The T5 Q&a Thread

[LCDRDATA]

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

To recap my recent post "“ I have an 8-bulb unit, with four outside bulbs (ATI Blue Plus, KZ Fiji Purple, ATI Blue Plus, ATI true actinic) on for 12 hours/day and four center bulbs (TRU actinic, TRU 10k, TRU actinic, GE 6500k) on for 4-8 hours/day. It's time to replace the inner group (except for maybe the GE) by moving the outside bulbs to the inside and putting new bulbs in the outside positions.

The quote above is Grim's recommendation to another reefer with an 8-bulb unit; however, I already have a new True Actinic. Using that in place of a Blue Plus but otherwise staying close to Grim's recommendation would seem to give me the following options (all listed from front to back):

1) Front
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Actinic White
ATI Blue Plus
KZ Fiji Purple
ATI Blue Plus
GE 6500K Daylight (retained)
UVL Actinic White
ATI True Actinic

2) Front
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Actinic White
ATI Blue Plus
KZ Fiji Purple
ATI Blue Plus
ATI True Actinic
UVL Actinic White
ATI True Actinic

3) Front
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Actinic White
ATI Blue Plus
ATI True Actinic
ATI Blue Plus
GE 6500K Daylight (retained)
UVL Actinic White
ATI true actinic

With any of these I could swap the outside True Actinic and Blue Plus.

I wonder, though, if the second option in particular wouldn't be too blue, given that my current outside combination (Blue Plus/Fiji Purple/Blue Plus/True Actinic) already is.

So then, do I go with Door Number 1, Door Number 2, or Door Number 3? "“ or something else? Any thoughts/takers on a recommendation? Thanks!

 

[justinc0708]

For a clam you will want at least a Tek fixture IMO.

The Wavepoint systems aren't cooled and have pretty bad bulbs. There are a couple people locally who have them and they were just talking about how they can't keep any SPS down low. All SPS had to be in the middle/upper part of the tank.

I would want a fixture that will put out some PAR if a clam really is in the plans.

well what do u think of the Current Sundial?i know bulbs are not good and want to replace them.a clam doesnt have to be in there just want it to be able to hold some sps and lps,it is only 14 inches of water it has to go through to the bottom.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

anyone that can help,please and thank you in advance

Originally Posted by justinc0708 View Post
grim and others,
i have a 75 gallon predator with a lion right now but will have a grouper to.i am going to be mostly be putting zoos and some hard corals in there maybe a clam.it is 15in from my sandbed to the water surface.i was trying to save alittle money and wanted to know what ya think of the wavepoint 4bulb t5ho or the 48"SunDial T5 HO 4X54W.the sundial does dusk and dawn and has moon lights ?will it be good enough to hold those things and what would be a good bulb combo for growth and color of my fish and corals?

No, Go with a Tek if you want to keep a clam. That is the least I'd suggest.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

To recap my recent post "“ I have an 8-bulb unit, with four outside bulbs (ATI Blue Plus, KZ Fiji Purple, ATI Blue Plus, ATI true actinic) on for 12 hours/day and four center bulbs (TRU actinic, TRU 10k, TRU actinic, GE 6500k) on for 4-8 hours/day. It's time to replace the inner group (except for maybe the GE) by moving the outside bulbs to the inside and putting new bulbs in the outside positions.

The quote above is Grim's recommendation to another reefer with an 8-bulb unit; however, I already have a new True Actinic. Using that in place of a Blue Plus but otherwise staying close to Grim's recommendation would seem to give me the following options (all listed from front to back):

1) Front
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Actinic White
ATI Blue Plus
KZ Fiji Purple
ATI Blue Plus
GE 6500K Daylight (retained)
UVL Actinic White
ATI True Actinic

2) Front
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Actinic White
ATI Blue Plus
KZ Fiji Purple
ATI Blue Plus
ATI True Actinic
UVL Actinic White
ATI True Actinic

3) Front
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Actinic White
ATI Blue Plus
ATI True Actinic
ATI Blue Plus
GE 6500K Daylight (retained)
UVL Actinic White
ATI true actinic

With any of these I could swap the outside True Actinic and Blue Plus.

