The T5 Q&a Thread - split

[CoralNerd]

Lighting help:
My tank is 46"
I have been running 2 ecotech radions but growth is slow. I added two 36" t5's and growth picked up.

I'm thinking about buying a 36" giesemann matrixx ii, 6 bulb setup and also running the two radions. Does this sound like a good plan? If I didn't run the radions would the 36" t5 setup give me good coverage on the sides? Any other suggestions? Thanks

 

[CoralNerd]

Bump my question above:
If you don't know about the radions maybe just answer as if I just had t5's. Thanks

 

[mhucasey]

Lighting help:
My tank is 46"
I have been running 2 ecotech radions but growth is slow. I added two 36" t5's and growth picked up.

I'm thinking about buying a 36" giesemann matrixx ii, 6 bulb setup and also running the two radions. Does this sound like a good plan? If I didn't run the radions would the 36" t5 setup give me good coverage on the sides? Any other suggestions? Thanks

I have a 36" fixture over a 48" distance. It will project some light from the ends,but there is a severe drop off about 3" from the last lit up part of the bulb. So in short, it will give you reduced light to the ends of the 46" tank. Not much option though - a 48" fixture will be too big.

 

[CoralNerd]

I think what I will do is focus the radions more towards the ends.
I'm going to put the t5's and the radions on separate T Slot, 80/20 aluminum rails with a slider. This way I can slide the lights left and right from time to time.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Need help with my current lighting.

Fixture: Aquticlife 72", 8 bulb. 39w

Tank: marineland 6' 125gal.

Lights are in two banks, each half has 4, 3' bulbs.

Current lights:

All bulbs are ATI

Blue plus
Blue plus
Purple plus
Coral plus

Some SPS, LPS and some soft corals

Corals have been stressed and looking as if they are getting too much light.
Cut my light period down to eight hours for the blue plus and 4 hours for pink and coral. This done a month ago.

Raised my fixture up eight inches above water line. This done also a month ago.

Tank looks pretty bright and white during all lights on.

Thinking too much par, but don't have a par meter to test.

What do you think I should change?

 

[chercm]

what is the recommended orientation for the tubes :

3 blue+
2 coral+
1 aqua blue
1 purple
1 actinic

 

[DiscusHeckel]

what is the recommended orientation for the tubes :

3 blue+
2 coral+
1 aqua blue
1 purple
1 actinic

This is how I use them:

front
blue+
coral+
actinic
aquablue special
purple+
blue+
coral+
blue+

Scotty uses exactly the same combination except that he uses coral+ and blue+ in reverse order in the front, i.e. coral+ blue+ actinic ....

I tried it, but prefer blue+ in the front for a bluer look.

I hope this helps.

 

[chercm]

This is how I use them:

front
blue+
coral+
actinic
aquablue special
purple+
blue+
coral+
blue+

Scotty uses exactly the same combination except that he uses coral+ and blue+ in reverse order in the front, i.e. coral+ blue+ actinic ....

I tried it, but prefer blue+ in the front for a bluer look.

I hope this helps.

thanks will try it once my fixture arrives

 

[tomreefer]

Recommend bulb combo for a 75 gallon 4 light fixture?

 

[Mr.Tan]

I'm having a bit of trouble deciding on which bulbs to put in my new fixture i just bought. Its a 4 bulb aquaticlife. I previously had a 2 bulb fixture on running 1 actinic and 1 10k bulb (i put coralife bulbs in it because the old ones were dead). My new fixture is running 2 actinic (which dont even look actinic, they just say 420/ something else on them), 1 10k and 1 purple (which doesnt look purple or pink at all). It looks way too whitish/blue for me. It doesnt seem to make any colors POP like the old 2 bulb fixture did.


I've been reading through this thread but getting mixed opinions on colors to use. I want something that will really make colors pop and have a nice "warm" glow to them...not a washed out super bright white like i'm getting now. My rocks before had a nice glow to them and now just look too white (no coral in the tank yet, just a bunch of live rock, no dead rock was used). I'm planning on just lps and softies in the tank. Its a 29g standard.


TIA

 

[StrikerKratos]

6 vs 8 tube T5

6 vs 8 tube T5

I'm setting up a 48x24x7 frag tank to grow jaw-dropping SPS :inlove: (mainly acro, some others) and am interested in either the 6 bulb or 8 bulb dimmable ATI Sunpower light.

I don't mind spending the extra and dimming or leaving two bulbs off if its too bright and then working up, but I don't want to spend extra if it's just plain unnecessary. Any opinions? Thanks!!

 

[mhucasey]

I'm setting up a 48x24x7 frag tank to grow jaw-dropping SPS :inlove: (mainly acro, some others) and am interested in either the 6 bulb or 8 bulb dimmable ATI Sunpower light.

I don't mind spending the extra and dimming or leaving two bulbs off if its too bright and then working up, but I don't want to spend extra if it's just plain unnecessary. Any opinions? Thanks!!

For that size is suggest the 8 bulb standard(non-dimmable) sunpower. Save the money and headache you'll need for the dimmable

 

[Ludwigia73]

Seems like most of these questions are about 6 bulb setups... I have a 40 breeder with a 4 bulb fixture, independent reflectors... I want it blue, not crisp white, but I want color to pop and get decent growth. I'm growing mainly softies in this tank, shrooms, zoas, maybe a leather, and an anemone. I'm thinking 1 Fiji purple in the front, 2 blue plus dead center, and a coral plus in the back. How does this sound?

 

[Mark426]

put the Coral+ between the Blues.

 

[mhucasey]

Seems like most of these questions are about 6 bulb setups... I have a 40 breeder with a 4 bulb fixture, independent reflectors... I want it blue, not crisp white, but I want color to pop and get decent growth. I'm growing mainly softies in this tank, shrooms, zoas, maybe a leather, and an anemone. I'm thinking 1 Fiji purple in the front, 2 blue plus dead center, and a coral plus in the back. How does this sound?

Because of the small amount of bulbs I'd be concerned about the purple overpowering the others - maybe instead, two coral plus and two blue plus evenly staggered would be better.

 

[03glide]

I am going to run a 4 bulb retro setup, and I was thinking of going with either of the two combinations:

#1 - ATI
Blue +
Coral +
Purple +
Blue +

#2 - ATI
Blue +
Coral +
Blue +
Coral +

The look I am really going for is somewhere in the 12k-14k range...I like the idea of the purple + to help the reds pop, but I don't want it to look too pink. I've been seeing some folks say they wouldn't run a pink bulb on a set up with less than 6 total bulbs.

Any thoughts on the combinations or order I have them set up?

3 blue +
1 coral +

 

[StrikerKratos]

Don't forget your true actinic! one of the biggest spectrums absorbed by zooxanthellae is violet, like 400-450nm.

 

[drillsar]

Ok for a 4 bulb you suggest:

1 true actnic
1 blue +
2 coral +

?

 

[silvernblackr35]

Aquablue special vs coral plus.. anyone have growth comparisons?

 

[StrikerKratos]

The T5 Q&a Thread - split

Ok for a 4 bulb you suggest:



1 true actnic

1 blue +

2 coral +



?

That sounds like a good combo to me, could even do 1 coral + and an aquablue special, gives you slightly more spectrum. Would be nice to see growth comparison between the two like mentioned above.