The T5 Q&a Thread - split

[bucfan]

Ok I tried this tonight and a KZ Fiji Purple and two Aquablue Azures will get you close......t

How about this combo:

ATI Blue+
Gi Aquablue Azure
ATI Coral+
Gi Actinic Blue
Gi Tropic
ATI Actinic
ATI Purple
ATI Blue+

Now wondering if the above sequence of placement is good? Also should I swap the Coral+ for Blue+ to get it more blue?

 

[mhucasey]

Im really not sure how that would look as I don't have experience with the Tropic. I think that you are on the right track with swapping out the coral plus with a blue plus if it is too red, if it is still too red at that point put the coral plus back in and swap out the tropic or the purple with the blue bulb and see how that looks.

 

[kmu]

Hi guys,

Ive been a T5 fan for ever, tried all of the lighting set ups, metal halides, VHOs, leds... The best combo to my likes was Radium Metal halide and T5s, hated my led set up color of just white and blue leds (thats all there was on the market several years ago)

On my current set up Ive runned Hydra LEDs for almost a year, the color is OK but still shadowing and I think the color could look better. I need to add $1,000+ of LED lights to cover the shadowing and over 300 watts of extra power.

I think a 2x54 watt T5 retro with a ATi purple plus and a ATI blue plus will increase the color and also cover a lot of the shadowing. I think the T5 is a no brainer with probably 1/3 of the wattage vs adding for LED fixtures

Which T5 retro do you guys think would be my best bet to hang with my Aqua illumination fixture and rails?

 

[JOEYRM7]

I have been running AI Hydras over a 36x20x20 mixed reef. I just ordered an ATI 4 bulb hybrid and need some help on settings and acclimation. I ordered 2 ATi blue+ and 2 ATI coral plus.
Should I run the T5's at full power from day 1 and how should I ramp up the LED's? What time schedules are best from the outset and ultimately? I wasn't satisfied with the color and growth from led's alone and hopefully this fixture will help. Thanks for the help.

 

[swk]

Congrats on the purchase. I think you bought the best hybrid fixture on the market.

I would run the t5s full blast and supplement with the leds. I can't help you with the specifics as I only use a t5 only fixture. Please post pics once you get it set up!

 

[JOEYRM7]

Thanks. Will do. Others agree?

Also, how high should it hang AWL?

 

[rogergolf66]

What ballast and where to buy? It will be for 60inch t5s. Can I buy the ballast that ati run? If so what r they and where to get them?

 

[bucfan]

Im really not sure how that would look as I don't have experience with the Tropic. I think that you are on the right track with swapping out the coral plus with a blue plus if it is too red, if it is still too red at that point put the coral plus back in and swap out the tropic or the purple with the blue bulb and see how that looks.

Went with the combo except swapped the Coral+ for another Gi Aquablue Azure (awesome lamp). This set up has great colors. And the Gi Tropic is an intense yellow lamp. Almost like a daylight lamp.

 

[mhucasey]

Went with the combo except swapped the Coral+ for another Gi Aquablue Azure (awesome lamp). This set up has great colors. And the Gi Tropic is an intense yellow lamp. Almost like a daylight lamp.

I'm very glad you like it!!!

 

[Aaron143]

What 4 bulb combination would you guys recommend to have my corals really POP? The bulbs I'm asking about are more so for taking pictures of the various corals, not really growing them out. I know actinic will get me that, but do I want to use ALL straight actinic? Or is there a better selection? I'm new to all of the different color bulbs ATI has out there now. Thanks for any and all of your input!

 

[bucfan]

I just switched from a 4 bulb T5 to a 8 bulb unit. Was running my old bulbs 6 hours. Wondering how I should run the new one. I currently have 4 bulbs on 6 hours and the other 4 growth bulbs on 3.5 hours.

 

[mhucasey]

You can run the two bulbs(blue) for 11-12 hours and add the other six for between 6 and 8 hours somewhere in the middle of the 11-12 hour period

 

[Chrisq0904]

I just setup a new tank as an upgrade from my 57 to an80 and I am currently running LED's because I used to run them on my old tank. I was thinking of possibly adding two bulbs one on the front and one on the back. I still have some spots that have some shadowing in the tank which is why I was thinking of adding T5's. I was wondering what DIY kit should I get and what would be the best bulbs to use?

 

[bucfan]

You can run the two bulbs(blue) for 11-12 hours and add the other six for between 6 and 8 hours somewhere in the middle of the 11-12 hour period

Lamp allows only 4 lamps controlled as set not 2.

 

[Kyuss]

What ballast and where to buy? It will be for 60inch t5s. Can I buy the ballast that ati run? If so what r they and where to get them?

