The T5 Q&a Thread
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tas5tas
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Grim.....
One of my LFS runs a 4 bulb setup with the following combo and I am looking for the same look out of either an 8, 9, or 10 bulb setup, but I want to leave 2-3 bulbs for some ATI Aquablue and GE6500k for growth purposes I also definately want to incorporate the VHO Actinics I have on hand too for that nice "POP".
Here is the setup from the store....
Front
GMAN Actinic Plus
GMAN Actinic Plus
ATI Pro Color
GMAN Pure Actinic
Here is the list of bulbs I have available at home.....
4-ATI Blueplus
3-ATI Aquablue Special
2-ATI Procolor
2-GE 6500k
2-UVL Super Actinic R (VHO)
Here is what I was thinking........
Front
UVL Super Actinic (B1)
ATI Blueplus (B2)
ATI Aquablue Special (B3)
ATI Blueplus (B2)
ATI Pro Color (B1)
ATI Blueplus (B1)
GE 6500k (B3)
UVL Super Actinic (B1)
ATI Aquablue Special (B2)
ATI Blueplus (B3)
Proposed lighting schedule......
Ballast 1- 10am-10pm
Ballast 2- 1pm - 7pm
Ballast 3- 2pm - 6pm
Am I correct in thinking that the bulbs on ballast 1 should look almost identical to the LFS setup?? I know once the other ballasts turn on that the look will change, but the overall look should still be pleasing I think. Let me know what you would do or what combo may be closer.
One of my LFS runs a 4 bulb setup with the following combo and I am looking for the same look out of either an 8, 9, or 10 bulb setup, but I want to leave 2-3 bulbs for some ATI Aquablue and GE6500k for growth purposes I also definately want to incorporate the VHO Actinics I have on hand too for that nice "POP".
Here is the setup from the store....
Front
GMAN Actinic Plus
GMAN Actinic Plus
ATI Pro Color
GMAN Pure Actinic
Here is the list of bulbs I have available at home.....
4-ATI Blueplus
3-ATI Aquablue Special
2-ATI Procolor
2-GE 6500k
2-UVL Super Actinic R (VHO)
Here is what I was thinking........
Front
UVL Super Actinic (B1)
ATI Blueplus (B2)
ATI Aquablue Special (B3)
ATI Blueplus (B2)
ATI Pro Color (B1)
ATI Blueplus (B1)
GE 6500k (B3)
UVL Super Actinic (B1)
ATI Aquablue Special (B2)
ATI Blueplus (B3)
Proposed lighting schedule......
Ballast 1- 10am-10pm
Ballast 2- 1pm - 7pm
Ballast 3- 2pm - 6pm
Am I correct in thinking that the bulbs on ballast 1 should look almost identical to the LFS setup?? I know once the other ballasts turn on that the look will change, but the overall look should still be pleasing I think. Let me know what you would do or what combo may be closer.
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
The ATI reflectors are the best I have tested. The Reefgeek (now Aqua Illumination) were second best.
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
6 lamp Tek or ATI Sunpower would be fine. Probably the Tek would be better, the ATI would probably melt the shrooms.
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
Aquactinics reflectors are 2 inches wide and are very good.
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
He hasn't done much with T5 as far as I know and hasn't published the numbers yet but he did some limited testing. Dana Riddle has started testing them as well. The basic PAR meters under read blue light which I knew but according to Sanjays results it was a lot more than I guessed. I had always thought the ATI Aquablue probably had the highest output due to its large amount of blue light compared to the red (which is over read by the meters) in the UVL Aquasun which tested a little ahead of the Aquablue. Turns out the Blue Plus tested higher than the Aquasun on the Spectrometer. I don't know where the Aquablue came in but I'd bet money it too beat out the Aquasun.
With these guys with letters after their names and thousands of dollars in equipment testing this stuff I should be able to fade off into the sunset.
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The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
RhetoricUni
New member
Good morning Grim, (Go Broncos!)
So after much persuasion I've convinced the wife that new lights are a NEED not a want. After reading this thread I found several answers to my questions, but I would really like to buy the right lights the first time. So I'll ask a couple questions.
48X20X18 90 Gal
I would like to be able to keep any coral I find interesting. After reading up I'm under the impression you recommend ATI's. Should I be looking at 6 bulb powermodule? If so what's the big difference between the 6 bulb sunpower and 6 bulb pm. What would I gain from buying the 8 bulb pm? Thanks for the input and education on T5 lights.
If your ever bored and looking to talk fish, Id love to meet up for a beer some time!
So after much persuasion I've convinced the wife that new lights are a NEED not a want. After reading this thread I found several answers to my questions, but I would really like to buy the right lights the first time. So I'll ask a couple questions.
48X20X18 90 Gal
I would like to be able to keep any coral I find interesting. After reading up I'm under the impression you recommend ATI's. Should I be looking at 6 bulb powermodule? If so what's the big difference between the 6 bulb sunpower and 6 bulb pm. What would I gain from buying the 8 bulb pm? Thanks for the input and education on T5 lights.
