The T5 Q&a Thread

[The Grim Reefer]

Hey Grim, my question is I got a nice combo on my 8X54W, but i feel its a little to white and i wanna throw in some blue. I used Aquablue Special instead of UVL super Actinic, heres my combo

ATI Blue +, ATI aquablue special, kz fiji purple, 2 blue +, fiji purple, special, blue +

Thanks in advance

Yeah, just throw a Blue Plus or SUper Actinic in place of an Aquablue.

 

[Gondore]

I am considering switching from my current lighting setup of 2 x 250 watt MHs in Lumen Max reflectors running Radium bulbs to a T5 fixture, but I am still on the fence. My tank is a standard 90 gallon with a mixture of corals and clams but mainly sps. What fixture and bulb combination would you suggest for me Grim?

 

[Flowbot]

What's a good 14k type bulb?

 

[topmav1]

Hey Grim. I have a 4x54watt tek and two 175watt 14K Hamilton halides on my 90 gallon bowfront. setup:
front
Geismann Aquablue+
Geismann Pure Actinic
Aquasun
Geismann Aquablue+

The pure actinic and Aquasun go on first for "dawn" then come the halides. I find that when I turn on the 2 Aquablue+ that the tank looks kind of yellow which I don't like so I haven't been putting them on. Any suggestions? Have mostly softies, a GBTA, Elegance coral, Zoas, Acans, etc...Looking for a more BRIGHT Blue/pink look. My tank has a Black background so maybe has an effect on things...

Thanks!

 

[BigCountryEsq]

Grim,
Tank dimensions 60" x 18" x 27" tall
Installing a DIY 60" t5-6 bulb system with either aqua illumination reflectors or Hamilton reflectors.
Mixed reef mainly LPS and a few softies and SPS.
looking for best growth and want the coral to color up good.

Please help.

Would u recommend the same bulb combination for my 12" deep frag tank?

 

[kendall]

t5's

t5's

Grim just set up a 30 gallon frag tank with a three bulb retro. I put in two ATI 1200 aquablues & one blue plus. The colors don't have enough blue & reds. Thinking of either a fuji or a second blue plus instead of the 1200. let me know what you think. thanks, fasted

 

[paullisa51708]

hey grim im frustrated hope u can help
so i bought a current 6 bulb 48 inch fixture had it a day ran the microwave and blew a breaker then i noticed that 2 bulbs werent workin switched bulbs and the ballast works fine so its the bulb so because i blew the breaker it blew a bulb had ballast changed just to be sure it wouldnt happen again then current sent me two ballast after i allredy went and bought a bulb so now maybe a month later wife forgets to turn off lights and blows another bulb same one as last time when it tripped breaker bulb is all black at one end what gives here i have twoo ballast do i change it or keep buying bulbs i dont see how this can happen everytime the breaker trips and its the same one should i just send the fixture back if the powere goes out during the day i blow a bulb?? hope u understand me and can help

 

[chris88]

I dont understand why people keep asking the exact same question over and over again. What 6 bulbs do you suggest, what order to put them in, what bulb for red. Grim suggest the exact same thing each time so why not read the 240 pages of post already. I can only imagine how frustraing it must be to answer the same thing over and over again. I have read every post on this thread i continue to check in to see if there is any new info added but i keep on seeing the exact same thign over and over again.

 

[BigCountryEsq]

I dont understand why people keep asking the exact same question over and over again. What 6 bulbs do you suggest, what order to put them in, what bulb for red. Grim suggest the exact same thing each time so why not read the 240 pages of post already. I can only imagine how frustraing it must be to answer the same thing over and over again. I have read every post on this thread i continue to check in to see if there is any new info added but i keep on seeing the exact same thign over and over again.

Chris, thank you for ur concern. My issue is that I have 60" 80w bulbs. There isn't as large of a selection in these. I started with the most recent response and started going back wards. I have found what I was looking for, that's why I made a post.

I am also not concerned with the "blue" look that everyone wants. I want superior growth and color for my Los dominated tank.

 

[vic8361]

Hi Grim,
I have been running this combination for about four months now and feel it's a bit to blue for me. I do like the blue look though but the tank looks a little dim and I was thinking of replacing one of the blue plus bulbs with a fiji purple.
Will the fiji purple brighten things up a bit? Also how would it effect the color am running now?

