The T5 Q&a Thread - split

[wcharon]

I'll try and get one up soon. The pics with my iPhone come out looking extra blue, it really does not resemble the actual color at all.

Ok. Thanks. Just to get an idea and see how it can compare with my actual combination of 3 B+, 1P+, 1 True Actinic and 1 C+.

 

[archmod]

Actinic Violet and "Purple" bulbs are two different things, the Purple bulbs are red and blue dominant bulbs. In my opinion you need a purple bulb regardless to bring out the reds. I use the following on my tank:
Front to back:
Blue Plus
Aquablue Azure
Super actinic
Fiji Purple
Super Actinic
Actinic Blue
Aquablue Special
KZ New Gen

This produces a very rich, colorful tank with a overall white color, just a tinge of blue. My tank with this combo:

A little less blue in real life...

mhucasey...just finished reading the last 50 pages or so of this thread and I want to say thank you very much for all the time you spend answering questions!! (Thanks to TropTrea as well) I have a couple of questions:

1. a few pages back you seemed to have settled on the bulb combo above. Shortly after you started your second tank and never really mentioned how this combo worked long term for growth/coloration. I really like the color from your pictures and am curious.

2. You mention you typically run one channel for 11.5 hours and your main channel for around 6.5 hours. I picked up a Pacific Sun Diuna which is an 8 bulb fixture and I can control 4 channels independently. Would this change your timing at all? Reason I ask is that all the acroporas are very happy but I have two monti's and a ponape birdnest that are fading. I currently run 1 channel for 8 hours (Actinic +, pure actinic) and the rest run for 5 hours. I am concerned about adding time to my schedule...

Front
Pac sun crystal blue
PS crystal blue
PS pigment INT
Actinic +
Pure actinic
PS pigment
PS Spectra
PS crystal blue
Back

 

[mhucasey]

mhucasey...just finished reading the last 50 pages or so of this thread and I want to say thank you very much for all the time you spend answering questions!! (Thanks to TropTrea as well) I have a couple of questions:

1. a few pages back you seemed to have settled on the bulb combo above. Shortly after you started your second tank and never really mentioned how this combo worked long term for growth/coloration. I really like the color from your pictures and am curious.

2. You mention you typically run one channel for 11.5 hours and your main channel for around 6.5 hours. I picked up a Pacific Sun Diuna which is an 8 bulb fixture and I can control 4 channels independently. Would this change your timing at all? Reason I ask is that all the acroporas are very happy but I have two monti's and a ponape birdnest that are fading. I currently run 1 channel for 8 hours (Actinic +, pure actinic) and the rest run for 5 hours. I am concerned about adding time to my schedule...

Front
Pac sun crystal blue
PS crystal blue
PS pigment INT
Actinic +
Pure actinic
PS pigment
PS Spectra
PS crystal blue
Back

First off, thanks very much for the kind words!

That combo worked very well for color and growth and I kept it for a decent amount of time(for me). The tweaks to the mix of bulbs I make are really more for my visual enjoyment then to find the magic mix that will make the corals grow.

After looking at a lot of threads and significantly different bulb mixes that resulted in great coral colors and growth, it became obvious to me that it comes down to how the lights make the corals look to you that is most important.

I also tried the two groups of four bulbs as an experiment(I rewired my fixture) and it didn't seem to affect the corals much in either a positive or negative way. I still stick to the 11.5 hour/6.5 hour photoperiod recommendation even if its the 4 bulbs that are on longest. Your montis and birdsnest corals could be just up a bit too high, or it could be a nutrient issue. I had montis getting well over 500 par with no issues so its too little to go on right now.

Now that I have two tanks and three fixtures, I have been trying to come up with a formula for the mix that I like(So I can hopefully stick to it long term and reproduce it easily). The general formula is that for every 8 bulbs, I want 2 Purple, 1-2 ABS and the rest blue. Swap out a blue or two with a New Gen or Aquablue Azure(neutral white) to make it brighter.

I tried the following on the 8 bulb fixture and really liked it for the LPS heavy tank: B+, Fiji Purple, Superblue, B+, ABS, B+, Fiji Purple, B+ It looks amazing on that tank and I don't want it any brighter. I then tried to reproduce the color mix, but a bit brighter using the two six-bulb fixtures on the other tank. After a lot of trial and error and the formula above, I think its pretty good now.

From one side to the other, the mix is as follows:
KZ new Gen, B+, Fiji purple, ABS, B+, Fiji Purple, Coral Light(Same as ABS), B+, B+, Fiji Purple, SuperBlue, KZ New Gen.

