The T5 Q&a Thread

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Grim,
Planning a 200g Deep Dimension tank 48x36x27h. SPS mixed reef, thinking about a 48" 10 bulb ATI PM but do you think there might be a better selection for this tank?
 
hi grim seems like you take care of the T5 questions! just replaced my 2x150w metal halides with a ati sunpower 4x54w on my 75-80ish gallon tank 48"x18"21". can you give me one spec for more growth and one spec for more color? and when people say "front" it means the first bulb towards the front of the display? i have a mixed reef ranging from soft to sps i hope 4x54 is enough thanks. :rollface:
 
dastratt said:
Grim,
Planning a 200g Deep Dimension tank 48x36x27h. SPS mixed reef, thinking about a 48" 10 bulb ATI PM but do you think there might be a better selection for this tank?
Click to expand...

I see two other options you may want to consider.

1) 2 ATI Sunpower 6x54W
2) 2 ATI Sunpower 6x39W

Either will give you 12 bulbs instead of 10 and cost should be the same. It will also cover the tank a little better. With the 36" bulbs you just raise the fixture a little bit to get better spread.
 
The Grim Reefer said:
What brand is the fixture?
Click to expand...

honestly i have no idea, i belive its just a cheapy ebay setup.
All i can tell you is the bulbs are odyssea, which im pretty sure are original still. :worried: thats possibly the make of the fixture also.
Im trying to avoid the big dollar setup right now, at least untill it is needed for anemomes and other corals.
but i for sure need new bulbs at least.
 
Last edited:
Hi there Grim (and everyone else :wavehand:),

Care to share an opinion on my setup???

I have a 90 gal RR (48X18X24) and I'm a mixed tank with mostly SPS and softies, few acans etc...

I'm running (2) 175w 10K MHs and I currently have an IceCap 430 running (2) T5s. They are (ordered front to back) a Giesemann Actinic+ and a Giesemann Pure Actinic. I have another Actinic+ at the house, but will obviously have to upgrade to a 660 if I stay with IceCap to add more bulbs and get the 16 ft. Once I get the 660 I was planning on adding the Actinic+ to the backside of the MHs.

IYE, will this be enough? If I add a fourth T5, what other bulb would you recommend to bring out a fuller color in the tank. And finally, what order would you recommend?

Thanks,

-Blake

P.S. This thread is ridiculously awesome.
 
The Grim Reefer said:
For 4 lamps 2 ATI Blue Plus, the Fiji Purple and a Aquablue would be your best bet.
Click to expand...

I made the order via reefgeek today and my set up is due to arrive tomorrow. How great is that?

How should I place the Fiji Purple? Dusk/dawn or daylight? Do you recommend a specific order?

What color temp should I expect when all lights are running? Do the bulbs need to break in?

Thanks again for all of your help. This is an art I am new at.

Joe
 
Hey guys. I'm looking at setting up a 120g reef. It will be mostly SPS but will have the obligatory LPS in there as well. The 120 is standard 48x24x24. I have pretty much always lit my reef tanks with MHs. I was thinking about doing something different and going with a T5 fixture. I asked some of my friends about it but they so no way will I be able to get the growth and color I'm looking for with a straight T5 fixture. I usually run the standard MH lights with T5 supplements for some nice Actinic colors. I have seen sps reefs lit by T5s and they looked very nice with great colors so I know it can be done. Just nobody I personally know does it. Can it be done with a standard T5 fixture (not overdriven)? Can it be done with something like a Tek 6 or 8 light fixture or would I need to use more bulbs like an Aquatinics 10-14 bulb fixture or a combo of two Tek fixtures to get 10 or more bulbs? Also if you use a fixture with 10 or more bulbs don't you end up spending more money than the halide setup? The halides I would use in the tank would be 2x 250watt halides with either 2 or 4 T5 supplement bulbs. Do T5s get enough light to the lower reaches of the tank for sps and clams? Or would I be limited to sps in only the top half of the tank? The sps will not be the easier stuff but rather the light loving ones that do require lots of light and flow. I probably will not have a giant rock wall climbing to the top of the tank. Will only have a few piles of rock in there to leave room for the sps to grow up so the corals will be starting at the bottom of the tank so if there isn't enough penetration to grow the corals well on the bottom then maybe it's not a great idea. I was thinking of going the T5 route because it's a bit easier to play with colors and thought I might be able to save some money on the power bill, but if I had to go with a big 10 bulb fixture that probably would not be the case. I was hoping I could count on my fellow RCers to help give me some insight or possibly point me in the right direction or maybe find a few people who may have made the switch from halides to T5s and what their thoughts were.
 
Hey Grim;

What color temperature would the following bulbs give?

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

Thanks,
Paul
 
DSMchad said:
honestly i have no idea, i belive its just a cheapy ebay setup.
All i can tell you is the bulbs are odyssea, which im pretty sure are original still. :worried: thats possibly the make of the fixture also.
Im trying to avoid the big dollar setup right now, at least untill it is needed for anemomes and other corals.
but i for sure need new bulbs at least.
Click to expand...

