulb non-dim. Sunpower.

I'm thinking the 6 bulb fixture with a couple of LED strips or Kessil 150s for shimmer.

Yes the tank is 24" wide and 18" deep. I plan on having only stony corals.
 
I currently run this in 8x60 fixture
Blue plus
Purple plus
Blue plus
Midday 6000
Blue plus
Purple plus
Blue plus
Blue plus
What changes would you make as way past time for new bulbs.
 
So lets leave the Powermodule out and just talk about the 6 or 8 bulb non-dim. Sunpower.

I'm thinking the 6 bulb fixture with a couple of LED strips or Kessil 150s for shimmer.

Yes the tank is 24" wide and 18" deep. I plan on having only stony corals.

6 bulb with LED strips will work. 8 bulbs would cover the entire tank better so if you want to pack the tank with SPS then that's a good choice. Adding LED strips to the 8 bulb may not work as you'll run out of room at some point
 
Hey Flexin, It's funny b/c i just retrofitted my 2 hydra's with 2 36" t5's. Here's a pic.



Tomorrow i'm heading over to Champion Lighting supply to pick up some geisman bulbs but unsure what combo. The bulbs in the pic are WAY old. I was thinking super actinic and a super purple.

Oh nice! Seems like most people are supplementing with t5s for their led setups. If I were to keep a softie or Lps tank I would keep the straight led but for some reason it's just not happening with sps.

I got my T5s lights setup aswell, sorry bad pics I can't find my memory cards lol



The stock bulbs were way too white for my taste, so I replaced all 4 with ati blue plus:



I took a few sps out of the old tank for testing. Two red planet frags, a forest fire digi, a red digi, and a pink lemonaide. I noticed the tips are getting a little bleached while the body is browned out, the forest fire seems to be doing well tho, I think they are adjusting to the new tank but I think I'll have to raise and hang the entire setup.
 
Hello everybody :)


i'm setting up af frag tank with 4 54w t5 over, the height of the tank will be 12".

Ideally i would like a nice mix of growth and coloration
what 4 ATI bulbs would you choose

Regards
 
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