nanoreef16g
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Thanks Grim and to be a further PITA, what order for those bulbs front to back in the four bulb fixture?
The T5 Q&a Thread
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Thanks Grim and to be a further PITA, what order for those bulbs front to back in the four bulb fixture?
TropTrea
New member
I thought that you were running three bulbs on your Dawn to Dusk and with three bulbs I like the addition of a little red in the visual effect of the dawn to dusk period. But if your just running 2 bulbs then I would say it would be personal preference. The purple plus has an idential spectrum below 550nm so your getting an equal amount of blue light.
Try it for one week one way and than 1 week the other way. Which ever better pleases your eye stick with. This is why so many people have differences in opinion as what bulbs will work best. There is that unknown factor of what is realy pleasing to your eye.
TropTrea
New member
While the 120G would be best served with a 48" fixture it would be hard to get this to work on your 7' tank. So I would go initialy with the 36" 8x39W SunPower T5 High-Output Fixture for the 120 gallon and then get a second simular fixture when you switch over to the 7' long tank. The thing to remember with the 120 gallon tank is that you will have llight fall off on the ends therefore you want to put the lower light demanding corals on the ends. With the 7' tank this will not be noticable as your lights will come to within 3" of the ends of the tank.
clevebill
New member
like my new combo
b+
actinic white
b+
b+
new gen
b+
new gen
super actinic
i tried the ati purple plus that bulb put a very purple tint to the tank i dont get it.went back to the actinic white.i think these specialty bulbs put out weird disco looks to the tank and dosent look natural.the look i have now looks like a true 14k like my ushio 14ks i had running before.
b+
actinic white
b+
b+
new gen
b+
new gen
super actinic
i tried the ati purple plus that bulb put a very purple tint to the tank i dont get it.went back to the actinic white.i think these specialty bulbs put out weird disco looks to the tank and dosent look natural.the look i have now looks like a true 14k like my ushio 14ks i had running before.
rogergolf66
im an addict lol
Ok looking for some help with t5s. I have always run halides this is my first t5 setup.
Tanks is 36 long 18 wide and 25 in deep I am running a solar xtreme fixture with the feet mount so it is about 4 inches above water level. I'm going to run sps dom tank. I purchased new bulbs right away went with all powerCrome giesemann bulbs 2 aquablue+ 1 actinic + and one pure actinic.
So my question I guess is will this work for sps. And if so how deep will the t5s penitrate for proper light for the sps? Will enough light make it to the bottom of the tank?
Also currently running the 2 atinic bulbs for 8 hours and the aquablesfor 5 hours. So 1.5 hours sunrise and sunset for atinics. How do u feel about the timing for the light too?
Thanks so much for any help u can give me.
Roger
Tanks is 36 long 18 wide and 25 in deep I am running a solar xtreme fixture with the feet mount so it is about 4 inches above water level. I'm going to run sps dom tank. I purchased new bulbs right away went with all powerCrome giesemann bulbs 2 aquablue+ 1 actinic + and one pure actinic.
So my question I guess is will this work for sps. And if so how deep will the t5s penitrate for proper light for the sps? Will enough light make it to the bottom of the tank?
Also currently running the 2 atinic bulbs for 8 hours and the aquablesfor 5 hours. So 1.5 hours sunrise and sunset for atinics. How do u feel about the timing for the light too?
Thanks so much for any help u can give me.
Roger
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
For an 18" wide tank that is SPS dominated, you will need more than 4 bulbs and a better fixture than the Solar Extreme. Assuming I am thinking of the right fixture.
I would have been looking at a 6 bulb ATI for that tank and SPS dominated. A 6 bulb Tek or AquaticLife might have done the job but punching through 25 inches of water isn't the easiest thing to do. You need a serious fixture for that.
The bulb choice isn't my cup of tea either. The Aquablue bulbs are very white and really hinder color. The actinic is KILLING your PAR as well so that won't help with an SPS tank. Switch the actinic out with either another Actinic Plus or AquaPink if you are going to use Giesemann bulbs. ATI bulbs have higher PAR and are a little cheaper most of the time. Use what you have for now but I would be looking to change things up in the 6-8 months.
rogergolf66
im an addict lol
Thanks for info. How many inches of water do u think I am getting through to the sps? I haven't mouned any coral yet so that's why I wanted to know going to do that in the next week or so.
Yes kind of stucck with bulb choice for now. How much more par r we talking about getting with switching out that one bulb?
Also how much more par r we talking by switching to ati?
Thanks
Roger
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
If the fixture is the one I am thinking, I would think it is close to a Current USA fixture or a Catalina fixture. That means you are almost 50% behind an ATI. The couple Catalina fixtures I have seen were hitting around 100 PAR at 24". An ATI can be well over 300 PAR at the same distance. I have seen some hit in the 400s even.
As far as the actinic goes, a TON more light. Most actinics are 2-3x behind a good blue bulb. The ATI Blue Plus is the highest PAR bulb on the market right now and when tested by Grim was in the 320 range if I remember correctly. The highest actinic was the UVL actinic at like 150 PAR.
rogergolf66
im an addict lol
rogergolf66
im an addict lol
As far as the actinic goes, a TON more light. Most actinics are 2-3x behind a good blue bulb. The ATI Blue Plus is the highest PAR bulb on the market right now and when tested by Grim was in the 320 range if I remember correctly. The highest actinic was the UVL actinic at like 150 PAR.[/QUOTE]
How many bulbs r we talking @ the 320 range. I will do some checking and look up the ati fixtuers. So u recomment an ati 36in with 6 bulbs?
