The T5 Q&a Thread - split

[FlyPenFly]

Spectrum dictates how your corals respond if everything else is in line. Actinic bulbs are useful in the high energy spikes they have in spectral portions that while covered by blue+, isn't very strong.

You can get most of everything you need from a multivitamin. However, if you have a special need because of your individual needs, a targeted vitamin can work wonders. It's the same way that broad spectrum antibiotics can work but targeted antibiotics are usually more effective.

 

[TropTrea]

so not purple plus?,,,,how about from front to back to create sunrise sunset?

thanks

Purple Plus is like 50% blue and 50% red
Coral Plus is like 75% blue 12.5 % white, 12.5% red
Aqua Blue Special is like 50% blue 50 % White
GE 6,500K is like 100 white

While you want some red if you go more red than white it woudl look like a purple tank or even a pink tank. Remeber a little red does go a long way. I like a combination of about 80% blue,10% White, 10% Red. Some people like it as much as 90% Blue, 5% white, 5 % red. And there is a drasticly noticable difference.

 

[Tron_954]

Coral + is a bit less blue than you think. The percentage per ATI:
Coral Plus
Combines the properties of a Blue Plus (~50%), Aquablue Special (~40%) and Purple Plus (~10%) producing a bulb with a cool, crisp white color with hints of red and blue.

 

[TropTrea]

Can I get some opinions on photo period.

Stats:
8x54W Tek light
5 Blue+, 2 Coral+, 1 Purple+
48x24x18 tank, light 9" above water line

4 blue+ bulbs on for 12 hours (dusk/dawn)
other bulbs on for 7 hours

Corals seem a be a bit light in color and some people attribute that to too much light/photo period. I'm not running an ULNS system, so I don't think lack of nutrients is to blame. Should I cut my photo period back to 10/6? Keep as is? Give it a shot and see what happens? thanks.

I would first pull thepurple plus you have alot of red light with the two coral plus bulbs already and red is known to bleach out some coras if in excess. Replace it with another coral plus or blue dependen on your personal color taste brighter or bluer?

Im running 9 hours on two Blue Plus and the rest of the lights for 6 hours. But I have different color combo with an added 35 Watts of Blue LED's I run for 13 hours. The Blue LED' give a super florescent look and ad little to photosynthesis at that low of a level. So I would shorten up your photoperiod as well. But 6 to 7 hours with eveything on and 9 to 10 hours with just your blues on for a starting point. So initial idea should show some improvement. Slightly slower growth but more color.

 

[TropTrea]

Coral + is a bit less blue than you think. The percentage per ATI:
Coral Plus
Combines the properties of a Blue Plus (~50%), Aquablue Special (~40%) and Purple Plus (~10%) producing a bulb with a cool, crisp white color with hints of red and blue.

On another piece of literature they posted when they first introduced the ulb they called it a stand alone bulb and said a fixture of 4 of them will give the same spectrum as 2 Blue Plus, 1 Aqua Blue Special, and 1 Purple Plus.

I believe they are changing there bulbs from the last three years though as they originaly advertised the Blue plus as having tween spectrum peaks at 420nm and 460 nm. Now hey are claiming 470nm as a peak. Comparitively the Fuji Blues used to be slightlyu whiter than the ATI Blue plus and now some people are claiming it is a deeper shorter wave lenght blue.

These could be slight changes over time but even if they did not change there advertising they would be withon the broad legal limitations if they did make these changes. After workin in lighting quality control years ago I will say that these difference could easily be a difference in batches of the same bulbs rather than a design change as well. 99.9% of lighting applications could care less if there is a 20 nm shift between florescent bulbs with there wider spectrum.

 

[brenash711]

Purple Plus is like 50% blue and 50% red
Coral Plus is like 75% blue 12.5 % white, 12.5% red
Aqua Blue Special is like 50% blue 50 % White
GE 6,500K is like 100 white

While you want some red if you go more red than white it woudl look like a purple tank or even a pink tank. Remeber a little red does go a long way. I like a combination of about 80% blue,10% White, 10% Red. Some people like it as much as 90% Blue, 5% white, 5 % red. And there is a drasticly noticable difference.

