The T5 Q&a Thread

[The Grim Reefer]

whatsup Grim? hope your weekend is going well

i was reading your homepage (now on my bookmarks **very informative). i noticed that you recommend placing the lights (t5) on top of the tank as well as removing the acrylic splashguards.

My question is: which one provides more of an improvement? running the lights directly on top of the aquarium, or w/o splashguards?

My lighting is 2 current 2x24 completely stock but with ATI blue +, aquablue special in both. tank is a 28 bowfront mixed reef but am compiling quite a bit more sps than expected.
thanks in advance brother, you kick @$$ on this thread and the lighting subject in general.
-hunter

If your fixture has cooling fans DO NOT REMOVE THE SHIELD. If not pull the shield and keep the lights 4 inches or so above the water, just make sure they aren't getting sprayed and give them a wipe down every week or so to keep the occasional splash from taking a toll on the lights.

Try changing one of those Aquablues to a Fiji Purple. Makes a world of difference in pink and purple colors.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Grim, could you suggest a good bulb combo for a 72" Aquactinics Constellation? Fixture holds 14-39 watt T5's. I will be keeping mostly SPS. Thanks.

Front
ATI Blue Plus
GE 6500K Daylight
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Actinic White
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue
ATI Blue Plus

3&5 for dusk/dawn, 1, 4&7 for early/late daylight and the daylight/aquablue for midday. Looks sweet.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Grim I'm currently running the Aquatinics Constellation 14 bulb fixture as you know. I'm probably a Pain in your butt at this point. I took your suggestion and Now I'm running

ATI Blue +
GE 6500k
ATI Blue +
UVL 75/25
ATI Blue +
ATI Aquablue
ATI Blue +

When I turn off the GE 6500K and the ATI AquaBlue I get the color I want only its darker Because of the loss of 4 lights that are white.

What bulbs to replace to bring out the Actinic PoP. SunnyX's Reef is a prime examble of what I'm trying to do. I don't like the tank white I want it Actinic like. Thanks again.

I have the following Bulbs at my disposal

Aquascience 22K's X 4

And I can buy any bulb you suggest.


(what does the GE bulb do again?) I know the UVL 75/25 brings out the reds but the GE is a mystery to me. My tank is only 23" High and all my SPS are in the Top Half of my tank. If I place the fixture ON the tank I get a darkspot in the middle. Is 5 or 6 Inches from the water line ok? Only LPS and Softies/Zoo Gardens are on the sand Bed.

This is my ideal Look

Take out the GE's and put the 22K's in there and see what you think, if that doesn't work put the GE's back in and try the 22's in place of the aquablues. If that doesn't work try the 22's in place of both the GE and Aquablues. I suspect just pulling the GE;s will get you what you are looking for. It will change some greens and make yellows not as bright but should be a very blue look.

Nice tank in the shots, yours or Sunny's?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Hey Grim. It's time to change the bulbs in my 8 lamp PM. I have a 120 standard dimensions and I'm thinking:

Blue+
KZ fiji
Blue+
Some type actinic to deepen the colors? Maybe new KZ actinic? If not, another UVL A.W.?
Blue +
UVL Actinic white
Blue+
KZ fiji


Going for the 20k look. Should I do a GE 6500 since I'm only going with one white to keep from washing the tank out with blue? I'm not familiar with the UVL AW, I've always used the ATI aquablue special. Does it have better par?

For a 20K look try

ATI Blue Plus
KZ Fiji
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue
ATI Blue Plus
KZ Fiji
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Blue Plus

Assuming 2 and 7 are dusk/dawn. I would grab a GE 6500K to try where the Aquablue is just to see which you like best. Don;t run the actinic white with the Fiji's, both add red and you will end up with a purple tank.

 

[asonitez]

Replacing the GE's with Fiji Purples will give me a ugly color?

The GE's are on the same switch as the Aquablue's

FIJI Purples w ATI Blue +'s don't look good either right?

 

[cham]

For a 20K look try

ATI Blue Plus
KZ Fiji
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue
ATI Blue Plus
KZ Fiji
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Blue Plus

Assuming 2 and 7 are dusk/dawn. I would grab a GE 6500K to try where the Aquablue is just to see which you like best. Don;t run the actinic white with the Fiji's, both add red and you will end up with a purple tank.

