The T5 Q&a Thread - split

[The Grim Reefer]

Hey Grim,
About to replace the stock lamps on my 48" 6 Bulb Aquatic Life fixture that sits on a 75 Gallon and had some questions.

I have sifting through the pages here and see that the typical recommendation for my setup is
Front
ATI Blue plus
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Purple plus
GE 6500K or Coral Plus?
ATI Blue plus
ATI Blue plus
Am on the right path with the set up that's listed above?

If my understanding is correct I can substitute the GE 6500K for a Coral Plus for a bluer look?

Last question is what would be the lamp placement for the above setup?

To run my Blues (Dust/Dawn) the built in timer will control slots 2 & 4

To run my Whites (Mid-day) the timer will control slots 1, 3, 5 & 6

Thanks Grim!
.

Yes you can replace the ge for a more blue look

yes run blues in 2 and 4 but also try the purple in 2 and see what you think of that look

Ge in 3 or 5

 

[OffDaHook]

Thanks Grim!

 

[Dis 1]

Aquactinics TX5

Aquactinics TX5

Hi Grim,
my fixture is a Acuactincs tx5 and my bulb combo is

front:
ati blue plus
uvl 75.25
giessman midday
ati blue plus
ati aquablue special

i was thinking of trying out the ati coral plus bulb and which bulb should i switch out? or should i just keep this combo the way it is?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Hi Grim,
my fixture is a Acuactincs tx5 and my bulb combo is

front:
ati blue plus
uvl 75.25
giessman midday
ati blue plus
ati aquablue special

i was thinking of trying out the ati coral plus bulb and which bulb should i switch out? or should i just keep this combo the way it is?

75/25 then the midday

 

[SirReefer]

Hey grim n fellow reefers, i was hoping i can get an idea for a fixture that i will pivk up tomorrow.. It is a 8x 54w ati pm. I am looking any where between 10-15k look to get maxium growth from my corals. I currently have 4x54w 2b+ 1 pink from geis and a ab special.. Thanks for looking

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Hey grim n fellow reefers, i was hoping i can get an idea for a fixture that i will pivk up tomorrow.. It is a 8x 54w ati pm. I am looking any where between 10-15k look to get maxium growth from my corals. I currently have 4x54w 2b+ 1 pink from geis and a ab special.. Thanks for looking

4 blue plus, 2 GE 6500's and 2 Coral Plus.

 

[Michigan Mike]

Hi Grim, awesome thread. Lots of knowledge. Anyway I got a couple 29g tanks, one will be lps the other will be leathers and softies. Can't afford ATI fixtures but TEK and Catalina black solar are the fixtures I'm looking at. Since the tanks are 30" long the TEK will have to be a 24" fixture and hung while the black solar is 30" and has staggered bulb placement so it will fit on top of tank.is a 24" fixture good for a 30" long tank? I understand Catalina uses the same ballasts as TEK ( even though they have longer 5 year warranty ) and if I have fans on the end of bulbs for cooling would I get sufficient par using ATI bulbs on both, and how comparable are they to each other and to ATI fixtures ? Thanks or your time and effort helping everybody.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Hi Grim, awesome thread. Lots of knowledge. Anyway I got a couple 29g tanks, one will be lps the other will be leathers and softies. Can't afford ATI fixtures but TEK and Catalina black solar are the fixtures I'm looking at. Since the tanks are 30" long the TEK will have to be a 24" fixture and hung while the black solar is 30" and has staggered bulb placement so it will fit on top of tank.is a 24" fixture good for a 30" long tank? I understand Catalina uses the same ballasts as TEK ( even though they have longer 5 year warranty ) and if I have fans on the end of bulbs for cooling would I get sufficient par using ATI bulbs on both, and how comparable are they to each other and to ATI fixtures ? Thanks or your time and effort helping everybody.

I wouldn't buy a Catalina product. The Tek will work fine over shallow tanks like that.

 

[footballcs12]

Looking to upgrade to a T5 system in the very near future and in my LFS coral frag tank they have a T5 fixture with bulbs in it that make the water look very blue and healthy. I asked the owner what combination the bulbs were a few times and he always responds with "It's a secret"

Would anyone be able to recommend what combination of a 4 bulb fixture to get this blue while maintaining good growth?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Looking to upgrade to a T5 system in the very near future and in my LFS coral frag tank they have a T5 fixture with bulbs in it that make the water look very blue and healthy. I asked the owner what combination the bulbs were a few times and he always responds with "It's a secret"

Would anyone be able to recommend what combination of a 4 bulb fixture to get this blue while maintaining good growth?

It's a secret is code word for "you can add lighting to the list of things I know nothing about"

3 ATI Blue Plus and a Purple Plus

 

[Michigan Mike]

Got any recommendations for a fixture that has legs( where a hanging fixture isn't an option ) that fit on a 29g - 30" long tank? Thanks for your time, again.

 

[footballcs12]

It's a secret is code word for "you can add lighting to the list of things I know nothing about"

3 ATI Blue Plus and a Purple Plus

Thanks for the fast response and advice. Any recommendation on where to buy the ATIs online?

 

[Michigan Mike]

Thanks for the fast response and advice. Any recommendation on where to buy the ATIs online?

I'm sure there are other places but REEFGEEK.COM has em and I'm sure they are competitively priced.

 

[cobbie]

Grim, I have an 8 bulb setup and want to support sps and various other species. I want a good growth rate with popping color and that bluish hue that's so hypnotic......what's your recommendation to achieve this goal of mine

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Grim, I have an 8 bulb setup and want to support sps and various other species. I want a good growth rate with popping color and that bluish hue that's so hypnotic......what's your recommendation to achieve this goal of mine

2 purple plus, 1 GE 6500K and 5 Blue Plus

 

[medic155]

Grim, I currently have a 48" 4 bulb AquaticLife fixture with 2 420/460nm bulbs, 1 10,000K, and 1 720nm Purple(10,000 and Purple as daylight). I would like a deeper blue color that would support mainly LPS and softies, but maybe some SPS in the distant future. The look right now is too white for my liking, the 10,000K bulb overpowers everything else. Tank is a 55g standard footprint. Thank you!

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Grim, I currently have a 48" 4 bulb AquaticLife fixture with 2 420/460nm bulbs, 1 10,000K, and 1 720nm Purple(10,000 and Purple as daylight). I would like a deeper blue color that would support mainly LPS and softies, but maybe some SPS in the distant future. The look right now is too white for my liking, the 10,000K bulb overpowers everything else. Tank is a 55g standard footprint. Thank you!

Replace the 10K lamp with a ATI Blue Plus

 

[andyrm66]

Grim and everyone else, what do you think of running a 8x24 ATI over a 36x36x18 tank?
I was going to go with a 36" light, but am kinda liking the idea of a 24" light. Only leaves 6" on each side that doesn't have light.

Whats everyone think of the coral plus?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Grim and everyone else, what do you think of running a 8x24 ATI over a 36x36x18 tank?
I was going to go with a 36" light, but am kinda liking the idea of a 24" light. Only leaves 6" on each side that doesn't have light.

Whats everyone think of the coral plus?

Coral plus is OK, You'll be fine with the 24" fixture.

 

[Anselth]

How well would an 8 bulb ATI fixture work over a 30"deep tank? It has about a 4" sand bed so 25-26 inches from the top of the water to the sand bed. I like a mixed reef, so keeping SPS up high doesn't bother me. I just want to know ahead of time if I'll be limited as far as an anemone or clams go.