So 3 purple, 2 ABS-type, 2 neutral white, 5 Blue.


So for your Proposed mix,
You have 2 Purple bulbs(pigment int)
1 White bulb(Spectra, Like a coral plus)
One actinic
4 Blue
I think thats a good mix visually, the spectra has a little more red and a little less green than an ABS or Pacific Sun's "Shallow Water", but that is balanced by the addition of the actinic bulb, which adds some 420 nanometer and green, without adding more blue.

If you like the look I don't see any reason to change, there is a good representation of all the important parts of the spectrum and with that many bulbs your par will be plenty.

 

[shred5]

First off, thanks very much for the kind words!

That combo worked very well for color and growth and I kept it for a decent amount of time(for me). The tweaks to the mix of bulbs I make are really more for my visual enjoyment then to find the magic mix that will make the corals grow.

After looking at a lot of threads and significantly different bulb mixes that resulted in great coral colors and growth, it became obvious to me that it comes down to how the lights make the corals look to you that is most important.

I also tried the two groups of four bulbs as an experiment(I rewired my fixture) and it didn't seem to affect the corals much in either a positive or negative way. I still stick to the 11.5 hour/6.5 hour photoperiod recommendation even if its the 4 bulbs that are on longest. Your montis and birdsnest corals could be just up a bit too high, or it could be a nutrient issue. I had montis getting well over 500 par with no issues so its too little to go on right now.

Now that I have two tanks and three fixtures, I have been trying to come up with a formula for the mix that I like(So I can hopefully stick to it long term and reproduce it easily). The general formula is that for every 8 bulbs, I want 2 Purple, 1-2 ABS and the rest blue. Swap out a blue or two with a New Gen or Aquablue Azure(neutral white) to make it brighter.

I tried the following on the 8 bulb fixture and really liked it for the LPS heavy tank: B+, Fiji Purple, Superblue, B+, ABS, B+, Fiji Purple, B+ It looks amazing on that tank and I don't want it any brighter. I then tried to reproduce the color mix, but a bit brighter using the two six-bulb fixtures on the other tank. After a lot of trial and error and the formula above, I think its pretty good now.

From one side to the other, the mix is as follows:
KZ new Gen, B+, Fiji purple, ABS, B+, Fiji Purple, Coral Light(Same as ABS), B+, B+, Fiji Purple, SuperBlue, KZ New Gen.

So 3 purple, 2 ABS-type, 2 neutral white, 5 Blue.


So for your Proposed mix,
You have 2 Purple bulbs(pigment int)
1 White bulb(Spectra, Like a coral plus)
One actinic
4 Blue
I think thats a good mix visually, the spectra has a little more red and a little less green than an ABS or Pacific Sun's "Shallow Water", but that is balanced by the addition of the actinic bulb, which adds some 420 nanometer and green, without adding more blue.

If you like the look I don't see any reason to change, there is a good representation of all the important parts of the spectrum and with that many bulbs your par will be plenty.

The aquablue azure is a lamp I have not tried.. The lamp sounds nice and I am going to order some in my next order. I want to try them in place of my purple lamps which I hate the looks of but my corals really seem to like. I run one super purple and one aquablue coral for daylight. I also run 2 super actinic and 2 actinic blues for blue.. My corals seem to like this combination allot and I mean allot, so much I am afraid to switch out...

 

[bucfan]

The general formula is that for every 8 bulbs, I want 2 Purple, 1-2 ABS and the rest blue. Swap out a blue or two with a New Gen or Aquablue Azure(neutral white) to make it brighter.

Using the above principal I plan to go with this combo for my next set of bulbs. 4 ATI B+, 2 Gies Super Purple, 2 ATI ABS. I am dropping my current Actinic, Tropic and Aquablue Azure from the mix to go more blue. From an install standpoint how would you place the bulbs. I was planning for B+, SP, ABS, B+, B+, ABS, SP, B+. Is that good? The outer 2 bulbs run 8 hours and the inner 2 run 3 hours.

 

[shred5]

Using the above principal I plan to go with this combo for my next set of bulbs. 4 ATI B+, 2 Gies Super Purple, 2 ATI ABS. I am dropping my current Actinic, Tropic and Aquablue Azure from the mix to go more blue. From an install standpoint how would you place the bulbs. I was planning for B+, SP, ABS, B+, B+, ABS, SP, B+. Is that good? The outer 2 bulbs run 8 hours and the inner 2 run 3 hours.

Just getting rid of the tropic is allot.. That lamp is like the GE 6500 and has massive yellow and green and can wash out any lamp. It is good for frag tanks where you want lots of growth but for aesthetics it not good.

