The T5 Q&a Thread

[The Grim Reefer]

Hey grim i heard u were the man to ask about t5 lighting. Well my question is i have a
55g 48"length 12 1/2"width 20" high. I have a 48" odyssea t5 ho 4x54 with 2 54w odyssea actinic and 2 54w 10k daylight bulbs. I want to go with ati cuz i heard they r very good bulbs. Which ones should i get that is good for sps zoo's lps?

Don't get too froggy about SPS using an Odd fixture. A few at the top of the rocks is all I would chance.

For lamps do 2 ATI Blue Plus, 1 ATI Aquablue and a UVL Actinic White.

 

[DetroitCrow]

Now I am confused. If you are using 54 watt lamps (48" long) go with my original recommendation.

ok last time I ask/bug you I swear!! :beer:

4-bulb setup?
(Front)
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Atinic White
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aqua Blue
(Back)

What about 6-bulb setup?
(Front)
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aqua Blue
UVL Atinic White
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aqua Blue
ATI Blue Plus
(Back)

*All 54W bulbs...

Trying to get a look like this below..

 

[The Grim Reefer]

ok last time I ask/bug you I swear!! :beer:

4-bulb setup?
(Front)
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Atinic White
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aqua Blue
(Back)

What about 6-bulb setup?
(Front)
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aqua Blue
UVL Atinic White
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aqua Blue
ATI Blue Plus
(Back)

*All 54W bulbs...

Trying to get a look like this below..

You me and everyone else on the Planet is trying to get the look of Iwan's tank :celeb3:

Both of your mixes should look good except I would move the Aquablue back a couple places so it is towards the back more on the 6 lamp mix.

 

[scottsr]

Grim will you suggest a bulb combination for a 4 bulb 36" set-up that you think would be good for a mixed reef?
Thank You Very Much.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Grim will you suggest a bulb combination for a 4 bulb 36" set-up that you think would be good for a mixed reef?
Thank You Very Much.

Front
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Actinic White
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue

 

[Scout12]

Grim,

I have a 75 gallon tank (48x18x21) with four T5 bulbs with individual Icecap reflectors and overdriven by an Icecap 660 ballast. I bought this from someone and am not sure exactly what bulbs I have but looks very white and ready to change all four. So far mostly zoos and rics and a few sps. Would like to add more sps in the future.

What bulbs and manufacturer would you suggest. I would prefer a blueish look.


Do I need to add any more bulbs with these four being overdriven? Not sure that I could fit more than one more unless I got a more narrow reflector and of course would rather not add unless really necessary.

Thanks

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Grim,

I have a 75 gallon tank (48x18x21) with four T5 bulbs with individual Icecap reflectors and overdriven by an Icecap 660 ballast. I bought this from someone and am not sure exactly what bulbs I have but looks very white and ready to change all four. So far mostly zoos and rics and a few sps. Would like to add more sps in the future.

What bulbs and manufacturer would you suggest. I would prefer a blueish look.


Do I need to add any more bulbs with these four being overdriven? Not sure that I could fit more than one more unless I got a more narrow reflector and of course would rather not add unless really necessary.

Thanks

4 is enough.

Front
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Actinic White
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Blue Plus

 

[kmu]

ok last time I ask/bug you I swear!! :beer:

4-bulb setup?
(Front)
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Atinic White
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aqua Blue
(Back)

What about 6-bulb setup?
(Front)
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aqua Blue
UVL Atinic White
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aqua Blue
ATI Blue Plus
(Back)

*All 54W bulbs...

Trying to get a look like this below..

Anyone knows what bulb combo is this guy running?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Anyone knows what bulb combo is this guy running?

As I remember it was just Blue Plus and Aquablues. Search for a thread called "210 gallon house reef"

 

[Jason7504]

hey grim,

which set up do you think is better with my 14k phoenix in my solana:

Option 1:

front
blue+
aquablue
blue +
fiji
back

Option 2:

front
blue plus
fiji
blue plus
aquablue
back

and why do you think that option is better?