The HEP Group ballasts in the LET Miro-4 retrofit kits are the same as ATI uses, and the reflectors in that kit are supposedly really good as well. Naturally BRS carries them except for the 5' 80W kit, and if you need just ballasts and not the whole kit, I can't help you there either as I can't find them anywhere - I'm not even sure they make them anymore at this point.

I just lost a ballast this weekend on my 4x 80w setup so did quite a bit of searching. There's not much out there at all for any proper F80T5 ballasts, at least going by what the manufacturers state, and then to find them actually in stock is another hurdle. So I ended up ordering Sola ballasts from 1000bulbs as it appeared they were in stock - programmed rapid start, ok specs, 5yr manufacture warranty. Today it shows on their site they're back-ordered til 3/4/15 and I get an email telling me the same thing. Gee thanks, I'm having flashbacks to ordering stuff online in the 1990s. :headwalls: I don't keep SPS, but after just buying new bulbs a few weeks ago and now this, LEDs sure are looking tempting.

 

[mhucasey]

Lamp allows only 4 lamps controlled as set not 2.

Hmmm. Interesting. Well I intentionally rewired my ATI Sunpower so that the 4 middle bulbs of my 8 Bulb unit are on one circuit and the other four are on a second circuit. Its a little experiment of mine - I put two blue and two actinic in the center, and I have the three white and one Fiji purple bulbs on the outside. I am running the blue/actinics for 11.5 hours and the whites for 6 hours. Its been like this since the 26th and everything is doing great. As long as your blue bulbs are on one circuit you can keep them on for up to the 12 hour mark. In my mind the whites and purples need to be limited to no more than 8 hours max.

 

[tkeracer619]

I'm facing what I believe is two options in my new fixture, I'm not really interested in LED but if someone has a good suggestion I won't immediately shoot it down. I want to add another row of bulbs to reinforce the left and right side as well as balance out the color. I didn't really intend on adding another row of bulbs so there is only 2" left between the current reflectors and the inside of the fixture. Hello Lights has a 2" wide t5 reflector so I could stuff one more t5 on each side. A t12 bulb also fits.

I would need the bulbs, reflectors, and end caps if I go t5. I have the ballast.
I would need the bulbs and ballast if I went t12. I have the endcaps.

I'm not sure which way to go. I am assuming I will get more light from the vho and I may be able to aim them in a bit towards the middle of the tank reducing their spill over. If I go t5 I think those are the only reflectors available that will fit. I am afraid I will lose half the light from the bulbs from spillover since they will be pointing straight down. I am not sure how good those reflectors are anyways with those dimensions (31" x 2" x 1") vs the internal t12 reflector, the efficiency of t5 might very well be a wash. I may be able to lower the fixture a couple inches since replacing the mh reflectors with lumenarcs, the spread is way better. If I could reinforce with a daylight bulb along the sides I think it would be perfect!

My current bulbs are
2x 250w radium 20k - galaxy select-a-watt.
2x 39w ATI Purple Plus T5 - Sylvania 51479
4x 39w ATI Blue Plus T5 - Sylvania 51479

If it were a perfect word I would add an actinic and a white bulb but no room so...

Do I run the t5 or t12?
Do I go actinic white, 12k, 10k ect? I'm looking for something that will be close to radiums. The radiums do hit the entire tank, it just isn't as intense around the two sides.

This tank houses Bubble Tip Anemones. This fixture puts out a lot of light :bum:, but a few of them could use a tad bit more daylight.

 

[heritage]

tkeracer619, First, Great looking tank !

Not sure but I do remember seeing t5 reflectors that had clips that would snap on to the bulb so you could angle them in the direction you needed. unfortunately I think it was reef geek that had them.

 

[tkeracer619]

tkeracer619, First, Great looking tank !

Not sure but I do remember seeing t5 reflectors that had clips that would snap on to the bulb so you could angle them in the direction you needed. unfortunately I think it was reef geek that had them.

Thank you! I'm really enjoying it. Still a wip. I tore my meniscus in half 20 minutes after transferring the livestock so I have been working on it as I can. Sand, some huge foam blocks for the closed loop, and more rock to come soon. I wanna get the lighting right before anything though.

Most of the reflectors come with the clips these days, given the space restraints I don't think angling them will work. I could get maybe 10 degrees. I'd have to investigate the angle issue some more tomorrow to see what would be possible. I'm icing my knees for the remainder of the evening ...

The list of bulbs reefgeek has are

Aquamedic-
Reef Blue
6500k
10000k
15000k

Coralife -
Colormax
6700k

Fiji Purple

Of these bulbs the Aquamedic 15k or 10k looks like the best choice. I am not against ordering bulbs somewhere else if I go t5 if there is a specific bulb you folks think would look better and have higher par.

 

[tkeracer619]

ttt