I wonder, though, if the second option in particular wouldn't be too blue, given that my current outside combination (Blue Plus/Fiji Purple/Blue Plus/True Actinic) already is.

So then, do I go with Door Number 1, Door Number 2, or Door Number 3? "“ or something else? Any thoughts/takers on a recommendation? Thanks!

I would add anther blue plus in place of the second Actinic White behind door number 3

 

[The Grim Reefer]

well what do u think of the Current Sundial?i know bulbs are not good and want to replace them.a clam doesnt have to be in there just want it to be able to hold some sps and lps,it is only 14 inches of water it has to go through to the bottom.

The Tek, even without cooling is better. If you add an external fan to it, one of the 6" clamp on fans like they sell at Bed Bath and Beyond, so it blows down over the top of the fixture you will get a big boost in output, big enough you could grow anything in that tank.

 

[robertfah]

I have a 90g tank that's 48"X18"25" and want to do all types of corals (soft, hard, clams, etc.)

Which light do you recommend? I do not wish to add a chiller to my tank and would like to keep the price in the $500 range.

T5's - 6 bulb setup
http://www.aquaticlife.com/t5ho_six_lamp/index.html

MH w/T5's
http://www.fishneedit.com/2-x-150w-mhl-with-2-x-2bulbs-4ft-2150224.html

 

[justinc0708]

Originally Posted by justinc0708 View Post
grim and others,
i have a 75 gallon predator with a lion right now but will have a grouper to.i am going to be mostly be putting zoos and some hard corals in there maybe a clam.it is 15in from my sandbed to the water surface.i was trying to save alittle money and wanted to know what ya think of the wavepoint 4bulb t5ho or the 48"SunDial T5 HO 4X54W.the sundial does dusk and dawn and has moon lights ?will it be good enough to hold those things and what would be a good bulb combo for growth and color of my fish and corals?

No, Go with a Tek if you want to keep a clam. That is the least I'd suggest.

i have decide to leave my clams in my 120 with the tek and fan like u told me.(thanks agian)but i am wanting to go cheaper on this one and will only mainly have zoos and some lps and sps. most will be half way up like 10inches and up.i have read into the sundial and it sounds good for the money.will be replacing the bulbs to.you think with beter bulbs i could use the sundial?thanks grim

 

[The Grim Reefer]

i have decide to leave my clams in my 120 with the tek and fan like u told me.(thanks agian)but i am wanting to go cheaper on this one and will only mainly have zoos and some lps and sps. most will be half way up like 10inches and up.i have read into the sundial and it sounds good for the money.will be replacing the bulbs to.you think with beter bulbs i could use the sundial?thanks grim

Sure, be fine, 2 Blue Plus, 1 Aquablue and a Fiji Purple look good.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

I have a 90g tank that's 48"X18"25" and want to do all types of corals (soft, hard, clams, etc.)

Which light do you recommend? I do not wish to add a chiller to my tank and would like to keep the price in the $500 range.

T5's - 6 bulb setup
http://www.aquaticlife.com/t5ho_six_lamp/index.html

MH w/T5's
http://www.fishneedit.com/2-x-150w-mhl-with-2-x-2bulbs-4ft-2150224.html

Either a 6x54 watt ATI Sunpower or a halide combo but at 25" tall you need 250 watt Halides.

 

[robertfah]

Either a 6x54 watt ATI Sunpower or a halide combo but at 25" tall you need 250 watt Halides.

so you don't recommend the AuquaticLife light? I'm not familiar with any brands of these lights, which is why I am asking. ALso, the MH wattage, the site asks to select the Temperature for the MH bulbs (6700, 8k, 10k 14k) and the T5's (all blue or 2 white, 2 blue). Is that where I can select the wattage or will I have to specify the wattage to be different if I purchase?

 

[justinc0708]

Sure, be fine, 2 Blue Plus, 1 Aquablue and a Fiji Purple look good.

thanks grim you da man

 

[The Grim Reefer]

so you don't recommend the AuquaticLife light? I'm not familiar with any brands of these lights, which is why I am asking. ALso, the MH wattage, the site asks to select the Temperature for the MH bulbs (6700, 8k, 10k 14k) and the T5's (all blue or 2 white, 2 blue). Is that where I can select the wattage or will I have to specify the wattage to be different if I purchase?