I like actinic lamps they add some pop, they are lower on par..

 

[jdraider75]

If you run the tropic or the ge6500k you should run with 2 super purple and the rest blue to tone down the yellow look of the bulb. I run it on my sps display with a blue reef Brite and I like the look and growth of the Combo.

 

[Idal305]

Just received my 6x24 sunpower, so excited :beer:

So far I'm running front to back

Blue+
Super actinic
Aqua blue azure
Fiji purple
Actinic blue
Aquablue azure

I plan on running my long cycle 11.5 hrs and my short cycle 6.5hrs. Currently my long cycle is slot 2 and 5 being super actinic and actinic blue. What would you run for the long cycle?

Love the balance of the colors when all the bulbs are on.

If I wanted to give the tank a tad bit bluer look when all the bulbs are on, what would you recommend. I was thinking swapping the second aquablue azure for another actinic blue or even trying a super actinic.

So far I'm using blue+ and super actinic fory dusk/dawn. Liked it a little more than actinic blue and super actinic. Blue+ brightens up the tank a little more for viewing pleasure.

 

[archmod]

After looking at a lot of threads and significantly different bulb mixes that resulted in great coral colors and growth, it became obvious to me that it comes down to how the lights make the corals look to you that is most important.

Interesting point...I have been noticing this as well in my research. Seems the old "white light grows and blue light colors up" that applies to halides does not necessarily apply to T5 as PAR seems good on most bulbs and we can also fine tune the spectrum...as long as the overall spectrum is covered and you don't go all blue

 

[DavidinGA]

Having brought up the old ge 6500 tubes thought, has anyone ran a frag tank with those ge bulbs vs another frag tank with better color bulbs for a growth comparison?

 

[bucfan]

If you run the tropic or the ge6500k you should run with 2 super purple and the rest blue to tone down the yellow look of the bulb. I run it on my sps display with a blue reef Brite and I like the look and growth of the Combo.

So then should I go with 2 Tropics, 2 Super Purple and 4 Blue+? That gives me great growth and color.

 

[jdraider75]

So then should I go with 2 Tropics, 2 Super Purple and 4 Blue+? That gives me great growth and color.

I say if your happy with the look and results why change. Me personally I would only run 1 tropic. My line up in a ATI sun power is
Front
Blue reef brite
Blue plus
Fiji purple
Blue plus
Ge 6500k
Blue plus
Blue plus
Fiji purple
Blue plus
I run reef Brite and bulbs 3 and 6 for 10 hours
The rest I ru 5 hours. Great color and growth. Fixture is hung I inches above water. I can grow across anywhere in my tank. I really like the combo. I haven't used any of the geismann bulbs but they sound very similar or even the same as ATI. I contacted Adam at battle corals and he said they are pretty much same thing. I think at bulb change time I will try the geismann linup.

 

[bucfan]

I say if your happy with the look and results why change. Me personally I would only run 1 tropic. My line up in a ATI sun power is

Front

Blue reef brite

Blue plus

Fiji purple

Blue plus

Ge 6500k

Blue plus

Blue plus

Fiji purple

Blue plus

I run reef Brite and bulbs 3 and 6 for 10 hours

The rest I ru 5 hours. Great color and growth. Fixture is hung I inches above water. I can grow across anywhere in my tank. I really like the combo. I haven't used any of the geismann bulbs but they sound very similar or even the same as ATI. I contacted Adam at battle corals and he said they are pretty much same thing. I think at bulb change time I will try the geismann linup.

Good info. Is that a 1 or 11 inches above water? How deep is your tank? Also, how do you get away with a single Reef Brite?

 

[shred5]

Interesting point...I have been noticing this as well in my research. Seems the old "white light grows and blue light colors up" that applies to halides does not necessarily apply to T5 as PAR seems good on most bulbs and we can also fine tune the spectrum...as long as the overall spectrum is covered and you don't go all blue

Lamps in the 6500 k usually have more par and a wider spectrum of light..
Actually some 6500k lamps have almost more blue than bluer lamps.. The bluer lamps usually just have less of the other spectrum's..

Yes par is not a issue much anymore if you have a decent fixture and lamps.. This is halides, T5 and leds so basically it comes down to spectrum and what you like.

What I don't think people realize is coloration has to do almost as much with spectrum the coral prefers as well as spectrum a coral does not like.. Corals don't care for red or uv so they create pigments and proteins to either block or change the colors of these spectrum's of light .. These proteins and pigments are what create the colors in corals.. There are also ones that are made to enhance the spectrum they like..