The more I look at my tank I'm thinking I should stick with two white bulbs. My sunrise/sunset are 3 and 6.

This look good?
Blue+
KZ fiji
Blue+
ATI Aquablue
Blue +
ATI Aqua Blue
Blue+
KZ fiji

 

[The Grim Reefer]

The more I look at my tank I'm thinking I should stick with two white bulbs. My sunrise/sunset are 3 and 6.

This look good?
Blue+
KZ fiji
Blue+
ATI Aquablue
Blue +
ATI Aqua Blue
Blue+
KZ fiji

You could try that, the Fiji's are fairly bright too so I'd grab an extra Blue Plus just in case.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Replacing the GE's with Fiji Purples will give me a ugly color?

The GE's are on the same switch as the Aquablue's

FIJI Purples w ATI Blue +'s don't look good either right?

The Fiji/Blue Plus looks nice, kinda purple. Using a Fiji Purple in Place of the GE would look fine but with the 75/25 in there it might be a little heavy on the purple for some people's taste. I think it's worth a try.

 

[andyrm66]

Grim, currently I have a 40 breeder with a Nova Extreme Pro. The bulbs I bought when I got the tank are 2 Pro Color, 2 Equable and 2 Actinic Plus. I bought some SPS corals in Mid January. One was a Garf Bonzi, another was a ORA Montipora Digitata. Both have lost most color, I tried high, I tried low, I tried mid tank. Some other SPS also lost its color, not brown but more bleaching I guess. The Digi, is growing like a weed, but lost the cool blue/purple polyp look. Polyps are still there, just white. Nothing really turned brown. I just acquired some blue millie Acropora, and 3 or 4 different Montipora. I had a dino (I think I m pretty sure) outbreak, and only had two fish in the tank. I cut feedings way back.

1. Is this enough light for these SPS. I’m ok with the color, was thinking of getting rid of one of the procolors, in favor of something else to get the colors to pop. Its a tad pruple, but not by much.

2. I’m trying to figure out if light is my issue or low nutrients maybe is the cause. Water Params all check ok, though I do have to does Kent Super DKH every couple of days to keep it between 7 and 9. I have since added more fish and feeding the tank more.

3. All the other corals came out of my biocube with PC when I traded for the 40B with the light. I have a favia or war coral that had nice color, but now is a super pale white grey look too it.

4. Under this light where would you place the across and birdsnest? How about montis? My Acans are half way up and on the bottom both are doing great.


Any other advice, do I need some different bulbs to get more par, or would you look more into water issues than lighting.

I am thinking this lighting should be fine and my problem lies elsewhere, growth is great coloration just sucks. The GARF Bonsi has grown quite a bit but is a drab pale color, when I got it the polyps were nice and green.


Thanks!

 

[chris.francis14]

I'm running this combo in my ATI Sunpower unit, will this do for a 24"tall 90G? I want as much penetration as possible. How deep will I be able to keep most SPS's at with this combo? Any other suggestions?

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

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Grim, currently I have a 40 breeder with a Nova Extreme Pro. The bulbs I bought when I got the tank are 2 Pro Color, 2 Equable and 2 Actinic Plus. I bought some SPS corals in Mid January. One was a Garf Bonzi, another was a ORA Montipora Digitata. Both have lost most color, I tried high, I tried low, I tried mid tank. Some other SPS also lost its color, not brown but more bleaching I guess. The Digi, is growing like a weed, but lost the cool blue/purple polyp look. Polyps are still there, just white. Nothing really turned brown. I just acquired some blue millie Acropora, and 3 or 4 different Montipora. I had a dino (I think I m pretty sure) outbreak, and only had two fish in the tank. I cut feedings way back.

1. Is this enough light for these SPS. I'm ok with the color, was thinking of getting rid of one of the procolors, in favor of something else to get the colors to pop. Its a tad pruple, but not by much.

2. I'm trying to figure out if light is my issue or low nutrients maybe is the cause. Water Params all check ok, though I do have to does Kent Super DKH every couple of days to keep it between 7 and 9. I have since added more fish and feeding the tank more.

3. All the other corals came out of my biocube with PC when I traded for the 40B with the light. I have a favia or war coral that had nice color, but now is a super pale white grey look too it.

