The T5 Q&a Thread - split

[FlyPenFly]

Yes, removing a purple plus though will make some of your coral look a bit less vibrant depending on the coloration.

 

[wcharon]

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[TropTrea]

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???

That is basicly my thought.

The removal of the purple plus will take some of the redness out f the tank. This will result in the reflective red in fish like clowns being less dramatic, but the extra red you have now also washes out the florescent colors slightly.

The Coral plus has a nice balance between red and the other colors in the in the fuler spectrum. Mosat other full spectrum bulbs have much less red than the coral plus and need the purples to boast that red spectrum. Namelu a good balance for the others is Aquablue Special with one Purple Plus, and GE 6,500K with 2 Purple Plus bulbs to get that good balance.

The big determination is your personal preference the bluest would be one coral plus, brighter would be 2 coral plus, even brighter is 1 Aquablue Special and 1 Purple Plus, and the Brightest would be a GE 6,500K with two Purple plus. On a six bulb fisture though the GE would probably make it look more like 12,000K white rather than the 20,000K that many people strive for.

 

[wcharon]

Thanks. I will give it a try. Any plac3ment recommendation from front to back?

 

[wcharon]

Thanks. I will give it a try. Any placement recommendation from front to back?

 

[Faisal1976us]

Hi ,,,

Is it old t5 bulbs cause green hairy algae growth ?

 

[TropTrea]

Hi ,,,

Is it old t5 bulbs cause green hairy algae growth ?

It can be but more often it is either high nitrate or phosphates levels.

 

[Faisal1976us]

It can be but more often it is either high nitrate or phosphates levels.

My tank ULNS , po4 0.02 hanna low rang meter , no3 0 , my t5 bulbs more than 16 months and I have green hairy algae problem ! Did you think that's problem from my old t5 bulbs ?

 

[rtparty]

My tank ULNS , po4 0.02 hanna low rang meter , no3 0 , my t5 bulbs more than 16 months and I have green hairy algae problem ! Did you think that's problem from my old t5 bulbs ?

16 months is way too long. Even with them properly cooled, 12 months is most you want to go. Most, if not all, of your bulbs have shifted toward the red end of things and that grows algae like crazy.

 

[TropTrea]

My tank ULNS , po4 0.02 hanna low rang meter , no3 0 , my t5 bulbs more than 16 months and I have green hairy algae problem ! Did you think that's problem from my old t5 bulbs ?

Lighting if you have any full spectrum bulbs GE, Aqua Bllue Special, 10,000K etc they probably have shifted to give more red in the spectrum. These bulbs should be changed as redlight is loved by both algea and cynobacteria.

As far as the blue bulbs they shift as well but this shift results in lower useable PAR for the corals. So they should probaly be changed as well.

I have heard of some individuals recommending changing them at 9 months but mostof us change them after a year. I personaly try to change 1/4 of my bulbs every 3 months so I do end up with a dramatic change all at once.

 

[YoungREEFA]

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.

Yesss

 

[wcharon]

I am trying different combinations with my T5 Sunpower but seems to not like it and will likje to know if the bulbs placement are correct...

I am using from front to back:

Blue +
Purple +
Coral +
Blue +
Blue +
Blue +
This combination washes my Hammer corals but the Dusk/Dawn colors are great.

Another combination i tried is:
Blue +
Coral +
Coral +
Blue +
Blue +
Blue +
This combination gives excellent in green corals but fishes seems less vibrant.

Any suggestion? Thanks...

 

[rtparty]

I am trying different combinations with my T5 Sunpower but seems to not like it and will likje to know if the bulbs placement are correct...

I am using from front to back:

Blue +
Purple +
Coral +
Blue +
Blue +
Blue +
This combination washes my Hammer corals but the Dusk/Dawn colors are great.

Another combination i tried is:
Blue +
Coral +
Coral +
Blue +
Blue +
Blue +
This combination gives excellent in green corals but fishes seems less vibrant.

Any suggestion? Thanks...

You're bunching you're bulbs together. You need to separate the daylight bulbs out.

Blue
Purple
Blue
Coral
Blue
Blue

Or even

Blue
Coral
Blue
Blue
Coral
Blue

 

[wcharon]

Thanks my friend... I will change it right now and let you know...

You're bunching you're bulbs together. You need to separate the daylight bulbs out.

Blue
Purple
Blue
Coral
Blue
Blue

Or even

Blue
Coral
Blue
Blue
Coral
Blue

 

[wcharon]

Wowwwwww. What a huge difference.... Thanks....

I will stay with the Purple combination. Corals look better except the Pink Birdnest that looks less vibrant but all the other corals looks great.

The 2 Coral + combination seems ok but to bright in the overall of the tank. Also i don't have corals in the back of the tank yet.

Once again thanks for sharing your expertise...

 

[nichthyes]

In a bit of a crisis! away from home at the moment and having ballast problems: my ballast seems to be failing altogether, and frankly its time for an upgrade. I need/want to buy a new ballast asap! Need some inside advice on a good system that can take care of my tank as well as the current model has in the past. Right now I'm runnin 4 ATI bulbs on a Current-USA sundial 4x24 watt ballast with Lunar LEDs and dual timers, so I'm looking to replace this with something reliable and comparable, if not better, on the performance scale. Budget is still TBD, so I'm open to all suggestions at the moment, but still wanna be able to buy groceries this month. Thanks reefers!

 

[horseplay]

I am running 4 blue+, 1 blue special and 1 purple+ right now. I am considering changing the blue special to coral +. I want the tank a little bluer. Am I on the right track?

 

[rtparty]

In a bit of a crisis! away from home at the moment and having ballast problems: my ballast seems to be failing altogether, and frankly its time for an upgrade. I need/want to buy a new ballast asap! Need some inside advice on a good system that can take care of my tank as well as the current model has in the past. Right now I'm runnin 4 ATI bulbs on a Current-USA sundial 4x24 watt ballast with Lunar LEDs and dual timers, so I'm looking to replace this with something reliable and comparable, if not better, on the performance scale. Budget is still TBD, so I'm open to all suggestions at the moment, but still wanna be able to buy groceries this month. Thanks reefers!

So you need a new ballast? Reefgeek.com will have everything you need. Find the ballasts, not workhorse, that are for 24w bulbs. You'll need 2 of them.

 

[rtparty]

I am running 4 blue+, 1 blue special and 1 purple+ right now. I am considering changing the blue special to coral +. I want the tank a little bluer. Am I on the right track?

Yes. That should help.

 

[C-21 USAF]

Gents,

Setting up a 4 bulb retro with Icecap ballast over 11" deep frag tank (3 feet long). Bulbs will be 15" above water.

Corals with be LPS and softies only. I want some pop but not too blue.

Thinking about this:
Blue+
Coral+
Blue+
Coral+

Thoughts?