 

[luther1200]

Hi Grim, I have a question that I would strongly value your opnion on. I started a thread but got very little feedback. If you could check it out and give me your opnion I would really appriciate it. Basically I want to know if adding 2 ATI blue+ bulbs to a tank that previously had PC sups could cause bleaching. I have 2-150w Pheonix also. I had the Giesemann pure actinics but wanted a different color so I switched to 2 ATI Blue+. And a day or 2 later my Blue Tort is very pastel looking. And a Milli has signs of STN on the base. I explain better in the thread, but thats the basics.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1709185

Thanks for your help, my Tort has already got most of its color back. And 2 of the 3 that were starting STN, have seemed to stop. The 1 is still a little, I am going to glue the area tomorrow and hopefully that will stop it.

Right now I am running 1 ATI blue+ w/o-reflector and 1 Geisemann pure actinic w-reflector. And I think I like this color, befoore I had the blue+ in front, now its in the back and I think it looks better this way. But the Blue+ doesn't have its reflector right now so that may change.

My next question is when do you think I can put the reflector back on? And how should I acclimate the tank to it?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

hey grim,

which set up do you think is better with my 14k phoenix in my solana:

Option 1:

front
blue+
aquablue
blue +
fiji
back

Option 2:

front
blue plus
fiji
blue plus
aquablue
back

and why do you think that option is better?

#2, I would want the Fiji in front of the halide so you get the pink spectrum more on the viewing side of the corals.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Thanks for your help, my Tort has already got most of its color back. And 2 of the 3 that were starting STN, have seemed to stop. The 1 is still a little, I am going to glue the area tomorrow and hopefully that will stop it.

Right now I am running 1 ATI blue+ w/o-reflector and 1 Geisemann pure actinic w-reflector. And I think I like this color, befoore I had the blue+ in front, now its in the back and I think it looks better this way. But the Blue+ doesn't have its reflector right now so that may change.

My next question is when do you think I can put the reflector back on? And how should I acclimate the tank to it?

If you decreased your lighting period over what you want it to be increase that first. I would let the thing run for at least a couple weeks once you thing your critters are completely happy then add the reflector back. I would do the actinic reflector first for a week or so then add the Blue Plus.

 

[Jason7504]

#2, I would want the Fiji in front of the halide so you get the pink spectrum more on the viewing side of the corals.

ok but that wont interfere with the colors that the blues give to the viewing side?

so it goes:

*front*
blue plus
fiji purple
halide
blue plus
aquablue
*back*

 

[The Grim Reefer]

ok but that wont interfere with the colors that the blues give to the viewing side?

so it goes:

*front*
blue plus
fiji purple
halide
blue plus
aquablue
*back*

Yeah should be fine

 

[pmoneyt]

grim whats the best 12 bulb combo

 

[rbarb1111]

i am upgrading from a 30 gallon to a 75 tank. I currently have four 39 watt t5 in my canopy. My question is can i use these over the 75 gallon by centering them and adding 2 more 54 watts. Would this be enough light for a 75 or should i just rewiring everything so that they are all 54 watt 48".

Thank
Richard

 

[The Grim Reefer]

grim whats the best 12 bulb combo

I would try 8 Blue Plus, 2 UVL Actinic White and 2 GE 6500K Daylights.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

i am upgrading from a 30 gallon to a 75 tank. I currently have four 39 watt t5 in my canopy. My question is can i use these over the 75 gallon by centering them and adding 2 more 54 watts. Would this be enough light for a 75 or should i just rewiring everything so that they are all 54 watt 48".

Thank
Richard

You could. You just couldn't place high light stuff out at the ends, last 5 inches ro so,.

 

[Gahngoo]

Grim,

I too, like many other readers, have read though this forum and got really confused. Can I get your opinion about replacement T5 bulbs. Currently, I have a 180gal 6x2x2 with mostly zoanthids, xenia, leathers, with a few LPS and a few SPS that are set higher in the tank. I am currently using two 36" sundial fixtures with the stock bulbs (2 Sunpaq 39w 460 actinic + 2 Sunpaq 39w 10Ks). Its been about 14 months and I need new bulbs. I am ready to buy now, so what would the best 4 bulb set up be for each of the fixtures? Also, where would be the best place to get the bulbs you recommend? (I don't want anything too blue or too yellow, I like the current setup's color) Sorry for being longwinded.

Thanks,
Blake