If your ever bored and looking to talk fish, Id love to meet up for a beer some time!
Rickyrooz1
Acropora Nut
What is the difference between the Powermodule and the Sunpower? From the product information they look to be identical except for the exterior design. Are the reflectors the same in both fixtures, do they extend the whole length of the fixture?
tas5tas
New member
The powermodule has better cooling which increases PAR.
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
'
You say Go Broncos to a 40 year Raiders fan then expect me to answer your questions.
I think you need a nice PC setup.:fun5:
6 lamp Sunpower would let you grow about anything you want in that tank. The Powermodule has a little more mojo but unless you are going strictly high light stonies the sunpower is plenty.
If I ever get moved all the way in beer sounds good.
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
The Powermodule has a little better output do to a slightly more precise reflector design and cooling. The reflectors run the length of the lamp's illuminating area.
Laurier
New member
Hey guys, looking to better bmy T5 set up. as of now is have
Aqua Science 22k
KZ new gen coral light
KZ new gen coral light
KZ new gen coral light
KZ new gen coral light
Aqua science 22k
This is an sps dominated tank. Up here i don't have access to ATI bulbs but i can get GE, KZ, aquascience easily at my local LFS. thanks a bunch
Aqua Science 22k
KZ new gen coral light
KZ new gen coral light
KZ new gen coral light
KZ new gen coral light
Aqua science 22k
This is an sps dominated tank. Up here i don't have access to ATI bulbs but i can get GE, KZ, aquascience easily at my local LFS. thanks a bunch
TropTrea
New member
The only thing I question is having the 6,500K bulb on for 4 hours. In my past experience experimenting with bulbs I had found that these bulbs are very touchy. The 6,500K bulb if left on for to long will promote alge growth yet it also does promote coral growth more than any of the other bulbs do.
I would think it is a matter of personal choice on how much you want to trade off coral growth for algea growth. In my cast I started with the 6,500K bulb on for 12 hours with my atinics and got hit hard with algea but also had fantastic coral growth. I switched it to the 8 hour a day cycle and the corals did continue to grow but much slower, and the algea seemed to grow very slowly. I then dropped the time down to 6 hours for that set of bulbs and the result was near zero algea, more color on the corals, but almost no coral growth on the SPS corals. Down to 4 hours I would not suspect any coral growth at all.
Also note I do have 10,000K bulbs in my set up as well so it could be a combination of the 10,000K and 6,500K in my case as well.
My set up
B1 Super Atinic
B2 10,000K
B1 Aqua Blue Special
B2 Atinic Plus White 25/75
B1 Super Atinic
B2 6,500K
B1 Atinic plus Blue 50/50
B2 10,000K
B1 is on from noon to midnight
B2 is on from 2:00 PM till 9:00 PM
I'm also ordered some Aqua Blues which I'm considering to replace one of my 10,000K then upping the B2 time slightly.
Dennis
I would think it is a matter of personal choice on how much you want to trade off coral growth for algea growth. In my cast I started with the 6,500K bulb on for 12 hours with my atinics and got hit hard with algea but also had fantastic coral growth. I switched it to the 8 hour a day cycle and the corals did continue to grow but much slower, and the algea seemed to grow very slowly. I then dropped the time down to 6 hours for that set of bulbs and the result was near zero algea, more color on the corals, but almost no coral growth on the SPS corals. Down to 4 hours I would not suspect any coral growth at all.
Also note I do have 10,000K bulbs in my set up as well so it could be a combination of the 10,000K and 6,500K in my case as well.
My set up
B1 Super Atinic
B2 10,000K
B1 Aqua Blue Special
B2 Atinic Plus White 25/75
B1 Super Atinic
B2 6,500K
B1 Atinic plus Blue 50/50
B2 10,000K
B1 is on from noon to midnight
B2 is on from 2:00 PM till 9:00 PM
I'm also ordered some Aqua Blues which I'm considering to replace one of my 10,000K then upping the B2 time slightly.
Dennis
tas5tas
New member
I hope I don't end up with algae growth, but I doubt I will having all of the flow I have in my barebottom tank. I'm wanting to add the 6500k because my growth has been slow with my current combo of 3-ATI Blueplus and 3-ATI Aquablue Special. I'm also not happy with the hue of the tank. The colors of the corals are fantastic, but the overall hue of the tank looks like a Hamilton 14k, which I hate. With the combo I plan on trying, I should have a great hue to the tank for 12hrs/day plus the added PAR needed for growth during 4hrs in the middle of my lighting cycle.
If you think about it, the sun over a reef is most intense for about 3-4 hours/day during the middle of the day when the sun is directly overhead. This is what I am trying to accomplish with the added bulbs and with the 6500k spectrum. I'm surprised that more people haven't tried this. Once everything comes in this week and the bulb positions have been decided I will post some pics over on my build thread. People have been asking for some overthere anyways since I haven't posted since June.
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
Throw another AS 22K and a KZ Fiji Purple in there in place of coral lights and see what you think.
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