The T5 Q&a Thread

[atwinparadox2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15636755#post15636755 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
4 or 6 54 watt lamps.

Thanks, I greatly appreciate the help. Now, 2 final questions. The tank is 4ft, would i be ok going with a 36" retro kit and I will have to go with 4 bulb because of space limitations with the reflectors. What bulb combo do you suggest. I like blue but not too too blue. Grim, thanks for all your help!

 

[adirondack]

Mr. Grim,

I have spent a lot of time reading about T5 on this forum and the T5 lighting review also found here, thank you to everyone for all the info. I have a 6X54 watt Nova extreme pro, and based on the T5 article recommendations I have the following bulbs just purchased last week:

Front
B+
Super Actinic (420)
UVL Aquasun
B+
UVL 75/25
B+

This is on a 72 gal bow, setup for about 1 month. It's 12" deep on the ends, 18" deep in the middle, 20" high (minus 4" sand), 48" long.

With all lights on it's REALLY bright, almost washed out I would say. I don't have a lot i there yet, mostly live rock with coralline, some dry rock, a few inverts, and just recently 5 pieces of "beginner" coral purchased from a local guy.

My question, should I wait and let the bulbs break in, dim down a little, get a few more things in there and see how it looks, or is this just too much light, or the wrong lamp configuration?

Thank you very much for your help.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15636772#post15636772 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by atwinparadox2
Thanks, I greatly appreciate the help. Now, 2 final questions. The tank is 4ft, would i be ok going with a 36" retro kit and I will have to go with 4 bulb because of space limitations with the reflectors. What bulb combo do you suggest. I like blue but not too too blue. Grim, thanks for all your help!

I would use the 54 watt lamps.

Front
ATI Blue Plus
KZ Fiji Purple
ATI Aquablue
ATI Blue Plus

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15637454#post15637454 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by adirondack
Mr. Grim,

I have spent a lot of time reading about T5 on this forum and the T5 lighting review also found here, thank you to everyone for all the info. I have a 6X54 watt Nova extreme pro, and based on the T5 article recommendations I have the following bulbs just purchased last week:

Front
B+
Super Actinic (420)
UVL Aquasun
B+
UVL 75/25
B+

This is on a 72 gal bow, setup for about 1 month. It's 12" deep on the ends, 18" deep in the middle, 20" high (minus 4" sand), 48" long.

With all lights on it's REALLY bright, almost washed out I would say. I don't have a lot i there yet, mostly live rock with coralline, some dry rock, a few inverts, and just recently 5 pieces of "beginner" coral purchased from a local guy.

My question, should I wait and let the bulbs break in, dim down a little, get a few more things in there and see how it looks, or is this just too much light, or the wrong lamp configuration?

Thank you very much for your help.

Grab another Blue Plus and play. Just poping it in in place of the actinic might do it but I would try it in place of the Aquasun first.

 

[biecacka]

grim, so you think i can run a T5 setup only on a 240 cube mostly softy? i would lvoe to just because of the sleek look compared to most Mh units, and since the tank is rimless it will also be canopy-less.

 

[GKill]

I am converting a 225gal from fresh to reef. I currently have a 72" current extreme T5 4x. What/if any arrangement will work?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15638513#post15638513 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by biecacka
grim, so you think i can run a T5 setup only on a 240 cube mostly softy? i would lvoe to just because of the sleek look compared to most Mh units, and since the tank is rimless it will also be canopy-less.

Should be fine as lng as the tank isn't too tall.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15638525#post15638525 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GKill
I am converting a 225gal from fresh to reef. I currently have a 72" current extreme T5 4x. What/if any arrangement will work?

4 rows of lamps? 2 Blue Plus, 1 Aquablue and 1 UVL Actinic White. Only lower light corals in that tank with that light. LPS up on the rocks.

 

[biecacka]

24 inches deep. softy maybe a lps here or there coming from my current tank. hammer, bubble,frogspawn etc.
how many bulb fixture would work

 

[tdawgnjlo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15590479#post15590479 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
Yeah, you really don't need to use the 60" lamps. Only 3 isn't going to make enough of a difference at the ends to make it worth the expense of using the longer lamps. If you are going to use them I would do 6 which would then give you enough output to have high light critters in the last 6 inches on each side.

Grim,

You said 8 - 48 inch T5's would be ok over my 150g 60 " wide x 24 " deep x 24 " tall tank. You said overdrive the middle 4 lamps on an Ice Cap 660 ballast. Would you recommend staggering the bulbs like this to get some coverage on at the edges of the tank, or just center all lights in the middle?