Thanks so basically I can the ABS as the daylight lamp and put it on for 2-3hrs.....Ive read that ABS will wash out the B+? ....if I use the combo 6 B+ 1 P= and 1 ABS...will it bive me a 20k look or bluer? or 5 B+, 1 P+, 1 ABS and 1 actininc?

I like the pics you posted on pg 119 and 120? what combo can i use to replicate yours with the ATI tubes I have?

 

[cab395]

Hi all! I have a 4 bulb t5 fixture over my 38 gallon reef tank and have shortened my photoperiod to 10 hours dusk/dawn lights (down from 12) and 5 hours day lights (down from 8). My lights, from front to back, are as follows.

FRONT
1.) ATI ABS
2.)ATI Coral+
3.)ATI Blue+
4.)ATI Blue+
BACK

I also have an ATI Purple+ that is not being used right now. Should I switch my ATI ABS for the Purple+? If so, which order should I have my bulbs in? The back two bulbs are my dusk/dawn bulbs. Should I do 1 Blue+ and 1 Purple+ as my dusk/dawn? Or something else? I was also thinking of replacing the ABS with another Coral+. What should I go with? Thank you!

 

[TropTrea]

Thanks so basically I can the ABS as the daylight lamp and put it on for 2-3hrs.....Ive read that ABS will wash out the B+? ....if I use the combo 6 B+ 1 P= and 1 ABS...will it bive me a 20k look or bluer? or 5 B+, 1 P+, 1 ABS and 1 actininc?

I like the pics you posted on pg 119 and 120? what combo can i use to replicate yours with the ATI tubes I have?

Running just ATI bulbs you will be either slightly whiter or slightly bluer. The slightly bluer look would be 1 Aqua, 1 Purple, and 6 blues. If you go with 2 Aqua it will get considerably whiter. so if you want to lighten it up slightly you could go with 1 aqua, 1 coral and 6 Blues or even 1 aqua, 2 coral, and 5 blues.

 

[TropTrea]

Hi all! I have a 4 bulb t5 fixture over my 38 gallon reef tank and have shortened my photoperiod to 10 hours dusk/dawn lights (down from 12) and 5 hours day lights (down from 8). My lights, from front to back, are as follows.

FRONT
1.) ATI ABS
2.)ATI Coral+
3.)ATI Blue+
4.)ATI Blue+
BACK

I also have an ATI Purple+ that is not being used right now. Should I switch my ATI ABS for the Purple+? If so, which order should I have my bulbs in? The back two bulbs are my dusk/dawn bulbs. Should I do 1 Blue+ and 1 Purple+ as my dusk/dawn? Or something else? I was also thinking of replacing the ABS with another Coral+. What should I go with? Thank you!

Swapping theAqua for apurple would give you a much reder tank. I tried it on one of my frag tanks and everyone asked why do I have pink lights on that tank. You could replace the Coral plus with the porple as the aqua and the Blues have almost no red light in them at all. But if were my tank I would go with 2 Blues and either the Coral or the Aqua depending how gright I wanted the tank.

 

[cab395]

Swapping theAqua for apurple would give you a much reder tank. I tried it on one of my frag tanks and everyone asked why do I have pink lights on that tank. You could replace the Coral plus with the porple as the aqua and the Blues have almost no red light in them at all. But if were my tank I would go with 2 Blues and either the Coral or the Aqua depending how gright I wanted the tank.

I did notice the pinkish color which is why I removed it in the first place. Maybe I could replace the ABS with another coral+ since that encompasses the purple plus, blue plus, and ABS? Or would that not look right?

It would be 2 blue+ and 2 coral+.

 

[rtparty]

I did notice the pinkish color which is why I removed it in the first place. Maybe I could replace the ABS with another coral+ since that encompasses the purple plus, blue plus, and ABS? Or would that not look right?

