The T5 Q&a Thread - split

[TropTrea]

Ok im setting up a frag tank 48x24x24 with mainly zoa and paly. some sps I would keep near the top. I have an 8x54w ATI sunpower fixture. I also have two 48inch 454 led strips that r 30watts each. will be mounted in front and back of ati fixture.

1. What would be the best combo of bulbs?
2. What duration would u run the 2 channels?
3. What 2 bulbs would u put in the 2 bulb channel?

I was thinking 5 blue plus and 3 coral plus
Or
5 blue plus, 2 coral plus, 1 purple plus.

What do u guys think?

With a frag tank I would be more concerned with growth than color. So in that case I would go with only 2 coral plus bulbs and the other 6 bulbs would be Blue Plus bulbs. However noting that the only corals your thinking of keeping are Zoa's and Paly's I have had better luck with these corals onder much less light than you will getting. So you want to iether put a screen between the tank and the light or position the light fairly high above the tank.

If you want to go brighter than the two coral plus bulbs then a combo of an Aqua Blue Special and a Coral plus will make things even brighter, and you will still have 6 Blue Plus bulbs for super growth.

For timing under ideal conditions you would run the 2 bulbs for 12 hours. This would assure a 50/50 light dark cycle which is the best for coral growth. A simple pair of Blue Plus bulbs is what most people run for this sysle however a few prefer a combo a bit pinker with a sipurple plus and blue plus.

As far as the timing on the other bulbs this is very touchy as different corals especialy in the zoa family have different lighting needs. Satrt with a 6 hour cycle and watch the corals closely. If you see brownng shorten the cycle, it hou need more coral growth increase the time.

Note I'm not running an ATI fixture but with 8 tubes on a 120 gallon I'm running the mid days now down to 4 1/2 hours and have not seen any decrease in growth but have noticed better color than when my period was longer.

 

[rogergolf66]

With a frag tank I would be more concerned with growth than color. So in that case I would go with only 2 coral plus bulbs and the other 6 bulbs would be Blue Plus bulbs. However noting that the only corals your thinking of keeping are Zoa's and Paly's I have had better luck with these corals onder much less light than you will getting. So you want to iether put a screen between the tank and the light or position the light fairly high above the tank.

If you want to go brighter than the two coral plus bulbs then a combo of an Aqua Blue Special and a Coral plus will make things even brighter, and you will still have 6 Blue Plus bulbs for super growth.

For timing under ideal conditions you would run the 2 bulbs for 12 hours. This would assure a 50/50 light dark cycle which is the best for coral growth. A simple pair of Blue Plus bulbs is what most people run for this sysle however a few prefer a combo a bit pinker with a sipurple plus and blue plus.

As far as the timing on the other bulbs this is very touchy as different corals especialy in the zoa family have different lighting needs. Satrt with a 6 hour cycle and watch the corals closely. If you see brownng shorten the cycle, it hou need more coral growth increase the time.

Note I'm not running an ATI fixture but with 8 tubes on a 120 gallon I'm running the mid days now down to 4 1/2 hours and have not seen any decrease in growth but have noticed better color than when my period was longer.

Ok well instead of putting a shade screen could we just adjust the bulbs for lower par if u think that is to much light? What about putting 2 actinic bulbs in the fixture? Would that make u feel better on to much light? If so what ratio would u go with then?

Remember I do have some sps going in this tank but they will be at the top of the tank and the zoa, and pally will be at the bottom.

I added a purple since not as much coral plus to have some purple in it, or would u go 1 actinic? Or is there a reason why screen would be better then actinic?

2 actinic, 1 purple, 1 coral plus 4 blue plus?

Roger

 

[Froggy]

I could not agree with you more here. The Purple plus was a much more useful bulb before the Coral Plus came out.







I personaly do not rely on any manufacturers spectrum graphs. In the past on some manufactureres I have found that they were selling two different bulbs but listing the same same spectrum for both. Onder the legal truth in advertising laws they both fell withiin the legal range of for this spectrum since there is such a broad legal definition of what is legal when it comes to both spectrums and K temperature reporting.



As far as the purple being used as a full spectrum bulb I will puit a thumbs down for that. A full spectrum bulb should look basicly white and the purple plus bulb looks virtualy purple. It has a strong blue and red element to it but does not have a strong green element to it.



If you want a tank that is brighter than with two coral plus bulbs then a combination of the purple plus with an aqua blue special works very well. The aqua ble special is a neart full spectrum bulb but lacks the red. The purple plus adds that red to balance out the spectrum.

