The T5 Q&a Thread - split

[rtparty]

No i dont mean shimmer...

I mean the leds make the greens pop more For example ..

But i cant wait to see how my corals react.. So no complaints.. Yet

Nothing else will fluoresce corals like blue LEDs. For that purpose, they are amazing

 

[mmn]

One 72" or 2 32"?

One 72" or 2 32"?

Hi

I've got a 125g I'm setting up for fowlr and some starter corals later. Looking at Aquatic Life T5HO. My ? is are there pros/cons to using one full length fixture vs. 2 half length? Price is about the same. I didn't look yet to see what the difference in power usage might be, but I would think it's negligible.

Regards
Michael

 

[rtparty]

Hi

I've got a 125g I'm setting up for fowlr and some starter corals later. Looking at Aquatic Life T5HO. My ? is are there pros/cons to using one full length fixture vs. 2 half length? Price is about the same. I didn't look yet to see what the difference in power usage might be, but I would think it's negligible.

Regards
Michael

If I understand correctly, your tank is 72" and you're looking at the 72" AL fixture?

One drawback is the amount of bulbs you have to replace every year. 12 bulbs can run about $300. A good 6 bulb unit that is 60" in length will cover the tank just fine. Then bulbs only run about $150 a year.

Then throw on top that stock AL bulbs aren't the greatest and you might as well just throw down for an ATI with good bulbs from the beginning.

 

[1MP3R1AL]

So I am making a custom T5/LED rig using a 6 bulb fixture and i am trying to figure out the best T5 bulb layout for the best aesthetics and growth.

Ill be using 2 13UP led pucks on the section marked X on the diagram below. So no bulb there, that leaves me only 5 bulbs left.

Which ATI bulbs would YOU prefer? I can always color shift with the 13UP pucks if need be. I am only using the LEDS for sunrise, sunset, and shimmer.

So far I'm thinking:

1: Blue +
2: Coral +
3: X
4: Aqua Blue Special
5: Purple +
6: Blue +

But would it be to white/pink?

 

[TheAquatect]

It's about time to replace my t5's and I am considering a change and wanted to get some opinions. I have a 8 bulb tek fixture over a 150g tall tank (31" tall) and i normally keep the fixture 6" above the tank. Here is the bulb configuration I started with, from front to back:

Blue +
Purple +
Blue +
Coral +
Blue +
Purple +
Blue +
Blue +

I liked it a lot, but it was a bit too blue for me so when it came time for my first bulb change I switched it to

Blue +
Purple +
Coral +
Blue +
Blue +
Coral +
Blue +
Blue +

I wanted a bit of a whiter light and the results are ok, but to be honest, the prior config was a bit better. I did a fair bit of research on the spectrums for the various ATI bulbs and I find the Actinic/Blue+ combo to be most visually appealing with the Purple+/Blue+ combo running a close second. I also like the Aqua blue specials peak of green at 550nm, which makes the corals seem crisper and have better definition. I also understand that the ati true actinic output peaks around 430nm, which is a sweet-spot for coral photosynthesis.

So based on my new understanding, my goal is to blend these to get a light that is primarily blue from the blue+, dial back on the magenta by decreasing the Purple+, increase photosynthesis through the True Actinic and increase definition with the aqua blue special with this configuration, from front to back:

Blue +
True Actinic
Purple +
Blue +
True Actinic
Aqua Blue Special
Purple +
Blue +

Generally, what do you guys think of this layout? Would you have any suggestions on changes given the goals I mentioned above?

 

[mhucasey]

It's about time to replace my t5's and I am considering a change and wanted to get some opinions. I have a 8 bulb tek fixture over a 150g tall tank (31" tall) and i normally keep the fixture 6" above the tank. Here is the bulb configuration I started with, from front to back:

Blue +
Purple +
Blue +
Coral +
Blue +
Purple +
Blue +
Blue +

I liked it a lot, but it was a bit too blue for me so when it came time for my first bulb change I switched it to

Blue +
Purple +
Coral +
Blue +
Blue +
Coral +
Blue +
Blue +

I wanted a bit of a whiter light and the results are ok, but to be honest, the prior config was a bit better. I did a fair bit of research on the spectrums for the various ATI bulbs and I find the Actinic/Blue+ combo to be most visually appealing with the Purple+/Blue+ combo running a close second. I also like the Aqua blue specials peak of green at 550nm, which makes the corals seem crisper and have better definition. I also understand that the ati true actinic output peaks around 430nm, which is a sweet-spot for coral photosynthesis.

