The T5 Q&a Thread

[joesig]

Heard your the man grim, so heres my set up give me your thoughts on it. 18"d 50 long,
i have a tek5 6bulb 54w it has ati bulbs in it right now, 65k , blue, and actinic.

am i good to keep some clams and some sps?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Ok so here's the deal i'm new to this whole saltwater setup. i just got a standard 55g 48x13x23 i want to build a custome light set up my thought is 4x 54 watt t-5 any ideas on what bulbs for a mixed tank?? also any help in pointing me to a good place to buy them would be much appreciated.

reefgeek.com LET retrofit kit. 2 ATI Blue Plus, 1 ATI Purple Plus and 1 ATI Aquablue for lamps.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Heard your the man grim, so heres my set up give me your thoughts on it. 18"d 50 long,
i have a tek5 6bulb 54w it has ati bulbs in it right now, 65k , blue, and actinic.

am i good to keep some clams and some sps?

If the light is more than 24" above the sandbed I'd be nervous about clams. I also wouldn't use Actinic lamps, low PAR and really doesn't add much to the look with all the lamps on. I'd use blue plus instead.

 

[A. Grandis]

If you want a blue look try 6 Blue Plus and 2 ATI Purple Plus. Grab a GE 6500K Daylight for a spare and in case you think it's too blue.

Thanks Grim!

Do you have a link with the PAR for the most popular bulbs we see here?
Like the ATIs, UVLs, etc...

Grandis.

 

[KSzegi]

Didn't get much action in the general forum so thought I'd check in here with the T5 expert! Planning an upgrade to a 300 gallon deep dimension and leaning heavily towards T5's vs halides. Would 2 ATI 60" 6 bulb sunpowers or a single 10 bulb powermodule be enough for this tank?

Will be a mixed reef with dsb, dominate in sps..... and need enough light for clams and LTA on bottom. Doesn't seem like I'll have to worry about the depth but not sure about adequate front to back coverage?

Any problems with running these fixtures in a canopy with good ventilation?

Thanks for any advice!!

 

[jaws021]

Hello! Please help me upgrade.. =) I have SPS, zoas, and a few softies in a 75 gallon tank stretching 48"
6x54w T5 setup... 1 and 5 bulb are dialed together and 2,3,4,6 are dialed together. 1/5 are dawn/dusk lights.. 1-6 are day..
1 actinic
2 10K bulb
3 Super Actinic
4 6500K
5 actinic
6 Fiji Purple
I love the look that 1 & 5 give my tank at dusk/dawn, all my zoas sps are flourescent and glow under that lighting,.. unfortunately they need to be replaced along with the 10K.

I was looking in to buying 4 bulbs and putting either the fiji purple/6500k/super actinic on the bench.. (more like the super actinic since it looks like a light blue)
What do you recommend i buy? I dont see anywhere on this thread where actinic alone are recommended, so what can match the color and glow i get from my coral that i currently get? also in what order?

thanks man

 

[jaws021]

I just did some more reading and ordered 4 ATI blue plus. Hopefully I can pick them up today.
I would still like to hear your recommendation and line up with the 7 bulbs that I have at my disposal.

 

[glenns]

Hey Grim,

I'm sure it is buried in this thread somewhere, but how would you rate the various T5 manufacturers from best to worst for longevity and PAR?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Thanks Grim!

Do you have a link with the PAR for the most popular bulbs we see here?
Like the ATIs, UVLs, etc...

Grandis.

Not since the computer crash

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Didn't get much action in the general forum so thought I'd check in here with the T5 expert! Planning an upgrade to a 300 gallon deep dimension and leaning heavily towards T5's vs halides. Would 2 ATI 60" 6 bulb sunpowers or a single 10 bulb powermodule be enough for this tank?

Will be a mixed reef with dsb, dominate in sps..... and need enough light for clams and LTA on bottom. Doesn't seem like I'll have to worry about the depth but not sure about adequate front to back coverage?

Any problems with running these fixtures in a canopy with good ventilation?

Thanks for any advice!!

As long as the air intake and exhaust on the fixture isn't blocked it will be fine. I'd do the 10 lamp sunpower assuming that tank is 30" front to back. DO 2 6 lamp fixtures if it's more than that.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Hello! Please help me upgrade.. =) I have SPS, zoas, and a few softies in a 75 gallon tank stretching 48"
6x54w T5 setup... 1 and 5 bulb are dialed together and 2,3,4,6 are dialed together. 1/5 are dawn/dusk lights.. 1-6 are day..
1 actinic
2 1
3 Super Actinic
4 6500K
5 actinic
6 Fiji Purple
I love the look that 1 & 5 give my tank at dusk/dawn, all my zoas sps are flourescent and glow under that lighting,.. unfortunately they need to be replaced along with the 10K.

I was looking in to buying 4 bulbs and putting either the fiji purple/6500k/super actinic on the bench.. (more like the super actinic since it looks like a light blue)
What do you recommend i buy? I dont see anywhere on this thread where actinic alone are recommended, so what can match the color and glow i get from my coral that i currently get? also in what order?

thanks man

ATI Blue Plus
Fiji Purple
ATI Blue Plus
10K
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Blue Plus

Looks very cool and has way more PAR. The blue plus will fluoresce about as much as the actinic.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Hey Grim,

I'm sure it is buried in this thread somewhere, but how would you rate the various T5 manufacturers from best to worst for longevity and PAR?

ATI

Tek

Everything else.

I suspect the Sfigiloi will be better than the Tek but not sure how they will stack up against the ATI and for the price I would want to have hands on experience before recoing them.

 

[glenns]

ATI

Tek

Everything else.

I suspect the Sfigiloi will be better than the Tek but not sure how they will stack up against the ATI and for the price I would want to have hands on experience before recoing them.

Grim,

sorry, but I meant for you to rate T5 bulb manufacturers.

Thanks.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Grim,

sorry, but I meant for you to rate T5 bulb manufacturers.

Thanks.

ATI
KZ and GE Daylight
Giesemann/Aquascience

Everything else

 

[Koddie Doo]

Icecap Reef Illuminations T-5 / LED combo... Got any feedback about this light. Found a great deal.... I assume because Icecap going out of business.

What would be a good light combo for this if I pull the trigger??

Thanks

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Icecap Reef Illuminations T-5 / LED combo... Got any feedback about this light. Found a great deal.... I assume because Icecap going out of business.

What would be a good light combo for this if I pull the trigger??

Thanks

4 ATI Blue Plus, 1 Purple Plus and a GE 6500K Daylight. If you get a smoking deal it's got to be at least as good as a tek.

 

[Koddie Doo]

where would you rank that fixture?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Should be as good as a Tek with the plus of LED's, assuming it has as good of venting. The tek is pretty good for a unit with no fans.

 

[Koddie Doo]

4 ATI Blue Plus, 1 Purple Plus and a GE 6500K Daylight

Recommend any sort of order?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

WHatever looks good. Put the Blue Pluses in the dusk/dawn positions