I finally settled on my new 8 bulb combo after ordering several extra bulbs to play with different spectrums . I changed from an old combo of 5 blue plus, 1 purple plus, 1 coral plus, and 1 GE 6500. I wanted to go bluer but still bright.

I surprisingly did not like 5 blue plus, 2 coral plus, and 1 purple plus. It looked flat to me and my tatse.

I then tried 4 blue plus, 1 purple plus, 1 coral plus, 1 aqua blue special, and 1 ATI actinic. Liked it better but not quite there. Seemed a bit too white and missing.....something.

I have settled on 4 blue plus, 2 purple plus, 1 aqua blue special, and 1 ATI actinic. The look is blue enough for me and still bright. Coral color is also represented well. I agree that the aqua blue special seems to need a big red boost and my tank looks much better when using the 2 purple plus instead of including a coral plus in the mix. This surprised me as I do like the coral plus bulb but personally did not with the aqua blue special. Some may not like the inclusion of the actinic in the mix instead of another blue plus but I am testing it out, even with a TEK fixture. Growth has not been an issue for me and I even need to darken coral pigment on some pieces.

Before settling on my final combo, I tried each of them for several days to let my eyes adjust to the look and not be shocked into not liking the initial change.

Joe

 

[TropTrea]

Ok well instead of putting a shade screen could we just adjust the bulbs for lower par if u think that is to much light? What about putting 2 actinic bulbs in the fixture? Would that make u feel better on to much light? If so what ratio would u go with then?

Remember I do have some sps going in this tank but they will be at the top of the tank and the zoa, and pally will be at the bottom.

I added a purple since not as much coral plus to have some purple in it, or would u go 1 actinic? Or is there a reason why screen would be better then actinic?

2 actinic, 1 purple, 1 coral plus 4 blue plus?

Roger

While I have niot experienced it myself I have read several articles on where excessive atinic light (420nm and shorter) can cause burning in some corals. I stoped using atinic Bulbs many years ago when I switched to the Blue Plus Bulbs.

I do not know what your overhead space is but yur better off raising the lights to reduce the total amount. Another option you may want to consider is sumply using the six bulb circuit and not turn on the other two bulbs.

Yhe issue with running dimmable T-5's is a very touchy situation. When I worked in quality control for florescent lighting some of the things we tested for was operation under reduced power. Between differnet bulbs we saw some drasticly different results. But all the ones we had a shift in the spectrum to some extent. With slight reduction of power we did see slight gains in the live of the bulbs though. I personlay would not recommend dimming unless I was able to study with a spectrum anylizer the specific bulb that was being dimmed.

 

[TropTrea]

I have settled on 4 blue plus, 2 purple plus, 1 aqua blue special, and 1 ATI actinic. The look is blue enough for me and still bright. Coral color is also represented well. I agree that the aqua blue special seems to need a big red boost and my tank looks much better when using the 2 purple plus instead of including a coral plus in the mix. This surprised me as I do like the coral plus bulb but personally did not with the aqua blue special. Some may not like the inclusion of the actinic in the mix instead of another blue plus but I am testing it out, even with a TEK fixture. Growth has not been an issue for me and I even need to darken coral pigment on some pieces.

Before settling on my final combo, I tried each of them for several days to let my eyes adjust to the look and not be shocked into not liking the initial change.

Joe

Yes I will agree that a Blue Plus and Aqua blue Special combination lacks the red. It is a lot of personal color choice how much red needs be added with the use of bulbs like the purple plus, ot the Kiji Purple. I poerfer to keep it to a minimium as excessive red can cause issues as well.

The big thing is you have enough Blue Light to keep your corals happy, and that the overall color balance is making you happy. I like your idea of letting your eye adjust to a color change and not just popping something in and saying I don't like it. I poersonaly have made changes and not liked it because it was a drastic change but after a few days started loving it.

 

[rogergolf66]

While I have niot experienced it myself I have read several articles on where excessive atinic light (420nm and shorter) can cause burning in some corals. I stoped using atinic Bulbs many years ago when I switched to the Blue Plus Bulbs.

I do not know what your overhead space is but yur better off raising the lights to reduce the total amount. Another option you may want to consider is sumply using the six bulb circuit and not turn on the other two bulbs.

Yhe issue with running dimmable T-5's is a very touchy situation. When I worked in quality control for florescent lighting some of the things we tested for was operation under reduced power. Between differnet bulbs we saw some drasticly different results. But all the ones we had a shift in the spectrum to some extent. With slight reduction of power we did see slight gains in the live of the bulbs though. I personlay would not recommend dimming unless I was able to study with a spectrum anylizer the specific bulb that was being dimmed.