So based on my new understanding, my goal is to blend these to get a light that is primarily blue from the blue+, dial back on the magenta by decreasing the Purple+, increase photosynthesis through the True Actinic and increase definition with the aqua blue special with this configuration, from front to back:

Blue +
True Actinic
Purple +
Blue +
True Actinic
Aqua Blue Special
Purple +
Blue +

Generally, what do you guys think of this layout? Would you have any suggestions on changes given the goals I mentioned above?

I have been very happy with witching out some of the blue bulbs and replacing them with actinics, it is hard to describe how the overall quality of the light changes, but the Actinics were a welcome improvement to the mix. With them I was able to decrease the amount of blue bulbs to just one.
I also am giving a big plug to the Giesemann Aquablue Azure. It may be my favorite new white bulb!
My current combo:
KZ New Gen
Aquablue Azure
Super Actinic
KZ Fiji Purple
Super Actinic
Giesemann Actinic Blue
KZ New Gen
Aquablue Special

Your combo is very similar, I tried to purple bulbs with the two actinics and it looked good as well, just a touch too red for my tastes. You may need to switch out a blue bulb for a white if the brightness isn't high enough for you, but the Blue Plus bulbs may be just fine, they are pretty bright. Let us know what you think!

 

[mhucasey]

BTW in my experience, a KZ New Gen is a very balanced cool white bulb, and I have found that it can be swapped in to replace a blue plus bulb without affecting the overall color balance. Its like the brightness gets turned up a little, otherwise the overall look is the same as when the blue bulb was there.

 

[mmn]

If I understand correctly, your tank is 72" and you're looking at the 72" AL fixture?

One drawback is the amount of bulbs you have to replace every year. 12 bulbs can run about $300. A good 6 bulb unit that is 60" in length will cover the tank just fine. Then bulbs only run about $150 a year.

Then throw on top that stock AL bulbs aren't the greatest and you might as well just throw down for an ATI with good bulbs from the beginning.

Ok, didn't realize I didn't have to span the full 72". Also didn't know there was that much difference in quality between AL and ATI.

Thanks!

 

[stancfii]

I'm having a hard time finding actual PAR number for the ATI Coral Plus, how does it relate to the rest of the ATI bulbs? I'm running four 39w bulbs, retro fit in a canopy with the reefgeek LET kits and cooled with a fan over the labels. Currently I'm running:

Front:
Coral+
Blue+
Purple+
Blue+

It looks good, but I want it a tad more white, but keeping the actinic pop. Should I swap the rear b+ out with a c+? I have an ABS, but dislike how bad it washes out the colors. I also have a GE6500k, Actinic+, and RedSea 22k bulbs to make a mix with. I have SPS half-way down the aquarium.

 

[stancfii]

Played around w some bulb combos, think I settled on the following:

F-
Coral+
Blue+
GE6500k
Blue+
B-

I think I'll build an LED strip of RB to supplement and give some dusk/dawn pop.

 

[mhucasey]

I'm having a hard time finding actual PAR number for the ATI Coral Plus, how does it relate to the rest of the ATI bulbs? I'm running four 39w bulbs, retro fit in a canopy with the reefgeek LET kits and cooled with a fan over the labels. Currently I'm running:

Front:
Coral+
Blue+
Purple+
Blue+

It looks good, but I want it a tad more white, but keeping the actinic pop. Should I swap the rear b+ out with a c+? I have an ABS, but dislike how bad it washes out the colors. I also have a GE6500k, Actinic+, and RedSea 22k bulbs to make a mix with. I have SPS half-way down the aquarium.

The coral plus is a little higher than the Blue Plus, but lower than the Aquablue Special. I don't remember the exact numbers but I remember seeing them a while back.

 

[acabgd]

Did anyone else add an ATI Actinic bulb to their combo? I've been reading the latest posts and some people say it definitely helps the overall look and coral growth. Anyone else with such experience? I'm thinking about swapping either one B+ or my P+ with an Actinic bulb.

I'm not looking for those that always ran the Actinic bulb, but rather those who added it recently and if they've noticed any changes.

 

[wcharon]

At this point i am using ATI bulbs on my Sunpower which i am very satisfied. Have been using front to back:

Purple +
Blue +
Blue +
Coral +
Blue +
Coral +

This weekend Gisemann will be having a display overhere in PR and will like to know if anybody have been using their T5 and which combination or added Gisemann in conjuction with ATI bulbs?

This is just in case their bulbs are in offer and i can avoid expensive shipping rate here.

Thanks in advance..

 

[Dapg8gt]

At this point i am using ATI bulbs on my Sunpower which i am very satisfied. Have been using front to back:

Purple +
Blue +
Blue +
Coral +
Blue +
Coral +

This weekend Gisemann will be having a display overhere in PR and will like to know if anybody have been using their T5 and which combination or added Gisemann in conjuction with ATI bulbs?

