The T5 Q&a Thread

[The Grim Reefer]

I'm currently running these lights:

ATI Aquablue Special (1)
ATI Blue Plus (3)
GE 6500k Daylight (1)
KZ Fiji Purple (1)

I really like the fluorescing qualities of the blue plus when they are the only lights on, and have been considering just using all blue plus bulbs.

Is there a happy medium, though? With my current configuration, would dropping any single bulb reduce the "washout" of the colors? Thanks

As already mentioned a Blue Plus in place of the aquablue. If that doeasn't do it for you put the Aquablue in where the GE lamp is.

 

[alrha]

Thanks Grim.

Any particular order?

BACK
Blue+
Purple+
Blue+ (dawn/dusk)
Blue+
GE 6500k
Blue+ (dawn/dusk)
Purple+
Blue+
FRONT

8am DAWN
12am FULL LIGHTS
9pm DUSK
11pm MOONLIGHT

Front
Blue Plus
Purple Plus
Blue Plus
GE 6500K
Blue Plus
Purple Plus
Blue Plus
Blue Plus

Sorry for the confusion, i see we both have it posted in opposite orders. nevertheless, the only difference i see is in the orientation of the back three bulbs.
You have the rear two as Blue Plus and the Purple Plus 3rd to last (which is in the position of the dawn/dusk). Any particular reason for that order? is it to have a Blue Plus and Purple Plus on during dawn/dusk? or would you move the purple back one to end with B+/P+/B+ and keep the dawn/dusk lamps both as B+.

 

[jon99]

ATI Blue Plus will give you growth. Unlike the halides the Blue T5's have a lot of PAR.

Thanks for the response. Would you say Blue Plus over the GE 6500K for growth? At this point I'm only looking for growth, not color as it's a grow out tank and the 20K metal halide is penty blue.

 

[ati70cutlass]

GRIM,

6 lamp fixture would be fine. You could add some external LED's if you want but you wouldn't need the PAR

so the PAR put out by the 6 bulbs mentioned would be assumeably enough, as the led's will just be used for added pop of the corals , correct? would if really be worth adding led's as far as color is concerned? would they really cause the corals to floresce more than just using another 2 bulbs in the 420 range? please let me know when you get time. thanks

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Sorry for the confusion, i see we both have it posted in opposite orders. nevertheless, the only difference i see is in the orientation of the back three bulbs.
You have the rear two as Blue Plus and the Purple Plus 3rd to last (which is in the position of the dawn/dusk). Any particular reason for that order? is it to have a Blue Plus and Purple Plus on during dawn/dusk? or would you move the purple back one to end with B+/P+/B+ and keep the dawn/dusk lamps both as B+.

Just place them how makes sense for your dusk/dawn scheme.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Thanks for the response. Would you say Blue Plus over the GE 6500K for growth? At this point I'm only looking for growth, not color as it's a grow out tank and the 20K metal halide is penty blue.

I think so. Some might argue the GE has more light in the so-called PUR spectrum but according to two different people I've asked who have PHD's in marine biology PUR doesn't make a huge difference in how the corals use light.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

GRIM,



so the PAR put out by the 6 bulbs mentioned would be assumeably enough, as the led's will just be used for added pop of the corals , correct? would if really be worth adding led's as far as color is concerned? would they really cause the corals to floresce more than just using another 2 bulbs in the 420 range? please let me know when you get time. thanks

Royal blues kill all when it comes to popping coral.

You could even do this using a couple high power DIY led setups

Front
12 Royal Blue LED's
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Purple Plus
ge 6500K
ATI Blue Plus
12 Royal Blue LED's

I know someone doing something similar with 4 lamps over a 75 except he uses low power LEDs but it looks nice. Rapid LED sells everything you need to do it.

 

[R@ck78]

Have a sunpower 8x24 on the way. What bulb combo should I get for SPS dominant tank?

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk

 

[alrha]

Have a sunpower 8x24 on the way. What bulb combo should I get for SPS dominant tank?

BACK
Blue+
Purple+
Blue+ (dawn/dusk)
Blue+
GE 6500k
Blue+ (dawn/dusk)
Purple+
Blue+
FRONT

 

[KSzegi]

New fixture should be here next week .... genesis t5/led. Will have two rows of white and one row of blue for the led's. This will be my first time with the led's other than a couple of reefbrite strips. I'm hoping for a 13-15k look I think ..... don't want it too blue. Will be going over a 300 dd mixed reef.

This is what I'm thinking ..... front to back .....

Reefbrite blue strip
KZ new generation
Blue +
fiji purple
KZ superblue
white leds
blue leds
white leds
KZ superblue
fiji purple
Blue +
KZ new generation

I also have a few true actinics and some aqua science duo's to play with .... as well as some GE daylights.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

New fixture should be here next week .... genesis t5/led. Will have two rows of white and one row of blue for the led's. This will be my first time with the led's other than a couple of reefbrite strips. I'm hoping for a 13-15k look I think ..... don't want it too blue. Will be going over a 300 dd mixed reef.

This is what I'm thinking ..... front to back .....

Reefbrite blue strip
KZ new generation
Blue +
fiji purple
KZ superblue
white leds
blue leds
white leds
KZ superblue
fiji purple
Blue +
KZ new generation

I also have a few true actinics and some aqua science duo's to play with .... as well as some GE daylights.

