The T5 Q&a Thread - split

[TropTrea]

So, if I am reading this right....I can run my 24" 6-bulb ATI PM at 7.5v in the winter months to keep the noise down and run it at 9v in the hotter seasons to cool the bulbs properly?

Also, I did not know about the "stamp" needed to be on the side of the fixture where the vents are located. Does it make that much of a difference? My vents are located on the far right of the ATI PM opposite the power cords.

Very good info and if anyone can please clarify so I run my fixture and bulbs properly that would be great.

Many thanks.......

Having worked in the industry I will tell you that both ends of the bulbs are virtualy identical with the exception that only one end is stamped. It is generaly a good practice to align the stamping on the bulb away from the area you want to light up simply because the stamping decreases the light emitted through it. In my mind it is very minimal. Also as light is reflected back into the bulb at the point where it is stamped it can cause that point on the bulb to get slightly hotter than the rest of the bulb.
Unless there is some realy heavey stamping with a very absorbant black paint it I doubt that anyone would realy notice much difference on this. I actualy like to align the bulbs so I can see the markings on the bulbs without pulling them completely out.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Having worked in the industry I will tell you that both ends of the bulbs are virtualy identical with the exception that only one end is stamped. It is generaly a good practice to align the stamping on the bulb away from the area you want to light up simply because the stamping decreases the light emitted through it. In my mind it is very minimal. Also as light is reflected back into the bulb at the point where it is stamped it can cause that point on the bulb to get slightly hotter than the rest of the bulb.
Unless there is some realy heavey stamping with a very absorbant black paint it I doubt that anyone would realy notice much difference on this. I actualy like to align the bulbs so I can see the markings on the bulbs without pulling them completely out.

??? Last I looked Giesemann, Aquascience and one other that escapes my mind right now have dedicated cold spots that should be cooled. It's really easy to tell if the lamp has one. One end of the lamp will not illuminate as close to it's metal endcap as the other. I took one apart to check it out and the filament on that end is mounted to an extended glass tube. It should be on the stamped end of the lamp and should be the end that is cooled. It's just a good habit to place all lamps like that because the manufactures aren't great about making design changes public.

 

[tegee]

yes



there are two series of vents holes in the ATI fixture :

- one series on the side of the fixture :

- and the other series is inside the fixture, under the bulbs, communicating with the ballasts, on the power cord side of the fixture

you want the stamps to be under the second series, that is power cord side...

Thank you very much for providing such a detailed explanation with the pics.

BTW: I noticed that you have the ATI PM 24" 8-bulb fixture on you 30" Cube. Is my 6-bulb ATI PM enough for a 24" Cube? And how high off the waterline do you have your fixture set at and how many hours per day do you run the entire 8-bulb setup?

Many thanks again.....

 

[Froggy]

My bulbs and bracket mount will be coming in tomorrow UPS for my new Tek 8 X 54 T5. This will be for my 120 gallon SPS dominant mixed reef. Any acclimation tips or hours to run all 8 bulbs. I am switching from two 175 watt Iwasaki halides ( decent PAR - 71 PPFD ) and two 54 Watt Blue Plus supplements. I currently run my lighting for 14 hrs, halides about 12 Hrs, and the T5s for 14.

I am thinking of going with a 12 hr lighting schedule with the Tek T5's and run 4 bulbs for 12 hrs and all 8 bulbs for 6 hrs to start for midday ( is this too much ?). I am going with all high PAR bulbs - 5 Blue plus , 2 Purple Plus, and 1 GE 6500.

The Tek will be mounted using the bracket legs and I have read different descriptions from a highest height of 7" or 8 1/2" depending on the site??? I plan on starting at the highest position either way and eventually settle at about 6" above the tank as I am not using the splash guard to help keep the bulbs cooler.

The dusk dawn will include 3 Blue plus and 1 Purple Plus. 2 more Blue Plus a Purple Plus and the GE 6500 will come on for the midday all 8 bulb lighting.

I would appreciate any recommendations for schedule and acclimation you can give

Thanks,
Joe

 

[aqua80]

Thank you very much for providing such a detailed explanation with the pics.

you're welcome !

BTW: I noticed that you have the ATI PM 24" 8-bulb fixture on you 30" Cube. Is my 6-bulb ATI PM enough for a 24" Cube? And how high off the waterline do you have your fixture set at and how many hours per day do you run the entire 8-bulb setup?

just please note that I run T5HO since 2 weeks only, so take my words with a grain of salt !

I think your 6-bulbs PM is enough both for PAR and coverage...
you might try to raise the fixture is you feel you don't have the spread you want... (PAR meter helps here !)
here is what I get with mine at 5" over the waterline (4 blue+,2 sblue, 1 fiji purple and 1 coral light)

I plan to run all 8 bulbs on for about 6h per day, 6 bulbs for about an hour before and after the full intensity period and finally 2 bulbs only another hour before and after the 6 bulbs period...
so the fixture will run for about 10 hours...
but will see how the corals react...

and for now I'm still acclimating my corals to the new light...