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[SeedlessOne]

Just purchased a 90g RR. It came with 6vho bulbs with 2 icecap 660s and one workhorse. Trying to figure out what to do for my lighting. Should I change out to t5 or go MH? I know I will receive biased answer here but I think t5 will be better in my situation. Heat is a big deal to me as I dont want to buy a chiller. Actually the tank came with a chiller but I want to sell it to help pay for startup. Would a chiller be needed for 2x250mh? I keep my house at a constant 70. Choices choices......

And as of now my nano only has softies in it but I would like to have lighting to grow any type of coral I want......

 

[redfishsc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15615019#post15615019 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Felix T Cat
So I came here looking for a replacement set for my Nova Extreme Pro stock bulbs (4x10k's and 2x Actinics). Mixed reef, 40G breeder (although I'm eying up a 36" wide 65 gallon as well) with SPS, Zoas, Palys etc. I love the difference here but is there a better growth / lighting combo ?

Grim ?. Any suggestions ?. I've got 4 bulbs on one switch and 2 on the other. Would the suggestion be different if I went with the 65 instead of the 40g breeder ?

Thanks !!!

The bulb combo that Rocky posted is about as high-PAR as you are going to get. I think he had 4 ATI Blue plus, 1 UVL Actinic white, and one GE6500K.

I would personally use an ATI 12,000K Aquablue special in that mix instead of the GE6500K, but that's all a matter of eye-taste. Either will grow coral fine.

 

[username in use]

Hey grim, Just got my new bulbs that you suggested and it looks great, exactly what I wanted, Thanks. I had to wait an extra week because one of the bulbs was backordered and when they asked me if I wanted to substitute any other bulbs for it I said "NO, this is what the Grim Reaper told me to get!" There was a long pause on the other end of the line haha.

 

[saltwater4life1]

Hey Grim,
So Last year you told me to go with
Front to back:
Blue plus
Super actinic
AquaSun
AquaBlue
That was a great combo i'm just wondering if there are any new bulbs that might of came out that might replace one of these and now that i'm getting more and more sps corals and less softies if there is anything better for them or should i just go with this combo again? Btw this is for the 55gal
Thanks again!
~Nick

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15638628#post15638628 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by biecacka
24 inches deep. softy maybe a lps here or there coming from my current tank. hammer, bubble,frogspawn etc.
how many bulb fixture would work

Depends on the footprint of the tank. If it's 24" you want 8 lamps, 36 at least 10.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15638660#post15638660 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tdawgnjlo
Grim,

You said 8 - 48 inch T5's would be ok over my 150g 60 " wide x 24 " deep x 24 " tall tank. You said overdrive the middle 4 lamps on an Ice Cap 660 ballast. Would you recommend staggering the bulbs like this to get some coverage on at the edges of the tank, or just center all lights in the middle?

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Centered works fine

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15639102#post15639102 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SeedlessOne
Just purchased a 90g RR. It came with 6vho bulbs with 2 icecap 660s and one workhorse. Trying to figure out what to do for my lighting. Should I change out to t5 or go MH? I know I will receive biased answer here but I think t5 will be better in my situation. Heat is a big deal to me as I dont want to buy a chiller. Actually the tank came with a chiller but I want to sell it to help pay for startup. Would a chiller be needed for 2x250mh? I keep my house at a constant 70. Choices choices......

And as of now my nano only has softies in it but I would like to have lighting to grow any type of coral I want......

Run 4 T5's on one ballast and 2 VHO Actinics on the other.

I'd sit an actinic at the front and rear and use 2 ATI Blue Plus, 1 UVL Aquasun and 1 GE 6500K Daylight for the T5s.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15640865#post15640865 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by saltwater4life1
Hey Grim,
So Last year you told me to go with
Front to back:
Blue plus
Super actinic
AquaSun
AquaBlue
That was a great combo i'm just wondering if there are any new bulbs that might of came out that might replace one of these and now that i'm getting more and more sps corals and less softies if there is anything better for them or should i just go with this combo again? Btw this is for the 55gal
Thanks again!
~Nick

If you like that swap a UVL Actinic white for the Aquasun and go with the same other lamps. Should give you a little more actinic kick.

 

[atwinparadox2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15638451#post15638451 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
I would use the 54 watt lamps.

Front
ATI Blue Plus
KZ Fiji Purple
ATI Aquablue
ATI Blue Plus

I went with a 54watt retro with this combo, thanks for the help grim!

 

[biecacka]

grim footprint is 48x48x24