The T5 Q&a Thread - split
- Thread starter eagle9252
- Start date
DiscusHeckel
Acropora Gardener
Good work. I am very impressed. Yesterday, I slightly modified the order of my tubes, i.e.:
front
blue+
coral+
actinic
abs
purple+
blue+
coral+
blue+
This combination, though it contains the same bulbs, looks slightly less white and somewhat more blue.
I will also experiment with the following:
front
blue+
coral+
actinic
purple+
abs
blue+
coral+
blue+
and
front
coral+
blue+
actinic
purple+
abs
blue+
coral+
blue+
Referring to your pictures, I think I prefer the first one. Have you tried 6 B+, 1 P+ and 1 ABS? You may get crispier look.
mhucasey
Acros & wieners, oh my!
Yep, I used that combo for a while but there was a slight yellowish brown that I dint like as much as with the purple and blue only.
swk
New member
In my 6 bulb, I'm currently using the geisseman equivalents of these, I think...
4 actinic blues
1 super purple
1 aquablue azure
It's the best combo I've used so far in my t5 "career". It's the first time i added a purple bulb and the corals responded almost immediately and alk demand shot up fairly dramatically. Suppose I could just be a coincidence, but i truly don't believe it to be the case. I think sps like the spectrum in a purple bulb.
DiscusHeckel
Acropora Gardener
I wonder if it is due to aqua blue special. I might swap it with another coral+ just for the sake of experiment as I have plenty of spares. I am a big fan of coral+.
I was not keen on purple+ in the past when I used it as part of my dawn-dusk setting (i.e. the second tube from the front in a 6-tube combo). My tank looked too purple to my liking. However, in my latest configuration is it behind abs, which masks the purple hue.
Purple+'s blue peak is the same as that of blue+ so I am not surprised that you noticed increase in coral growth. In my T5 "career" (lol), the best combination for coral growth was 5 blue+ and 3 coral+. I could not keep up with the growth in some corals (especially staghorns). It was ridiculous. However, the overall spectrum lacked something in that purples looked slightly "washed".
As for Giesemann, I tend to use ATI tubes only because of their longevity. I used my last batch of eight tubes for 11 months. I detected spectrum shift after this period though in PAR terms I still got very good readings.
A recent research suggests that Guisemann tubes lose their PAR sooner than ATI tubes.
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Chris Abbott
New member
Lots to read to catch up, new to t5. So far most things appear to be liking the change to t5.
mY question is about SPS under t5. With 4 quality bulbs four inches off the water how far down into tank can I expect decent par for SPS?
Can I expect the Strawberry shortcake acro that's 4 inches down to get what it needs?
mY question is about SPS under t5. With 4 quality bulbs four inches off the water how far down into tank can I expect decent par for SPS?
Can I expect the Strawberry shortcake acro that's 4 inches down to get what it needs?
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mhucasey
Acros & wieners, oh my!
This all depends on the fixture you are using. An ATI Sunpower or Powermodule can easily put out 300+ par at the bottom of a 24" deep tank.
mhucasey
Acros & wieners, oh my!
A coral 8" from the bulbs may be getting roasted, seriously.
Chris Abbott
New member
Thanks, I'll get a par meter and check things out asap.
mhucasey
Acros & wieners, oh my!
Hello all ,
I have a powermodule Hybrid with 4 bulbs but i dont know which bulbs take.
Can you help me?
I suggest using the blue LEDs only. For the bulbs I'm not used to four bulbs as the mix but perhaps 2 coral plus and 2 blue plus? Take a look through the thread for 4 bulb combos.
Stylo328
New member
The T5 Q&a Thread - split
How effective for growth would this combo be?
4 B+
3 True actinic
1 ABS or Coral+
Thinking of switching from my current combo, which is.
FRONT TO BACK*
BLUE+
BLUE+
CORAL+
BLUE+
AQUABLUE SPECIAL
BLUE+
PURPLE+
BLUE+
Not overly impressed with growth after two years of the same combo; colors aren't that great either. Most seem washed out.
Thanks!
How effective for growth would this combo be?
4 B+
3 True actinic
1 ABS or Coral+
Thinking of switching from my current combo, which is.
FRONT TO BACK*
BLUE+
BLUE+
CORAL+
BLUE+
AQUABLUE SPECIAL
BLUE+
PURPLE+
BLUE+
Not overly impressed with growth after two years of the same combo; colors aren't that great either. Most seem washed out.
Thanks!
DiscusHeckel
Acropora Gardener
I am surprised about that. My previous combination, which is very similar to yours, stimulated great coral growth, which I never had before:
blue+
blue+
coral+
blue+
coral+
blue+
coral+
blue+
However, note that growth is affected by other factors too, such as available nutrients as well as flow.
Stylo328
New member
shred5
Premium Member
You want growth you need to move to more daylight bulbs. They are ugly but that is where the growth comes from. The Ge 6500 t-5 bulb or the Giesemann Tropic T5 Bulb.
They are green/yellow but really will push growth. People use these mainly on frag tanks because the color is not good.
They are green/yellow but really will push growth. People use these mainly on frag tanks because the color is not good.
shred5
Premium Member
Your tropic is your only white bulb so the purple would be a good replacement out of what you listed. If you want Giesemann you may also consider Azure or Aquablue Coral lamps. ATI you may look at Aquablue special or coral lamp.
If not it depends on what you are looking for..
Actinic would give you more blue and more pop but does little to light the tank for your eyes. Three blue bulbs is not a good idea your tank will appear very dim.. A purple will add a little red to the spectrum.
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