This is mainly with sps and shallower water corals that are used to a wide spectrum of light and UV.

People focus so much on par because of photosynthesis but there is so much more ..

 

[jdraider75]

Good info. Is that a 1 or 11 inches above water? How deep is your tank? Also, how do you get away with a single Reef Brite?

Sorry lol. Can't type today. 8 inches above water. Tank is a 120 gallon. 48x24x24. I only use the reef Brite for added color and a little actinic pop after t5 shut off. Park on sand bed is around 280 with all lights on. 48 inch 8 bulb sunpower. I will probably add another reef Brite soon so I have one in front and back.

The 5 blue plus 2 purple and get 6500k combo was recommended to me by Grimm Reefer when he was still on this thread.

 

[mhucasey]

Using the above principal I plan to go with this combo for my next set of bulbs. 4 ATI B+, 2 Gies Super Purple, 2 ATI ABS. I am dropping my current Actinic, Tropic and Aquablue Azure from the mix to go more blue. From an install standpoint how would you place the bulbs. I was planning for B+, SP, ABS, B+, B+, ABS, SP, B+. Is that good? The outer 2 bulbs run 8 hours and the inner 2 run 3 hours.

If you want to go more blue I'd stick with one Azure - its a very neutral blue white. I run 5 blues, one ABS and two purples. I came to this because an LFS here uses only blues and purples, and swears by it. He seems to have good results, lots of fixtures and lots of high end corals. So gave it a shot, and it does look pretty rich(2 purples and 6 blues). It was just a little dim for my tastes and the yellows looked a little greenish yellow for me.

I then added the ABS and it corrected the issue. This tank is LPS heavy and I'm planning on running the bulbs there as long as possible, so this is really the bulb hand-me down/reject bulb tank. Anyhow, the one ABS did the trick. Its definitely more bluish than I would prefer for an SPS only tank. I put one ABS in for a comparison for you and I think it would be too white/washed out if you are looking for a bluer mix.

Two ABS:

One ABS:

For the arrangement, B+, SP, B+, ABS, B+, B+, SP, B+ for one ABS, for two your arrangement looks good.

 

[mhucasey]

If I wanted to give the tank a tad bit bluer look when all the bulbs are on, what would you recommend. I was thinking swapping the second aquablue azure for another actinic blue or even trying a super actinic.

So far I'm using blue+ and super actinic fory dusk/dawn. Liked it a little more than actinic blue and super actinic. Blue+ brightens up the tank a little more for viewing pleasure.

To go Bluer, you could replace the Actinic with a blue. Replacing the Azure with a blue will just make the tank seem dimmer but not more shifted toward blue in my experience.

 

[mhucasey]

Using the above principal I plan to go with this combo for my next set of bulbs. 4 ATI B+, 2 Gies Super Purple, 2 ATI ABS. I am dropping my current Actinic, Tropic and Aquablue Azure from the mix to go more blue. From an install standpoint how would you place the bulbs. I was planning for B+, SP, ABS, B+, B+, ABS, SP, B+. Is that good? The outer 2 bulbs run 8 hours and the inner 2 run 3 hours.

Oh, I forgot to ask...why so short for photoperiod? The time for all the bulbs to be on should be 6-8 hours. The time for the two bulbs to be on is really up to you, its for your viewing pleasure and for the fish to have a normal day/night cycle, this is typically 11-12 hours.

 

[mhucasey]

Interesting point...I have been noticing this as well in my research. Seems the old "white light grows and blue light colors up" that applies to halides does not necessarily apply to T5 as PAR seems good on most bulbs and we can also fine tune the spectrum...as long as the overall spectrum is covered and you don't go all blue

Yes and this is a big point in favor of T5s. They are hard to screw up as long as you have a decent fixture. Tom here on reef central has a frag tank with a 1:1 ABS and Actinic ratio with unreal colors and growth, I tried that mix and for me it looks like doo doo. But it works.
I've seen tanks with only actinic bulbs(frag tanks usually), only Blue and actinics, and in Europe, plenty of tanks with no blue bulbs at all, or maybe just one or two.
For every variation, I have seen success. Krzytoff had a mix for a long time that I tried out and for me it was too washed out and white. Just recently he posted his current mix, which is too blue for my tastes. Its really up to you because they all work.

 

[mhucasey]

So then should I go with 2 Tropics, 2 Super Purple and 4 Blue+? That gives me great growth and color.

I think that will be very ugly. It will probably grow coral well but that is a lot of red and yellow.