The T5 Q&a Thread - split

[TropTrea]

Various

Various

Someone asked for a Color comparison between some bulbs so here is rough idea. Hopefuly the image shows up with post.


On LED's to add Sparkle. I started playng with LED's to create a mooinlight effect. And someon suggested I angle them at a 45 degree angle on the front of my tank for added sparkle. Well I originaly put in 6 Foyal Blues driving them at 250 ma but it turned out way to bright on 120 gallon for moon lights. But I had some fantastic sparkle. I uped the driver to 700MA and added 4 Blues. so now I have RB Blue RB Blue RB RB Blue RB Blue RB lined up in the front of my tank at a 45 degree angle pointing to the back. I use these as a pre darn/post dusk and run them when ever the T-5 are on as well. The sparkle is unbelievable where it constantly lookd like the water is flowing. This is even with 8 T-5 with only 25 Watts of LED's. I doubt I'd have nearly as much sparkle though if I ailed the LED's straight down.

 

[mos90]

i tried 2 different lamp combos on my new t5 6 bulb. .

blue+
blue+ dawn/dusk
purple+
blue+ dawn/dusk
blue+
blue+

2)
blue+
purple+ dawn/dusk
blue+
blue+ dawn/dusk
aquablue
blue+

i didnt like the purple/blue dawn dusk. it seemed to white for me, so i decided to go with blue/blue.

i did like the color combo of both with all the lights on but decided to with 5blue+ and 1 purple. i seem to like it better with a little more blue. i might try a coral+ in place of 1 of the blues.
for now am at 10" awl. im running 2-blue+'s for 10hours and 3 hours with all bulbs on. ill keep it here for a while to see how the corals react. eventually i think 12 hours and 6 hours will be good.

 

[TropTrea]

i tried 2 different lamp combos on my new t5 6 bulb. .

blue+
blue+ dawn/dusk
purple+
blue+ dawn/dusk
blue+
blue+

2)
blue+
purple+ dawn/dusk
blue+
blue+ dawn/dusk
aquablue
blue+

i didnt like the purple/blue dawn dusk. it seemed to white for me, so i decided to go with blue/blue.

i did like the color combo of both with all the lights on but decided to with 5blue+ and 1 purple. i seem to like it better with a little more blue. i might try a coral+ in place of 1 of the blues.
for now am at 10" awl. im running 2-blue+'s for 10hours and 3 hours with all bulbs on. ill keep it here for a while to see how the corals react. eventually i think 12 hours and 6 hours will be good.

This is where personal taste becomes a big issue. Everyone has there own personal taste in color do to not only there biological difference in there eyes but also other contributing factors like the room light around the tank. That is why I like to reccommend options.

With 5 Blue Plus and one Purple Plus I do fear your lacking some of the light in the yellow and green parts of the spectrum in relationship to the amount of red you have. The Coral Plus could be a good comprimise there.

My tastes are very simular to yours I think and therefore I run mainly my Blues when I usualy view my tank and the brighter bulbs that whiten things up when I'm away. However through time my taste in lighting has changed. I used to like a much whiter light several years ago. A lot of it I atribute to the change in my room lighting from 3,200K standard incadescent to 6,500K compacts.

 

[mos90]

i think the coral plus is the answer.

i wonder why no one uses a true actinic bulb with a blue plus for dawn/dusk.

 

[TropTrea]

i think the coral plus is the answer.

i wonder why no one uses a true actinic bulb with a blue plus for dawn/dusk.

Up to a few years ago I used all Atinics on my dawn to Dusk. But I found that the Blue Plus created a much bluer effect and better PAR.

 

[harlequinacro]

Thanks guys, I figured I'll have to play around with different combinations.

I ran ati actinic bulbs a few years ago and stopped using them as well, based on grims testing.

 

[stpatrick]

Quote:
Originally Posted by stpatrick View Post
Hi Grim and all. I am setting up a new system with 36" t5X8. Tank is 24" deep. Mostly SPS. What bulb combo would yield me the best outcome? I like ATI. I have 4 blue plus, one purple plus. What others or what combination would you all recommend? And placement front to back?

Thanks for your input everyone...
Not really the right thread for this but I'll do this one

Blue Plus
Purple Plus
Blue Plus
Blue Plus
GE 6500K
Blue Plus
Purple Plus
Blue Plus

or there abouts. Any other questions should be asked in the T5 q&a thread in this forum

Thanks for the input Grim.

They system I bought have 4 t5 on each side of 3 rows of 3 watt cree leds. With that said, the out two t5s are on one channel and the inner channel

Looks like this.
T5 ch1
T5 ch1
T5 ch2
T5 ch2
LED row (royal blue) ch3
LED row (soft white) ch4
Led row (royal blue) ch3
T5 ch2
T5 ch2
T5 ch1
T5 ch1

I was thinking about running leds and ch1 as the dawn to dust and then ch2 for peak hours 4-6 hours.

Thoughts? What bubs would you run in what location?

Thanks a ton.
P

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Quote:
Originally Posted by stpatrick View Post
Hi Grim and all. I am setting up a new system with 36" t5X8. Tank is 24" deep. Mostly SPS. What bulb combo would yield me the best outcome? I like ATI. I have 4 blue plus, one purple plus. What others or what combination would you all recommend? And placement front to back?

Thanks for your input everyone...
Not really the right thread for this but I'll do this one

Blue Plus
Purple Plus
Blue Plus
Blue Plus
GE 6500K
Blue Plus
Purple Plus
Blue Plus

or there abouts. Any other questions should be asked in the T5 q&a thread in this forum

Thanks for the input Grim.