4. Under this light where would you place the across and birdsnest? How about montis? My Acans are half way up and on the bottom both are doing great.


Any other advice, do I need some different bulbs to get more par, or would you look more into water issues than lighting.

I am thinking this lighting should be fine and my problem lies elsewhere, growth is great coloration just sucks. The GARF Bonsi has grown quite a bit but is a drab pale color, when I got it the polyps were nice and green.


Thanks!

You would get a liuttle bettero color pulling the one ro color and using a Blue Plus or another Actinic Plus but I doubt that is your whole issue. I would raise the fixture and see what things look like in a month, nothing happens fast in this hobby

 

[The Grim Reefer]

I'm running this combo in my ATI Sunpower unit, will this do for a 24"tall 90G? I want as much penetration as possible. How deep will I be able to keep most SPS's at with this combo? Any other suggestions?

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

You should be fine for anything you want, just keep higher light acros off the sand bed a little.

 

[chris.francis14]

You should be fine for anything you want, just keep higher light acros off the sand bed a little.

Where would I place the Fiji Purple if I wanted to add it? My pinks are a little dull.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Where would I place the Fiji Purple if I wanted to add it? My pinks are a little dull.

I'd dump one of the Aquablues for another blue plus first, the actinic white should be bringing out the pinks just dandy, I suspect the 3 aquablues are washing everything out.

 

[Bern Mac]

Grim...

What T5 fixture footprint and bulb layout do you recommend for a 60x18x29 130g tank for LPS, SPS, clams mixed reef.

60" or 48" fixture, 6, 8 or 10 bulbs (10 would be wider than the tank though)?

Thanks for your help

 

[ncny21802]

Grim..

I just bought a 46 Bow that came with the Nova Extreme Pro T-5 system. My last few tanks had halides and I'm wondering if I can keep any type of coral under this T-5 system or should I look at getting the halides again? Right now it has:

3 ATI Blue Plus bulbs
UVL White Actinic - Although this looks pinkish to me
Giesemann Aquablue+ that looks white
UVL Super Actinic F39/60 (this and 1 of the blue plus bulbs are the dusk/dawn)

How do those bulbs look and should I make any changes for coral growth? The guy i bought it from said the colors were great but he got no growth. Not sure if this was the lights or one of many other issues. Thanks for your help

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Grim...

What T5 fixture footprint and bulb layout do you recommend for a 60x18x29 130g tank for LPS, SPS, clams mixed reef.

60" or 48" fixture, 6, 8 or 10 bulbs (10 would be wider than the tank though)?

Thanks for your help

8 lamp ATI Powermodule. It depends on how you stock the tank as far as going 48 or 60 inches. With 48 inch lamps you can't stock high light critters in the last 6 inches of the tank or so at each end.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Grim..

I just bought a 46 Bow that came with the Nova Extreme Pro T-5 system. My last few tanks had halides and I'm wondering if I can keep any type of coral under this T-5 system or should I look at getting the halides again? Right now it has:

3 ATI Blue Plus bulbs
UVL White Actinic - Although this looks pinkish to me
Giesemann Aquablue+ that looks white
UVL Super Actinic F39/60 (this and 1 of the blue plus bulbs are the dusk/dawn)

How do those bulbs look and should I make any changes for coral growth? The guy i bought it from said the colors were great but he got no growth. Not sure if this was the lights or one of many other issues. Thanks for your help

Fire it up and see what you think. I believe it will have enough PAR for about anything you want to keep.

 

[Bern Mac]

Grim...

What T5 fixture footprint and bulb layout do you recommend for a 60x18x29 130g tank for LPS, SPS, clams mixed reef.

60" or 48" fixture, 6, 8 or 10 bulbs (10 would be wider than the tank though)?

Thanks for your help

8 lamp ATI Powermodule. It depends on how you stock the tank as far as going 48 or 60 inches. With 48 inch lamps you can't stock high light critters in the last 6 inches of the tank or so at each end.

...And light layout and selection?

 

[ncny21802]

Fire it up and see what you think. I believe it will have enough PAR for about anything you want to keep.

No water yet, but on the cleaned out tank it looked ok when I turned it on. I never used T-5's and wanted to make sure it would be strong enough. Thanks my friend! I appreciate the input.