Ok so what hight would u recommend I run this fixture at over 120 gal 24 deep?

 

[TropTrea]

Ok so what hight would u recommend I run this fixture at over 120 gal 24 deep?

If your keeping your LED strips going I would start with about 15" above the water line. If your not using the LED strips you vcan go with about 12" above. Watch your corals very carefully it you wee then bleaching then imediatly raise the lights an added 3". If everything is looking healthy after 2 weeks and you want more growth then drop them one inch max at a time.

Zoos are very touchy when it comes to light. I love them but have a hard time with them. It seemjs to me some varieties simply hate all the light I have on my tank and some seem to want more. However some people told me my zoo problems could be chemical war fair in the tank.

 

[Pdm2476]

Hi guys I have a T5 question! I currently run a 36" MH fixture that is 2 150watt mh and 4 T5's I like the fixture but have the chance to pick up an 36" 8 bulb T5 aquaticlife with timer I'm wondering if it would be better for my 65gal 36x19x24 tank? Thanks in advance!

 

[Rybren]

thanks all for your inputs ,but moving back to my choice ,the quantity of bulbs are 4 and that not gonna change ( price issues) the opinion i want is the combination i have to try for a 12k or 14k color for my previous choices what color im closing to with
Bule +
coral+
Blue+
Purple+

and thanks again

I've been running this combo for the past year. It is quite red looking, and I won't be using this combo again.

I'm thinking of replacing the purple plus with either an Aquablue or another coral+. I'd love to try the GE 6,500K, but they're not available locally.

 

[michfish5]

Ready to replace the bulbs in my AquaticLife T5 Quad fixture. What bulbs would you recommend? I was thinking (2) Blue+, (1) Aquablue Special, and (1) Actinic White. Would a Coral Plus be better than the Actinic White? I have LPS and some softies in a 65 gallon. Look forward to your reply.

 

[TropTrea]

Ready to replace the bulbs in my AquaticLife T5 Quad fixture. What bulbs would you recommend? I was thinking (2) Blue+, (1) Aquablue Special, and (1) Actinic White. Would a Coral Plus be better than the Actinic White? I have LPS and some softies in a 65 gallon. Look forward to your reply.

I would think the Aqua Blue Special would be to white in a 4 bulb fixture for most people. And the so called Atinic White in combination with any other fuller spectrum bulb would also add to the whiteness. This only leaves you two bulbs to handle the blue end of your spectrum.

I would recommend a combination using the ATI Blue Plus or KZ's Super Blue with either one or two Coral Plus bulbs dependent on how white you want to go. The nice thing with the coral plus is that it is 1/2 a Blue Plus plus adds a little full spectrum to whiten things up.

 

[TropTrea]

Hi guys I have a T5 question! I currently run a 36" MH fixture that is 2 150watt mh and 4 T5's I like the fixture but have the chance to pick up an 36" 8 bulb T5 aquaticlife with timer I'm wondering if it would be better for my 65gal 36x19x24 tank? Thanks in advance!

I made the switch about 8 years ago. Prior I was running 2 400 Watt MH's plus 4 65 Watt Compacts for a total of over 100Watts of power. Then I switched to 8 54 Watt T-5's with only 432 Watts of lighting. The wife noticed an improvement in the electric bill right away and my corals actualy started improving.

The bulb combination I love for the six bulb combo is
1 GE 6,500K
2 ATI Purple Plus
5 ATI Blue Plus Bulbs

 

[michfish5]

Thanks. Also when swapping out the bulbs do I have to change my normal lighting schedule and slowly acclimate my corals to the new bulbs?

 

[Dapg8gt]

I have a question for you guys. I just bought a used 8x54w powermodule for a steal of a deal.. The unit is in great shape except the reflectors are hurting.

I quickly polished the front one and it really didn't do much to it other than make the discoloration shiny lol. My question is on the discoloration of the metal. It seems like almost all of them have a green hue to them and others have splotches of red. Will they change the spectrum of the light by adding a green or red hue to it?

He mentioned someone tried to help him by cleaning them and ruined the finish. My other question is it seems to be a Chrome coating vs what I thought was just polished aluminum. Does anybody know if that's the case? If they are just polished I know I can with a little elbow grease and power tools get them back as they are in perfect shape other than the coating.

I'm just exploring all the options before I drop $200 on new ones from Reefgeek. I'm not in a rush to get it on as my sunpower is still on the tank..

Here's a pic for reference. And on a side note this thing is soooooo much heavier than my 6x39w sunpower it's probably double hoping my brackets will hold it lol.