They system I bought have 4 t5 on each side of 3 rows of 3 watt cree leds. With that said, the out two t5s are on one channel and the inner channel

Looks like this.
T5 ch1
T5 ch1
T5 ch2
T5 ch2
LED row (royal blue) ch3
LED row (soft white) ch4
Led row (royal blue) ch3
T5 ch2
T5 ch2
T5 ch1
T5 ch1

I was thinking about running leds and ch1 as the dawn to dust and then ch2 for peak hours 4-6 hours.

Thoughts? What bubs would you run in what location?

Thanks a ton.
P

Blue Plus
Purple Plus
Blue Plus
GE 6500K
L
E
D
Blue Plus
Purple Plus
Blue Plus
Blue Plus

 

[stpatrick]

Blue Plus
Purple Plus
Blue Plus
GE 6500K
L
E
D
Blue Plus
Purple Plus
Blue Plus
Blue Plus

Nice. Thanks Grim

 

[stpatrick]

Blue Plus
Purple Plus
Blue Plus
GE 6500K
L
E
D
Blue Plus
Purple Plus
Blue Plus
Blue Plus

I forgot to ask. I am new to t5s. What kind of par can I expect with this config at the mid point of a 24" deep tank?

Cheers! :bounce1:

 

[The Grim Reefer]

I forgot to ask. I am new to t5s. What kind of par can I expect with this config at the mid point of a 24" deep tank?

Cheers! :bounce1:

Depends on the fixture. With a good one you would be good for hard corals and clams wherever. With s cheap one you need to keep the high light critters up on the rocks.

 

[rl225]

Depends on the fixture. With a good one you would be good for hard corals and clams wherever.

What brands are considered the top 2?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

What brands are considered the top 2?

ATI

Tossup between TeK and AquaticLife

Thats just among those I've tested or seen credible numbers on.

 

[twodaend]

I'm thinking about getting back into the hobby after being gone for about 3 years. Last time I used a 20L and started with a SunPod MH and eventually switched to a SunDial T5. The T5 was better especially because of the lack of heat compared to the MH, however I eventually got out of the hobby.

Now that I'm thinking about coming back, this time I'm going to go with my 75 gallon as I heard that using more water is easier when it comes to keeping the chemistry right. I'll also be using my 20L as a sump now. Now I'm at the point of trying to decide what light to get. I'm leaning toward the TEK LIGHT T-5, 48" Light Fixture 4 x 54W as this is what I was looking at years ago. I'll also be getting the legs to mount the fixture. However, I'm not sure what bulbs to go with. Years ago you suggested a bulb combination for my 20L with the Sundial and I'm wondering if this is still the recommended choice for my 75 gallon with the Tek-Light.

Thanks

Originally posted by The Grim Reefer
Grim,

I'm looking for bulb suggestion for a 30" SunDial fixture with 4x24w bulbs. I'll be switching from a 30" SunPod MH with a Phoenix 14K bulb and I have no idea what would be a good setup/bulb choice for the T5 SunDial. I currently have my lights over a 20L and they will be about 6" off the water surface.

T5 SunDial Bulb
Front
??
??
??
??
Back

Thanks

Front
?? ATI Blue Plus
?? UVL Actinic White
?? ATI Blue Plus
?? ATI Blue Plus for a blue look, not quiet 20K, Aquablue for a brighter 14K look.
Back

 

[The Grim Reefer]

I'm thinking about getting back into the hobby after being gone for about 3 years. Last time I used a 20L and started with a SunPod MH and eventually switched to a SunDial T5. The T5 was better especially because of the lack of heat compared to the MH, however I eventually got out of the hobby.

Now that I'm thinking about coming back, this time I'm going to go with my 75 gallon as I heard that using more water is easier when it comes to keeping the chemistry right. I'll also be using my 20L as a sump now. Now I'm at the point of trying to decide what light to get. I'm leaning toward the TEK LIGHT T-5, 48" Light Fixture 4 x 54W as this is what I was looking at years ago. I'll also be getting the legs to mount the fixture. However, I'm not sure what bulbs to go with. Years ago you suggested a bulb combination for my 20L with the Sundial and I'm wondering if this is still the recommended choice for my 75 gallon with the Tek-Light.

Thanks

First you'll want 6 lamps over the 75. Also don't use a splash shield with the Tek.

Front
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Purple Plus
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Blue Plus

Be a nice 15K blue and enough PAR for about anything you want to raise properly placed in the tank

 

[nanoreef16g]

Just got a 24" Aquatinics TX5 for a 10" deep frag set up. Looking for a good bulb arrangement to not only display the corals well for pics but to also get good growth. Any suggestions?

 

[nanoreef16g]

Double post.

 

[stpatrick]

Depends on the fixture. With a good one you would be good for hard corals and clams wherever. With s cheap one you need to keep the high light critters up on the rocks.

Hi Grim. The fixture is the GENESIS T5 3 LED Module + 8x39w T5. Have you look into this one??

http://www.aquaticselite.com/GENESIS_T5_336_p/ge-t5-336.htm

 

[BubbaBoBobBrain]

Hey Grim I have a question for you. I just ordered a 60" ATI sunpower 8x80 watt fixture and am new to t5 lights. I havent ordered bulbs yet because Im not sure what I should get. What color bulbs would you recommend for my fixture. I would like to stay with ATI bulbs though and Im wondering what bulbs I should get and what order I should have them in. I am hoping to get into sps with this new light also. Thanks in advance for any help, I really appreciate it.

 

[Josh_84]

Hello, I am running an aquatic life 6 bulb, and looking to replace all the bulbs. I would like a fairly blue look that will make all the colors pop. Probably looking at Geismann or sifiligoi bulbs. Thanks in advance!