I am thinking I would move the Blue Pluses out to where the new gens and and and put GE's in where the blue plus are and see what you think after you try your listed mix.

 

[iwishtofish]

probably swap the special for the blue plus.

As already mentioned a Blue Plus in place of the aquablue. If that doeasn't do it for you put the Aquablue in where the GE lamp is.

Thank you both.

 

[KSzegi]

I am thinking I would move the Blue Pluses out to where the new gens and and and put GE's in where the blue plus are and see what you think after you try your listed mix.

Okay, thanks for the advice, will give it a try!

 

[Thisseemsfishy]

How heavy SPS could I go with a 5x54w Tek fixture, ATI Bulbs? 55g tank

 

[shark007]

Front
Blue Plus
Purple Plus
Blue Plus
GE 6500K
Blue Plus
Purple Plus
Blue Plus
Blue Plus

Thank you very much. Ordered Up

 

[The Grim Reefer]

How heavy SPS could I go with a 5x54w Tek fixture, ATI Bulbs? 55g tank

Pretty heavy properly place.

 

[TropTrea]

As I mentioned earlier I'm slowly redoning my lighting. The normal cyle I have been doing is replacing two bulbs every other month. Giving me avout an 8 month run time on the bulbs. Plus any changes are also gradual and not create any sudden changes. In the past I had run all UL bulbs as when I was selling retain I had gotten a good price on case lots of them when one of my suppliers was discontinuing handling them.

Presently I'm running.
Front
ATI Blue Plus Dawn to Dusk
UL 50/50 1200K Atinic White MidDay
ATI Purple Plus Dawn to Dusk
UL 75/25 1400K Aqua Blue Mid Day
UL Super Atinic Dawn to Dusk
UL 50/50 1200K Atinic White Mid Day
ATI Blue Plus Dawn to Dusk
UL 75/25 1400K Aqua Blue Mid Day

I;m looking for Grims suggestion on what I should swap out as my next two bulbs. Im debating between one of each of the UL on my mid day cycle with ATI's Blue Plus bulbs or the Super Atinic on the dawn to Dusk and a 14,0o0K Aqua Blue on the Mid Day with Blue Plus bulbs. I do want to kick the overall light slightly bluer on both cycles.

Not I'm also in the process of building a LED for "Moonlight" for late evening viewing with
all blue leds to run for an a couple hour after the rest of the lights are out.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

As I mentioned earlier I'm slowly redoning my lighting. The normal cyle I have been doing is replacing two bulbs every other month. Giving me avout an 8 month run time on the bulbs. Plus any changes are also gradual and not create any sudden changes. In the past I had run all UL bulbs as when I was selling retain I had gotten a good price on case lots of them when one of my suppliers was discontinuing handling them.

Presently I'm running.
Front
ATI Blue Plus Dawn to Dusk
UL 50/50 1200K Atinic White MidDay
ATI Purple Plus Dawn to Dusk
UL 75/25 1400K Aqua Blue Mid Day
UL Super Atinic Dawn to Dusk
UL 50/50 1200K Atinic White Mid Day
ATI Blue Plus Dawn to Dusk
UL 75/25 1400K Aqua Blue Mid Day

I;m looking for Grims suggestion on what I should swap out as my next two bulbs. Im debating between one of each of the UL on my mid day cycle with ATI's Blue Plus bulbs or the Super Atinic on the dawn to Dusk and a 14,0o0K Aqua Blue on the Mid Day with Blue Plus bulbs. I do want to kick the overall light slightly bluer on both cycles.

Not I'm also in the process of building a LED for "Moonlight" for late evening viewing with
all blue leds to run for an a couple hour after the rest of the lights are out.

I'd pull the second and the eighth. You gotta lot of pink in there. Pulling a Actinic White and 75/25 will cut it some but not radically.

 

[TropTrea]

I think so. Some might argue the GE has more light in the so-called PUR spectrum but according to two different people I've asked who have PHD's in marine biology PUR doesn't make a huge difference in how the corals use light.

I had bone a lot of research on this years ago and I'll agree that coral growth is not directly related to any PAR or PUR meter readings. The highest PAR bulbs are acturaly the GE 5,000K bulbs with a very flat power spectrum and a CRI rating of 100. These work good for terestial as well as fresh water plants that are in shallow water.

With coral you have a nearly a completly different animal. They do need light in throughout the spectrum however the longer wave lenghts they have less need for and in excess can actualy cause more harm than good. This is because corals have basicly evolved over generations to live at various depts in the ocean where longer wavelenghts are filtered out and shorter wave lenghts are abundent.

Keeping in mind that each species of coral is different and florishes at different depts in the ocean it is realy hard to say one particular bulb is ideal in all situations. However can safely say it is hard to get too much light in the shorter wave lenghts like 420 nm and to 460 nm while in the longer wave lenghts like 685 nm some corals have been proven to easily bleach out from excess of these frequencies. Yet some corals do requiere a limited amount of these longer wavelenghts. Obtaining the balance is the hard part especialy when you add the factor of pesonal taste in what you want your tank to look like.

 

[iHasFishes]

i just want the t5 101. all that i know is that i need one to grow coral, and anemones.



what's the general rule of thumb? how do i determain how many watts i need for my size tank?



how do i read a spectrum chart?



and what is the par number?

and what the diff between 6500 10k 12.5 etc