It would be 2 blue+ and 2 coral+.

2 blue and 2 coral is a good look.

 

[Froggy]

You ar probably thinking of moving your system to something more Blue from your comments. But the question is how blue do you want to go?

If you swapped your corl plus for another pur plus you would have the same combination that I have and it would be slightly more Blue.

Going with a Aqua Blue Plus in place of the GE 6500 and replacing the Coral Plus with another Blue Plus would be the next step in the blue direction.

If you want it Bluer than that the next thing is 5 Blue Plus and 3 Coral Plus.

You can even step further in the Blue direction with less Coral Plus bulbs and more Blue Plus. But you will evenualy hit a point where it will be way to blue for your taste.

Remember that the personal taste in color is something that is very individual. The only time I wouldAtinic Bulbs is if I had way to much PAR for the corals I would keeping. With th Trek fixture I doubt that that is an issue. But if you use to many coral plus and add a purple you might have issues with too much red. Both of these bulbs have a strong RED complement.

Adding "white" brings out the reflective colors of fish and some corals.
Adding "blue" brings out the florescent in the corals.
Formax growth you want to combine the two with the predominant color being Blue. Peeople will argue though on the perfect ratio which does not exist for all types of corals.

Thanks for the detailed opinion.
You are correct, I am leaning toward a bit bluer look and wanting to add a twinge more fluorescence as well. I used to use another purp plus in place of the coral plus I use now. I liked the look but prefer the coral plus (really like this bulb) now. I also prefer to use 3 blue plus and 1 coral plus for dusk/dawn for better extended viewing time. I grew to not like 3 blue plus and 1 purple plus for dusk/dawn lighting.
I was considering the 1actinic tube to add the extra fluorescence kick.
Thanks,
Joe

 

[brenash711]

Running just ATI bulbs you will be either slightly whiter or slightly bluer. The slightly bluer look would be 1 Aqua, 1 Purple, and 6 blues. If you go with 2 Aqua it will get considerably whiter. so if you want to lighten it up slightly you could go with 1 aqua, 1 coral and 6 Blues or even 1 aqua, 2 coral, and 5 blues.

THANKS, sorry i am new to T5s will the combo 6 Blues, 1 aqua and 1 purple be enough par for growth and color? the tank is 50cm high

 

[TropTrea]

THANKS, sorry i am new to T5s will the combo 6 Blues, 1 aqua and 1 purple be enough par for growth and color? the tank is 50cm high

I'm guessing that 50cm is close to 19" tall. Yes the 8 bulbs will be more than enough light for your needs as long as are the same lenght as your tank or close to it. With a Quality fixture you could probably even get away with 6 bulbs.

 

[TropTrea]

Spectrum dictates how your corals respond if everything else is in line. Actinic bulbs are useful in the high energy spikes they have in spectral portions that while covered by blue+, isn't very strong.

You can get most of everything you need from a multivitamin. However, if you have a special need because of your individual needs, a targeted vitamin can work wonders. It's the same way that broad spectrum antibiotics can work but targeted antibiotics are usually more effective.

The thing is all corals are not the same. Some Corals only grow in nature in shallow ater and see the entire light spectrum at levels close to 600 almost every day. Then thre are oter corals that come from much deeper waters that only see a light spectrum that we would consider well over 20,000K with no red measurable red light. Now you take some of these deep water corals and expose them to full spectrum lighting at even 200 PR and the red ight starts to bleach them out. In nature they cannt survive near the surface but we expect them to survive in the Aquarium next to a coral that is suffering because they receiving ony 1/4 of the light they received in nature.

Yes Coral are adaptable. But they are only adaptable to a certain extent. Comparing this to vitamins someone with a shortage of a vitamin might do greatwith a extra boast in that vitimin. But someone else may already have an excess of that viramin in there system and by giving them a mega dose of it you are doing them more harm than good.