Thanks roger
How many bulbs r we talking @ the 320 range. I will do some checking and look up the ati fixtuers. So u recomment an ati 36in with 6 bulbs?
Thanks roger
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
I've tested enough fixtures and seen enough PAR readings to know that a 4 bulb fixture really only covers up to about 16" and that's an ATI or Tek reaching that far.
One HUGE disadvantage to 4 bulbs is the bulb combo. One bulb changes the entire look. 6 bulbs is a much better choice.
BfishLpond78
FUPA
I have a similar question with the T5's. I have a 36 gallon Bow Front, I am looking to have mixed reef, and would like something to support clams. They don't make many 30 inch fixtures with 4 or 6 bulbs. I've been looking at the aquaticlife 6 bulb fixture and the Dimmable ATI 4 or 6 bulb fixture.
Would these support a mixed reef with clams/nems?
Which one do you feel is better for the money and quality? Is the aquaticlife 6 bulb comparable to the ATI 4 or 6 bulb? I'm guessing the ATI is constructed better and has better reflectors?
Would a 24 inch fixture over a 30 inch tank provide a enough coverage if positioned correctly?
Would these support a mixed reef with clams/nems?
Which one do you feel is better for the money and quality? Is the aquaticlife 6 bulb comparable to the ATI 4 or 6 bulb? I'm guessing the ATI is constructed better and has better reflectors?
Would a 24 inch fixture over a 30 inch tank provide a enough coverage if positioned correctly?
rogergolf66
im an addict lol
Ok so let me ask u flat out. With my setup for now till I can upgrade what is the deepest I should keep sps in my tank with that fixture and those bulbs?
Thanks
Thanks
birdman1979
New member
T5 Guru's, I have a 6 bulb TEK fixture over my 75 gallon reef. Currently have a RBTA and LPS. I run dawn and dusk (two bulbs) from 1 to 9 pm and the other four from 4 to 8 pm. Most of my LPS are bleaching from too much light. I've switched the 6 bulb combo to the following 5 bulb combo: 1 to 9 pm B+ front and B+ rear. From 4 to 8 pm i run a uvL Actinic, P+, AB special. I'm not crazy about the combo but my corals can't handle more PAR right now. What do you suggest
TropTrea
New member
With the right bulbs you could easliy have SPS corals in the top 50% of the tank. But don;t just by by SPS or LPS and Softies to determine your lighting requirements. There are some high light demanding Softies out there as well as some SPS that can get away with marginal lighting. Unfortunatly though it seems like the more colorful the coral is the more light it seems to need.
Having been in the business I have seen many customers who had limited budgets and initialy bought equipment that was less than what was recommended. Unfortunatly 2/3 of them ended up fustrated and dropped out of the hobby while the other 1/3 ended up spending much more than they would of if they got the right equipment to start out.
My advice is to work with some corals now that are in the intermediate range for lighting requirements. Then when you can afford it start upgrading. Initialy start with changing your bulbs out. If you can eventualy afford a new fixture remember the bulbs in yours will work work in the new fixture. But if you find the right corals now that you are happy with you may not have to upgrade other than a bulb change.
M Woodhill
New member
To mr. reefer
if i wanna do the combo, in what sequence im supposed to arrange those bulbs?
i got an ati dimmable 8 bulb fixture.
Reef Doctor
New member
Am I getting enough light?
Am I getting enough light?
I have a new 75 gallon tank 3 months old with ATI dimmable Sunpower 6x54W. I am new to saltwater and am not familiar with what T5 lighting should look like. I run 4 blue +, 1 purple plus, 1 GE 6500K. It seems that the lighting isn't very bright when they are all on. The light says 100% output, but is definitely not as bright as what I see at the local LFS and what I see in some of the photos tanks on Reef Central. Now those tanks may run metal halides or LED that I have seen brighter, but I wanted to know if what if T5's are generally a little more sedate. More than anything, I want to know if my future corals, and sea creatures will be getting their light requirements.
Am I getting enough light?
I have a new 75 gallon tank 3 months old with ATI dimmable Sunpower 6x54W. I am new to saltwater and am not familiar with what T5 lighting should look like. I run 4 blue +, 1 purple plus, 1 GE 6500K. It seems that the lighting isn't very bright when they are all on. The light says 100% output, but is definitely not as bright as what I see at the local LFS and what I see in some of the photos tanks on Reef Central. Now those tanks may run metal halides or LED that I have seen brighter, but I wanted to know if what if T5's are generally a little more sedate. More than anything, I want to know if my future corals, and sea creatures will be getting their light requirements.
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
I suggest not running only 5 bulbs on a 6 bulb fixture. The Tek fixtures use non spec Workhorse ballasts and the ballast is still sending power to the open slot. That could be dangerous in the long haul.
Raise your fixture up and cut down the photo period. Move LPS to the sand if needed and run some window screen over your tank for a week or two and remove one sheet of screen every other day. This will help acclimate your corals to the higher light.
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