The T5 Q&a Thread - split

[apolloreef]

Setting up a new 36" 4 bulb T5 fixture supplemented by 2 24" ecoxotic stunner LED strips. As far as I can tell/find on their specs the 2 blue LED strips put out a similar blue wavelength to actinic bulbs.

I am looking to have a crisp icy white look (so closer to white than the popular blue glow). After doing my research I am thinking of using the following:
2x Coral Plus
1x Blue Plus

Thoughts on the last bulb?
1x ??? (worried that another blue plus may cause the tank to run too blue?)

 

[Chrisq0904]

Hey guys, long story short I'm thinking of switching to T5's. My tank dimensions are 49"L x 24"D x 16"H. I was thinking of getting a 48" fixture but what I am unsure of is am I better off with 6 or 8 bulbs? Since my tank is pretty shallow I'm not sure if the extra two bulbs would be too much.

 

[DDon]

Ok I'm wanting to add 4 build 80w t5 supplement to a new setup that will also have MH. Well my question is I need a retrofit kit. I can only find hamelton and aurora brand. I just also found a brand called hello lights here's a link. What brand would u recommend? Is there a difference? The aurora and hamelton are about the same price. The hello lights are about half price.

http://www.hellolights.com/Hellolig...archPage=1&searchRank=salesrank&searchSize=12

Roger

Might also want to check out the LET miro-4 retro kit. Looks like aquacave carries them.

 

[Sailmaven]

Thank you for your help. I have a mixed reef tank with assorted fish. I have a 4 bulb system and need to replace the bulbs for the first time. What bulbs would you suggest and what schedule should I put them on. Thank you

 

[Reef Reactor]

Does anybody knows the PAR and PUR of the ATI bulbs?

 

[Redrosetuscan]

Anyone used the fauna marin tubes? Have read some good stuff but not much out there. Might order some as with the euro being low they are quite cheap.

 

[mhucasey]

Anyone used the fauna marin tubes? Have read some good stuff but not much out there. Might order some as with the euro being low they are quite cheap.

If you can get them cheap the Ultra Royal Blue is supposed to be a very nice deep blue color that pairs well with the blue plus. Conversely I have also heard tight it is pretty much the same as a blue plus with the green peak reduced. I don;t know much about the other bulbs they have.

 

[Redrosetuscan]

I might give them a try over my new frag tank as a test, there was a study which showed the fm tubes gave a lot better growth and colour than the ati. I'm not sure how credible it was but the pictures certainly did the talking.
They were using approx half ab special and half blue plus.mand similar in fm tubes. Must have looked yellow to the eye, but they mention too much blue being detrimental.

Btw I love the dog, one day I will get one without doubt!

 

[mhucasey]

Yeah that study was apparently debunked, sorry. They are still good bulbs but roughly equivalent to ATI rather than being much better.

We are nuts about Weiner dogs, he is one of four

 

[DDon]

Hey mhucasey,
You seem to have quite a bit of experience with the new giesemann bulbs so maybe you can answer this for me.
I am currently running 4 T5s as supplements to my kessils in the following configuration:

Front
ATI blue plus
ATI purple plus
Kessil
ATI coral plus
ATI blue plus

Time to replace the bulbs and considering the following:

Front
Giesemann actinic blue
ATI Purple Plus
Kessil
Giesemann aquablue azure
Giesemann super actinic

Would this combo look decent or would I be better off with a blue plus instead of the super actinic?
I do like a crisp white with a touch of blue during day. Would like my blue bulbs to have a deeper blue look than the blue plus which can look a little washed out.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Jone]

I would like to know ghe answer for your question too,,but Im a strictly softie tank,,no chance me going torward SPS..but still like to hear answers per your question

Hey guys, long story short I'm thinking of switching to T5's. My tank dimensions are 49"L x 24"D x 16"H. I was thinking of getting a 48" fixture but what I am unsure of is am I better off with 6 or 8 bulbs? Since my tank is pretty shallow I'm not sure if the extra two bulbs would be too much.

 

[mhucasey]

Hey mhucasey,
You seem to have quite a bit of experience with the new giesemann bulbs so maybe you can answer this for me.
I am currently running 4 T5s as supplements to my kessils in the following configuration:

Front
ATI blue plus
ATI purple plus
Kessil
ATI coral plus
ATI blue plus

Time to replace the bulbs and considering the following:

Front
Giesemann actinic blue
ATI Purple Plus
Kessil
Giesemann aquablue azure
Giesemann super actinic

Would this combo look decent or would I be better off with a blue plus instead of the super actinic?
I do like a crisp white with a touch of blue during day. Would like my blue bulbs to have a deeper blue look than the blue plus which can look a little washed out.
Thanks in advance.