 

[The Grim Reefer]

My bulbs and bracket mount will be coming in tomorrow UPS for my new Tek 8 X 54 T5. This will be for my 120 gallon SPS dominant mixed reef. Any acclimation tips or hours to run all 8 bulbs. I am switching from two 175 watt Iwasaki halides ( decent PAR - 71 PPFD ) and two 54 Watt Blue Plus supplements. I currently run my lighting for 14 hrs, halides about 12 Hrs, and the T5s for 14.

I am thinking of going with a 12 hr lighting schedule with the Tek T5's and run 4 bulbs for 12 hrs and all 8 bulbs for 6 hrs to start for midday ( is this too much ?). I am going with all high PAR bulbs - 5 Blue plus , 2 Purple Plus, and 1 GE 6500.

The Tek will be mounted using the bracket legs and I have read different descriptions from a highest height of 7" or 8 1/2" depending on the site??? I plan on starting at the highest position either way and eventually settle at about 6" above the tank as I am not using the splash guard to help keep the bulbs cooler.

The dusk dawn will include 3 Blue plus and 1 Purple Plus. 2 more Blue Plus a Purple Plus and the GE 6500 will come on for the midday all 8 bulb lighting.

I would appreciate any recommendations for schedule and acclimation you can give

Thanks,
Joe

You have a good plan.

 

[Froggy]

You have a good plan.

Thanks! I can't wait to see what the bulb combination looks like on the tank.

 

[AugustWest]

Question on the distance from the water my fixture should be. Its a 24" 8x24W ATI Sunpower over a 30"x30"x18" H tank. Tank is mainly SPS with some LPS down low.

I'm at about 10" from the surface but I have seen many posts where people are like 2-4inches from the water.... Am I too far away? What's the average hanging distance?

I'm having trouble finding a consistent answer to this question.

 

[jgraz]

Ok so I created another thread but then saw this today. this seems like a more appropriate place so here goes. Also I've been directed to the Grim Reaper so hopefully he'll chime in too. Anyway I'vs got a 75 gal build coming up that is gonna be amixed reef but im pretty sure its gonna end up SPS heavy. I've been racking my brain trying to decide between a few different fixtures here's where im at so far.

USED Fixture: A LFS is upgrading and they are selling a 48" aquactinics solar flare seen here: http://www.aquacave.com/48-solar-flare-6-lampbr-complete-t5-fixturebr-by-aquactinics-1585.html# for $400. A person working there at the time believes they are about 5-6yrs old. They do need to be cleaned and probably painted.

USED Fixture: It is a 7-bulb Aquactinic Constellation for $350. The owner has modded that to hold a few LED moonlights also. The fixture is at least 4 years old.
fixture is "as is" and but all bulbs need replacing. Here it is: http://www.aquactinics.com/pages/72-Constellation.html

The other two fixtures I am looking at are new first is a 6-bulb TEK Light
With bulbs $415 Here it is: http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_...unlight_Supply

Lastly is the Coralvue T5/LED combo $369. Here it is: http://www.aquacave.com/coralvue-6-...wer-1-watt-leds-brhanging-kit--legs-3030.html

Also someone in my area I have people selling a 6 bulb tek for $300, and someone else selling an 8 bulb tek for $325. Im kind of hesitant about the aquactinics fixtures because of thier age. I really don't know much about the coralvue but the LED extra seems appealing. My biggest concern is $. I really don't want to go to high cause well im on a budget of sorts, I have ruled out the ATI's for that reason. My brain is about to explode, everytime I hit the boards I come up with something different.

 

[rtparty]

Question on the distance from the water my fixture should be. Its a 24" 8x24W ATI Sunpower over a 30"x30"x18" H tank. Tank is mainly SPS with some LPS down low.

I'm at about 10" from the surface but I have seen many posts where people are like 2-4inches from the water.... Am I too far away? What's the average hanging distance?

I'm having trouble finding a consistent answer to this question.

6-10" is pretty standard for the ATI fixtures. I had to keep mine around 8" off the water so my LPS wouldn't bleach on the sand.

You could acclimate everything and keep the fixture 2" off the water but you will lose your spread.

 

[rtparty]

Ok so I created another thread but then saw this today. this seems like a more appropriate place so here goes. Also I've been directed to the Grim Reaper so hopefully he'll chime in too. Anyway I'vs got a 75 gal build coming up that is gonna be amixed reef but im pretty sure its gonna end up SPS heavy. I've been racking my brain trying to decide between a few different fixtures here's where im at so far.

USED Fixture: A LFS is upgrading and they are selling a 48" aquactinics solar flare seen here: http://www.aquacave.com/48-solar-flare-6-lampbr-complete-t5-fixturebr-by-aquactinics-1585.html# for $400. A person working there at the time believes they are about 5-6yrs old. They do need to be cleaned and probably painted.