2 ATI Blue Plus. 1 ATI Aquablue and a KZ Fiji Purple.
 
blakers82 said:
Hi there Grim (and everyone else :wavehand:),

Care to share an opinion on my setup???

I have a 90 gal RR (48X18X24) and I'm a mixed tank with mostly SPS and softies, few acans etc...

I'm running (2) 175w 10K MHs and I currently have an IceCap 430 running (2) T5s. They are (ordered front to back) a Giesemann Actinic+ and a Giesemann Pure Actinic. I have another Actinic+ at the house, but will obviously have to upgrade to a 660 if I stay with IceCap to add more bulbs and get the 16 ft. Once I get the 660 I was planning on adding the Actinic+ to the backside of the MHs.

IYE, will this be enough? If I add a fourth T5, what other bulb would you recommend to bring out a fuller color in the tank. And finally, what order would you recommend?

Thanks,

-Blake

P.S. This thread is ridiculously awesome.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't use Ice Cap ballast. They make the lamps look less blue which is the whole point of supplemental lighting. 2 Actinic Plus and a Pure actinic will look good on whatever ballast you use, I just think it will look better with standard ballasts.
 
jbuajr said:
I made the order via reefgeek today and my set up is due to arrive tomorrow. How great is that?

How should I place the Fiji Purple? Dusk/dawn or daylight? Do you recommend a specific order?

What color temp should I expect when all lights are running? Do the bulbs need to break in?

Thanks again for all of your help. This is an art I am new at.

Joe
Click to expand...

15K or so. I would place the fiji purple on the same pairing as the aquablue.
 
Gillundr said:
Hey guys. I'm looking at setting up a 120g reef. It will be mostly SPS but will have the obligatory LPS in there as well. The 120 is standard 48x24x24. I have pretty much always lit my reef tanks with MHs. I was thinking about doing something different and going with a T5 fixture. I asked some of my friends about it but they so no way will I be able to get the growth and color I'm looking for with a straight T5 fixture. I usually run the standard MH lights with T5 supplements for some nice Actinic colors. I have seen sps reefs lit by T5s and they looked very nice with great colors so I know it can be done. Just nobody I personally know does it. Can it be done with a standard T5 fixture (not overdriven)? Can it be done with something like a Tek 6 or 8 light fixture or would I need to use more bulbs like an Aquatinics 10-14 bulb fixture or a combo of two Tek fixtures to get 10 or more bulbs? Also if you use a fixture with 10 or more bulbs don't you end up spending more money than the halide setup? The halides I would use in the tank would be 2x 250watt halides with either 2 or 4 T5 supplement bulbs. Do T5s get enough light to the lower reaches of the tank for sps and clams? Or would I be limited to sps in only the top half of the tank? The sps will not be the easier stuff but rather the light loving ones that do require lots of light and flow. I probably will not have a giant rock wall climbing to the top of the tank. Will only have a few piles of rock in there to leave room for the sps to grow up so the corals will be starting at the bottom of the tank so if there isn't enough penetration to grow the corals well on the bottom then maybe it's not a great idea. I was thinking of going the T5 route because it's a bit easier to play with colors and thought I might be able to save some money on the power bill, but if I had to go with a big 10 bulb fixture that probably would not be the case. I was hoping I could count on my fellow RCers to help give me some insight or possibly point me in the right direction or maybe find a few people who may have made the switch from halides to T5s and what their thoughts were.
Click to expand...

8 lamp ATI Powermodule would be really good on that tank.
 
The Grim Reefer said:
I am basing my OPINION that the PAR is going to be lower on the fact that the peak on the lamp is more in the violet range, like an actinic which have low PAR. Once a get a new tank set up I'll order a couple of those and see how they do but if I start buying lamps before I get an aquarium set up again the wife will hurt me.
Click to expand...

Ok Grim - so I picked up the Aqua Blue Plus in favor of the AquaticLife Bulbs and they are definitely alot brighter. Does level of brightness directly relate to PAR? I look forward to seeing how my corals respond. Thanks again for all your help.
I think you need to get another tank going. It could be a tax write off for your lighting experiments.
 
TonyV said:
Ok Grim - so I picked up the Aqua Blue Plus in favor of the AquaticLife Bulbs and they are definitely alot brighter. Does level of brightness directly relate to PAR? I look forward to seeing how my corals respond. Thanks again for all your help.
I think you need to get another tank going. It could be a tax write off for your lighting experiments.
Click to expand...

aquablue and blue plus are two different lamps, Aquablue is more white while the Blue Plus is VERY blue, both have about the same PAR
 
Yes I now have two Whites and two Blues all ATI bulbs. I was comparing the ATI Blues with Aquaticlife Blues and there is no comparison in brightness. ATI wins hands down. So does brightness directly relate to PAR? The ATI is significantly brighter than the AquaticLife so I am thinking that I have increased my PAR.
 
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