What is the perfect light spectrum. We all know and agree that blue light is extremly important for photosynthesis. But wave lenghts above 500 nm are very debatable. Most like me believe a small amount of red light is used by most corals but it is also proven that excess red will bleach some corals.

PAR is another very misleading thing for measuring light. You can have a light source at 250 PAR with a 2,800K temperature and it willnot be nearly as effective for coral growth as a light source at 125 PAR with a 30,000K temperature.

 

[Hyperion1337]

How would this combo fare for a mixed reef? i have a good amount of SPS, a lot of zoas/palys and some LPS.
The combo is:
ATI B+
Giessemann Actinic +
ATI P+
ATI B+
Giessemann Pure Actinic
ATI B+

6 of those in a ATI SP.

 

[rtparty]

How would this combo fare for a mixed reef? i have a good amount of SPS, a lot of zoas/palys and some LPS.
The combo is:
ATI B+
Giessemann Actinic +
ATI P+
ATI B+
Giessemann Pure Actinic
ATI B+

6 of those in a ATI SP.

Super blue overall and you'll miss some reflective coloration from the limited spectrum. I'd pull one blue plus for a coral plus.

 

[FlyPenFly]

The thing is all corals are not the same. Some Corals only grow in nature in shallow ater and see the entire light spectrum at levels close to 600 almost every day. Then thre are oter corals that come from much deeper waters that only see a light spectrum that we would consider well over 20,000K with no red measurable red light. Now you take some of these deep water corals and expose them to full spectrum lighting at even 200 PR and the red ight starts to bleach them out. In nature they cannt survive near the surface but we expect them to survive in the Aquarium next to a coral that is suffering because they receiving ony 1/4 of the light they received in nature.

Yes Coral are adaptable. But they are only adaptable to a certain extent. Comparing this to vitamins someone with a shortage of a vitamin might do greatwith a extra boast in that vitimin. But someone else may already have an excess of that viramin in there system and by giving them a mega dose of it you are doing them more harm than good.

What is the perfect light spectrum. We all know and agree that blue light is extremly important for photosynthesis. But wave lenghts above 500 nm are very debatable. Most like me believe a small amount of red light is used by most corals but it is also proven that excess red will bleach some corals.

PAR is another very misleading thing for measuring light. You can have a light source at 250 PAR with a 2,800K temperature and it willnot be nearly as effective for coral growth as a light source at 125 PAR with a 30,000K temperature.

If you go back several pages, I essentially say the same thing.

 

[TropTrea]

How would this combo fare for a mixed reef? i have a good amount of SPS, a lot of zoas/palys and some LPS.
The combo is:
ATI B+
Giessemann Actinic +
ATI P+
ATI B+
Giessemann Pure Actinic
ATI B+

6 of those in a ATI SP.

I'm not a found believer in the Atinic bulbs unless your trying to reduce your PAR. The Blue Plus bulbs do have a peak at both 410 nm and 470 nm so they are producing more than enough atinic light for you.

I have used he Gmann Atinic Plus bulbs and did not love the light from them They are roughly 50% atinic and 50% a full spectrum bulb. This makes them brighter than the Coral Plus bulbs but not as bright as the Aqua Blue Specials.

If you do go with an Coral Plus bulb to make tthe tank brighter use it to replace the purple plus.

Remember color is a very personal thing. If you already have these bulbs look at the color they are giving you for at least a week while you get used to it. Then consider a change. If you are ordering your bulbs now your combo will look close to what you would get with 2 coral plus and 4 Blue Plus bulbs with the exception that the atinics will cut down the brightness.

 

[wcharon]

Please clarify if i understand correctly...

At this moment i have a ATI Sunpower with 4 Blue Plus, 1 Purple Plus and 1 Coral Plus where the Purple and the Blue work as Dawn/Dusk.

If i want to go brighter i should replace the Purple for another Coral Plus and if want to go bluer replace the Purple for another Blue...

Is this correct???