I think given the limited number of bulbs you have I wouldn't use the Actinic blue, but rather the Blue plus. The Actinic Blue is kind of dim comparitively, mainly because it has a lot of actinic in it. One Super actinic will be more than enough Actinic in that mix.
If you are buying the Giesemann bulbs already I'd substitute a Super Purple for the Purple plus(not a fan of the purple plus). If you can get it, the Fiji Purple is the best purple bulb out there(I have them all and will always use the Fiji Purple)

So the following would be my suggestion:
Blue Plus
Super Purple or Fiji Purple
Kessil
Giesemann aquablue azure
Giesemann super actinic

With the Kessil you can tweak the blue level a bit to get it just right.

 

[DDon]

I think given the limited number of bulbs you have I wouldn't use the Actinic blue, but rather the Blue plus. The Actinic Blue is kind of dim comparitively, mainly because it has a lot of actinic in it. One Super actinic will be more than enough Actinic in that mix.
If you are buying the Giesemann bulbs already I'd substitute a Super Purple for the Purple plus(not a fan of the purple plus). If you can get it, the Fiji Purple is the best purple bulb out there(I have them all and will always use the Fiji Purple)

So the following would be my suggestion:
Blue Plus
Super Purple or Fiji Purple
Kessil
Giesemann aquablue azure
Giesemann super actinic

With the Kessil you can tweak the blue level a bit to get it just right.

Thank you. I will give the Fiji Purple a try since I found them at BRS. I didn't realize the actinic blue had that much actinic, was thinking it was somewhat comparable to the blue plus. Hard to tell sometimes just from spectrum graphs.
Just a quick follow up question, would I be better off using the actinic blue in place of the super actinic? Or is the mix as suggested the better option?

 

[mhucasey]

Its a little bit confusing since Giesemann split from DD-Giesemann, and they actually changed the formation of their bulbs. The old DD-gieseman actinic plus was like a slightly dimmer version of the Blue Plus, maybe a tad less green. The new Actinic Blue Added More UV:

Compared to the Blue Plus which has much less between 400-450nm:

 

[DDon]

Thanks for the comparison

 

[Chrisq0904]

I would like to know ghe answer for your question too,,but Im a strictly softie tank,,no chance me going torward SPS..but still like to hear answers per your question

While I never got an exact answer I did get a good deal on a 48" 6bulb Ati fixture. Hopefully it all works out. I'm going to be running 3blue+ 2coral+ and 1purple

 

[jdraider75]

I switched my bulbs out on my 48 inch 8 bulb sunpower. It's a all sps tank. Anyone ever run 4 blue plus 2 Fiji purple 1 ge 6500 and an aqua blue special. Just wondering how your colors and growth were while running this combo. I ru a blue reef Brite led on front of fixture. Tank is 48x24x24.
Bulb layout
Front
Blue reef Brite
Blue plus
Fiji purple
Blue plus
Ge 6500
Blue plus
Blue plus
Fiji purple
Aqua blue special.
Definitely really bright combo. I run 2 blue 10 hours. Reef Brite 11 hours and day lights 5 hours.
Let me know your experiences or thoughts. Thanks.

 

[Chrisq0904]

Finally got my lights up! I have a 6 bulb ATI running the following bulbs:

Front
Blue +
Blue +
Coral +
Purple +
Blue +
Coral +

Running two blue + for 12hrs and the daytime lights for 5 hrs, with the lights about 12" ABL. This is my first time running T5 so any input about my setup would be great. Tank is 80g 48lx24dx16h stocking SPS, LPS and softies.

 

[wcharon]

Finally got my lights up! I have a 6 bulb ATI running the following bulbs:

Front
Blue +
Blue +
Coral +
Purple +
Blue +
Coral +

Running two blue + for 12hrs and the daytime lights for 5 hrs, with the lights about 12" ABL. This is my first time running T5 so any input about my setup would be great. Tank is 80g 48lx24dx16h stocking SPS, LPS and softies.

I am no expert but will post my experience in the past of the years. I had that same combo and i liked it but had to rearrange it after a while because the C+ and P+ together seemd magenta. After that starting using the P+ and B+ in the dawn/dusk and loved it. Now i replaced the B+ in the front for a True Actinic and love it even more becuase the Actinics pops the reflected color more and finally now i have 2 Blue ReefBrites which i use for dawn/dusk and the Sunpower turns on full blast after 2 hours.

So in resume, take a while to play and rearrange the bulbs because colors is personal preference. My suggestion give the combinations i gave you a try and let me know your results.

 

[mhucasey]

I am no expert but will post my experience in the past of the years. I had that same combo and i liked it but had to rearrange it after a while because the C+ and P+ together seemd magenta. After that starting using the P+ and B+ in the dawn/dusk and loved it. Now i replaced the B+ in the front for a True Actinic and love it even more becuase the Actinics pops the reflected color more and finally now i have 2 Blue ReefBrites which i use for dawn/dusk and the Sunpower turns on full blast after 2 hours.

So in resume, take a while to play and rearrange the bulbs because colors is personal preference. My suggestion give the combinations i gave you a try and let me know your results.

I agree, you started with a great batch of bulbs and a little rearranging can change the overall look quite surprisingly!