On a 25" tall tank you need a lot of light if you want anything but softies and some LPS. Aquaticlife isn't going to cut it over that tank. If you want T5's about the minimum is the Tek and that would limit you to a few SPS on top of the rocks and LPS in the upper half of the tank.

The Fishneed it site doesn't list any 250 watt halides. 150's are a waste of time on a tall tank unless you use good 10K lamps in premium reflectors and it still isn't enough to do a lot of high light critters.

 

[IronVikingMC]

im sure this has been asked tried searching but no luck.. im looking to light up my 12g jbj tank.. are there any t5 setups that would fit this tank... i saw on nanotuners there t5/led hybrid and they have some small t5 bulbs but the price is a lil 2 much. anything else out there thats just t5 but the same size? thank you

 

[The Grim Reefer]

im sure this has been asked tried searching but no luck.. im looking to light up my 12g jbj tank.. are there any t5 setups that would fit this tank... i saw on nanotuners there t5/led hybrid and they have some small t5 bulbs but the price is a lil 2 much. anything else out there thats just t5 but the same size? thank you

Nova has some 18" fixtures, don't know of any other small stuff.

 

[IronVikingMC]

Coralife Mini Aqualight 11 in came across this online uses 2 6w t5 bulbs would i be better off with 36watts of PC lighting or would this be a good choice to light my nano. i know i can go with a 70w Mh but looking to keep the electricity bill down and price of the light itself.

 

[JNicho]

So this is not really a question, but I thought this might be a good place to post this info...I ordered some of the new Giesemann AquaPink bulbs to see how they compare to the Fiji Purple...I have a unique setup that has allowed me to place an AquaPink bulb in a fixture right next to one running a Fiji Purple...to my eye I do not see any difference in color or intensity comparing the AP to the FP...I can't give a rave review to the AP since I don't know what the PAR output is compared to the FP, but otherwise I'm quite happy with it. Here are a couple of photos of corals that do particularly well color-wise under bulbs that add red.

This photo was taken under ATI Aquablue special and Blue Plus:

and the same coral with the new Aqua Pink:

another example where the red pigments appear more brown under just the ATI bulbs:

and much more red with the Aqua Pink:

 

[mikedege]

Quick question. On my new tank build (48x24x22) I will have a Sunpower 6x39. How high would you recommend hanging it over the water? This will be 70% SPS top and midddle / 30% LPS on sides and bottom.

here are my planned bulb placements.

front:
Ati Blue Plus
KZ Fiji Purple
KZ Super Blue
GE Daylight
ATI Blue Plus
KZ Super Blue
back:

Oh, And how many hours would you recommend to run them?

Thanks alot,
-Mike

 

[jwilliams860]

I have an 8ft long tank, its 24" tall, and 30" front to back, I currently have (4) 250 MH, and VHO actinics, Im thinking about going to powermodules, my question is would (2) 36" 10 bulb PM's be enough to cover the 8ft length if I split the diff on the ends and middle so there would be 8' on each end and the middle.
Or would (2) 48" bulbs be better?
And what height would they need to be off the water?

 

[Smiless]

What's the best retro-fit t5 fixture? And how do they compare to ATI?

would icecaps be enough for a 20'' deep, sps dominated tank?

 

[kmu]

So this is not really a question, but I thought this might be a good place to post this info...I ordered some of the new Giesemann AquaPink bulbs to see how they compare to the Fiji Purple...I have a unique setup that has allowed me to place an AquaPink bulb in a fixture right next to one running a Fiji Purple...to my eye I do not see any difference in color or intensity comparing the AP to the FP...I can't give a rave review to the AP since I don't know what the PAR output is compared to the FP, but otherwise I'm quite happy with it. Here are a couple of photos of corals that do particularly well color-wise under bulbs that add red.

This photo was taken under ATI Aquablue special and Blue Plus:

and the same coral with the new Aqua Pink:

another example where the red pigments appear more brown under just the ATI bulbs:

and much more red with the Aqua Pink:

Nice pictures, who makes this Aqua Pink bulb and how does it compare to the Fiji Purple? THX