USED Fixture: It is a 7-bulb Aquactinic Constellation for $350. The owner has modded that to hold a few LED moonlights also. The fixture is at least 4 years old.
fixture is "as is" and but all bulbs need replacing. Here it is: http://www.aquactinics.com/pages/72-Constellation.html

The other two fixtures I am looking at are new first is a 6-bulb TEK Light
With bulbs $415 Here it is: http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_...unlight_Supply

Lastly is the Coralvue T5/LED combo $369. Here it is: http://www.aquacave.com/coralvue-6-...wer-1-watt-leds-brhanging-kit--legs-3030.html

Also someone in my area I have people selling a 6 bulb tek for $300, and someone else selling an 8 bulb tek for $325. Im kind of hesitant about the aquactinics fixtures because of thier age. I really don't know much about the coralvue but the LED extra seems appealing. My biggest concern is $. I really don't want to go to high cause well im on a budget of sorts, I have ruled out the ATI's for that reason. My brain is about to explode, everytime I hit the boards I come up with something different.

Well avoid #1 and #4. #1 is WAY too much for your tank and you will burn through bulbs because they are overdriven by the Ice Cap ballasts. #4 is no good. The LEDs won't do much.

#2 is a little old and Aquactinics is not making T5 fixtures any longer so you will be left to your own skills if anything breaks.

#3 is the best out of your options and will work for your tank. Don't get the splash shield and buy an external fan to blow on the fixture. Plan on replacing bulbs about every 9-10 months.

My choice: Hate to say it but an ATI is really your best bet. They put out more light and have a great resale value. You can also go 12 months between replacing bulbs because they are properly cooled. They also use better ballasts then the Tek systems.

If you don't want the ATI, spend the extra cash and get the Tek Elite. It will be cooled and help bulb life.

 

[tegee]

just please note that I run T5HO since 2 weeks only, so take my words with a grain of salt !

Real dump questions, but just curious.....what is T5HO? I am assuming T5 High Output. Is that a fixture???

Many thanks......

 

[aqua80]

Real dump questions, but just curious.....what is T5HO? I am assuming T5 High Output. Is that a fixture???

Many thanks......

T5 High Output yes !
before that I had leds and MH...
my fixture is an ATI

 

[rburns24]

Purple bulbs

Purple bulbs

I know it's all academic, etc., but could someone throw out an estimate of the approximate K value of a purple bulb. Thanks a lot.

 

[Rudolph]

Grim: I have a new 33 Long and will be fragging softies (rics). 48 x 12 x 12. How many lamps and what kind? More concerned about growth than color in this tank. Thanks

 

[tegee]

T5 High Output yes !
before that I had leds and MH...
my fixture is an ATI

Can you convert an ATI PM fixture into a HO?

 

[Wbgnt]

Grim I have a 210 with 8 t5s let's say a pretty even mix of sps lps and softies. Wondering what uvl bulbs would you suggest? Looking for color that will pop but also want good growth.
thanks in advance Nate

 

[rtparty]

Can you convert an ATI PM fixture into a HO?

It is high output. All major T5 fixtures are high output.

 

[rtparty]

I know it's all academic, etc., but could someone throw out an estimate of the approximate K value of a purple bulb. Thanks a lot.

PurpleK. LOL

You cant assign a K value to the purple bulbs. They are pink/purple.

 

[TropTrea]

Question on the distance from the water my fixture should be. Its a 24" 8x24W ATI Sunpower over a 30"x30"x18" H tank. Tank is mainly SPS with some LPS down low.

I'm at about 10" from the surface but I have seen many posts where people are like 2-4inches from the water.... Am I too far away? What's the average hanging distance?

I'm having trouble finding a consistent answer to this question.

I do not think there is any hard simple rule on height. The lower you do go the higher your PAR will be since light spreads out and every time you double the distance from the coral to a particular spot you lower the PAR by the square root rather just the distance ratio itself.

Going too close to the surface does have the issue of the salt water vapors collecting on your lights which will slowly start filtering your light. If you get close enough it will also get into the fixture itself and degrade it slowly. Besides that too close gives you the risk of bleaching out the corals especialy thise near the surface.

Then when you raise your lights to high you not only start loosing light light do to the distance but also the spread of the light can go beyound the edges of the tank itself and you realy end up lighting the room rather just the tank.

My recomendation if you hanging your lights is to start with them high and then slowly lower them till you get the best spread over your whole tank with the least amount spreading out into the room. Dependent upon your fixture and tank this distance will vary. As an example with a 12" wide fixture over a 24" tank you might get the best spread at 12" above the water. But with an inch wide tank this may work out best at only 6" above the water. On another light fixture with less spread and width 24" might be your best.