This is just in case their bulbs are in offer and i can avoid expensive shipping rate here.

Thanks in advance..

I have been using them exclusively for 4 or so months and I really like them. So far they are on par with the ATI bulbs I've always run in my powermodule and sunpower but I like a few of the bulb colors better.

As of now front to back
Actinic blue
Actinic blue
Actinic blue
Aqua blue azure
Actinic blue
Super purple? ( not sure of the name off hand)
Aqua blue coral

might swap the bulbs around still but it's working so I may not =)

The Actinic blue is basically a Blue+ in par and close color rendition, aqua blue azure is a nice white bulb without much green like the Abs, the aqua blue coral is a really nice bright white/blue and doesn't muddle the colors like ABS does. Overall I feel the white additions to me the gmann look better than the ATI versions, but for blue + vs Actinic blue I'd say to me personally it's a toss up. I am getting great growth and color from these bulbs and I feel I will be using them for a while.

Here's a pic showing the bulb combo from a few months ago it's got some great growth since then..

 

[wcharon]

I have been using them exclusively for 4 or so months and I really like them. So far they are on par with the ATI bulbs I've always run in my powermodule and sunpower but I like a few of the bulb colors better.

As of now front to back
Actinic blue
Actinic blue
Actinic blue
Aqua blue azure
Actinic blue
Aqua blue coral
Super purple? ( not sure of the name off hand)
Actinic blue

I might swap the bulbs around still but it's working so I may not =)

The Actinic blue is basically a Blue+ in par and close color rendition, aqua blue azure is a nice white bulb without much green like the Abs, the aqua blue coral is a really nice bright white/blue and doesn't muddle the colors like ABS does. Overall I feel the white additions to me the gmann look better than the ATI versions, but for blue + vs Actinic blue I'd say to me personally it's a toss up. I am getting great growth and color from these bulbs and I feel I will be using them for a while.

Here's a pic showing the bulb combo from a few months ago it's got some great growth since then..

Thanks for the feedback...

See that you are using the Actinic blue. Did you test the Super Actinic of Gisemann? I am thinking to replace 1 blue + for an Actinic.

 

[mhucasey]

I have been using the giesemann aqua blue Azure, actinic blue, and super actinic for about a month now. I LOVE the Azure, it's a really nice white with a bit of blue and zero yellow cast. I will be buying more in the future for sure. The actinic blue is like a blue plus and actinic mixed together, it is a deeper blue than a blue plus or super blue and it brings out the corals' colors very nicely. I am interested to try the aqua blue coral next time I buy bulbs, I'm very impressed by the line of bulbs.

 

[wcharon]

I have been using the giesemann aqua blue Azure, actinic blue, and super actinic for about a month now. I LOVE the Azure, it's a really nice white with a bit of blue and zero yellow cast. I will be buying more in the future for sure. The actinic blue is like a blue plus and actinic mixed together, it is a deeper blue than a blue plus or super blue and it brings out the corals' colors very nicely. I am interested to try the aqua blue coral next time I buy bulbs, I'm very impressed by the line of bulbs.

Great... i see that you use both. Can you please explain me the difference brtween the Actinic blue vs the Super Actinic?

 

[Dapg8gt]

Thanks for the feedback...

See that you are using the Actinic blue. Did you test the Super Actinic of Gisemann? I am thinking to replace 1 blue + for an Actinic.

No I didn't I wish I had got one though I used ATI true actinic in the past so it would have been a good side by side to see as I still have new ones in my garage.

I may still trade a Actinic blue for a true actinic because I like the colors it brings out and I definitely have enough light that I won't be sacrificing par over the 105g. I just wanted to have a full run of all gmann bulbs to see if they are a viable contender against the ATI that I have run since I got back into T5's.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to be sticking with the gmann white offerings (azure, aqua blue coral) over the ATI coral plus and ABS from here on out.

 

[wcharon]

Thanks.... Let's see what Mhucasey can tell us of the difference between them.

 

[mhucasey]

Great... i see that you use both. Can you please explain me the difference brtween the Actinic blue vs the Super Actinic?

Actinic blue has significant output Violet and Blue wavelengths from 400Nm all the way through about 470:

Compare that to a blue plus, which peaks higher in the blue range and extends more toward the cyan:

The Super actinic is Violet only, not blue:

I have found it adds a lot of color without making the whole tank look bluish. When there is too much blue light it starts making other colors look different in my experience, i.e. reds look brownish, yellows look greenish, etc. I use two Super actinic in my 8 bulb sun power an absolutely love it.