 

[Froggy]

I made the switch about 8 years ago. Prior I was running 2 400 Watt MH's plus 4 65 Watt Compacts for a total of over 100Watts of power. Then I switched to 8 54 Watt T-5's with only 432 Watts of lighting. The wife noticed an improvement in the electric bill right away and my corals actualy started improving.



The bulb combination I love for the six bulb combo is

1 GE 6,500K

2 ATI Purple Plus

5 ATI Blue Plus Bulbs

Math seems off

 

[rtparty]

I have a question for you guys. I just bought a used 8x54w powermodule for a steal of a deal.. The unit is in great shape except the reflectors are hurting.

I quickly polished the front one and it really didn't do much to it other than make the discoloration shiny lol. My question is on the discoloration of the metal. It seems like almost all of them have a green hue to them and others have splotches of red. Will they change the spectrum of the light by adding a green or red hue to it?

He mentioned someone tried to help him by cleaning them and ruined the finish. My other question is it seems to be a Chrome coating vs what I thought was just polished aluminum. Does anybody know if that's the case? If they are just polished I know I can with a little elbow grease and power tools get them back as they are in perfect shape other than the coating.

I'm just exploring all the options before I drop $200 on new ones from Reefgeek. I'm not in a rush to get it on as my sunpower is still on the tank..

Here's a pic for reference. And on a side note this thing is soooooo much heavier than my 6x39w sunpower it's probably double hoping my brackets will hold it lol.

They are polished reflector. I'd buy all new reflectors if I were you.

 

[Dapg8gt]

They are polished reflector. I'd buy all new reflectors if I were you.

Thanks Yeah I already ordered after doing some more research.

The reflectors are aluminum but actually coated in silver and that's why they can get scratched so easy and tarnish. Well at least I'm in the same state as Reefgeek I should have bulbs and reflectors Tuesday.

 

[rps3]

Quick question, I know as bulbs get older they tend to color shift. Most change out bulbs after 9 months or so from what I gather. But it's just hit me now on my 6x39w Powermodule, 4 of the bulbs are on for 4 hrs compared to the other two which are on for 12 hrs.

So I did some math and figured in the 9 months the 2 channel/bulbs will have been ran for 3,276 hrs compared to the 4 channel/bulbs at 1,092 hrs. Does this mean I can run it for another 2,184 hrs before having to replace them? Logically it makes sense to me...

 

[rtparty]

Quick question, I know as bulbs get older they tend to color shift. Most change out bulbs after 9 months or so from what I gather. But it's just hit me now on my 6x39w Powermodule, 4 of the bulbs are on for 4 hrs compared to the other two which are on for 12 hrs.

So I did some math and figured in the 9 months the 2 channel/bulbs will have been ran for 3,276 hrs compared to the 4 channel/bulbs at 1,092 hrs. Does this mean I can run it for another 2,184 hrs before having to replace them? Logically it makes sense to me...

Being turned on and off kills life as well. How much? I don't think that can be answered.

You should be able to pull 14 months out of them if you really want. However, if they are blue or actinic bulbs they will shift quicker than daylight bulbs.

 

[sahin]

I have a question for you guys. I just bought a used 8x54w powermodule for a steal of a deal.. The unit is in great shape except the reflectors are hurting.

I quickly polished the front one and it really didn't do much to it other than make the discoloration shiny lol. My question is on the discoloration of the metal. It seems like almost all of them have a green hue to them and others have splotches of red. Will they change the spectrum of the light by adding a green or red hue to it?

He mentioned someone tried to help him by cleaning them and ruined the finish. My other question is it seems to be a Chrome coating vs what I thought was just polished aluminum. Does anybody know if that's the case? If they are just polished I know I can with a little elbow grease and power tools get them back as they are in perfect shape other than the coating.

I'm just exploring all the options before I drop $200 on new ones from Reefgeek. I'm not in a rush to get it on as my sunpower is still on the tank..

Here's a pic for reference. And on a side note this thing is soooooo much heavier than my 6x39w sunpower it's probably double hoping my brackets will hold it lol.

I am not 100% sure, but I think they may be coated. Take the worst one out of the bunch and try to clean it. If it starts to turn shiny, then all is good and you just need to put in a few hours of effort...but I doubt it...I think they are coated...and once the coating is damaged, you need to buy new ones.

PS if that was my ATI PM, I would be whipping out two of those T5 tubes and add a couple of rows of Royal Blue and 420nm LED's in there. Then replace 6 of the reflectors and my god, you will have an awesome light unit on your hand.