6x80 watt bulbs ran on two ice caps 660 ballasts with slr refectors on a 180 gal.

front to back

ATI blue plus
ATI blue plus
ATI blue plus
Giesemann aquablue special
ATI blue plus
ATI blue plus

thanks you so much,
Vic

 

[chris88]

way to much blue in the spectrum, if i were you i would add another ati aqua blue and a fiji purple. you are only hitting the blue spectrum, you will see much better growth with the replacement of two of those blue pluses.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

I am considering switching from my current lighting setup of 2 x 250 watt MHs in Lumen Max reflectors running Radium bulbs to a T5 fixture, but I am still on the fence. My tank is a standard 90 gallon with a mixture of corals and clams but mainly sps. What fixture and bulb combination would you suggest for me Grim?

ATI Sunpower

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

 

[The Grim Reefer]

What's a good 14k type bulb?

ATI Aquablue

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Hey Grim. I have a 4x54watt tek and two 175watt 14K Hamilton halides on my 90 gallon bowfront. setup:
front
Geismann Aquablue+
Geismann Pure Actinic
Aquasun
Geismann Aquablue+

The pure actinic and Aquasun go on first for "dawn" then come the halides. I find that when I turn on the 2 Aquablue+ that the tank looks kind of yellow which I don't like so I haven't been putting them on. Any suggestions? Have mostly softies, a GBTA, Elegance coral, Zoas, Acans, etc...Looking for a more BRIGHT Blue/pink look. My tank has a Black background so maybe has an effect on things...

Thanks!

CHange out the Aquablues for ATI Blue Plus

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Grim,
Tank dimensions 60" x 18" x 27" tall
Installing a DIY 60" t5-6 bulb system with either aqua illumination reflectors or Hamilton reflectors.
Mixed reef mainly LPS and a few softies and SPS.
looking for best growth and want the coral to color up good.

Please help.

Would u recommend the same bulb combination for my 12" deep frag tank?

Stick with the Aquailluminations reflectors

Use one GE 6500K Daylight, 1 KZ Fiji Purple and 4 ATI Blue Plus

 

[The Grim Reefer]

hey grim im frustrated hope u can help
so i bought a current 6 bulb 48 inch fixture had it a day ran the microwave and blew a breaker then i noticed that 2 bulbs werent workin switched bulbs and the ballast works fine so its the bulb so because i blew the breaker it blew a bulb had ballast changed just to be sure it wouldnt happen again then current sent me two ballast after i allredy went and bought a bulb so now maybe a month later wife forgets to turn off lights and blows another bulb same one as last time when it tripped breaker bulb is all black at one end what gives here i have twoo ballast do i change it or keep buying bulbs i dont see how this can happen everytime the breaker trips and its the same one should i just send the fixture back if the powere goes out during the day i blow a bulb?? hope u understand me and can help

Buy a fixture that uses good ballasts. Thats pretty damned ridiculous if you ask me. Change the ballasts and hope that solves the problem.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Grim just set up a 30 gallon frag tank with a three bulb retro. I put in two ATI 1200 aquablues & one blue plus. The colors don't have enough blue & reds. Thinking of either a fuji or a second blue plus instead of the 1200. let me know what you think. thanks, fasted

Another Blue Plus

 

[The Grim Reefer]

I dont understand why people keep asking the exact same question over and over again. What 6 bulbs do you suggest, what order to put them in, what bulb for red. Grim suggest the exact same thing each time so why not read the 240 pages of post already. I can only imagine how frustraing it must be to answer the same thing over and over again. I have read every post on this thread i continue to check in to see if there is any new info added but i keep on seeing the exact same thign over and over again.

Thank you :wave:

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Hi Grim,
I have been running this combination for about four months now and feel it's a bit to blue for me. I do like the blue look though but the tank looks a little dim and I was thinking of replacing one of the blue plus bulbs with a fiji purple.
Will the fiji purple brighten things up a bit? Also how would it effect the color am running now?

6x80 watt bulbs ran on two ice caps 660 ballasts with slr refectors on a 180 gal.

front to back

ATI blue plus
ATI blue plus
ATI blue plus
Giesemann aquablue special
ATI blue plus
ATI blue plus

thanks you so much,
Vic

Pull the #2Blue Plus and put a KZ Fiji Purple in it's place

 

[Vauche]

Hello Grim. I've made up some combos and would like your opinion on them for a 90G SPS tank with clams on the sand running a aquatinics solar flare. Looking for color (red, blues, greens, and PURPLES) but I think at this point more interested in good growth.

Current: Daylight is just ok but the Dusk/Dawn (2 & 5) not a big fan of, seems really yellowish to my eye.

Front
Blue +
UVL 75/25
Blue +
UVL Actinic White
Blue +
Blue +

Possible new combos:

Front
Aquablue
Blue +
UVL 75/25
Aquasun ?(I've notice you don't really recommend these anymore)
Blue +
Aquablue
Back

or

Front
Blue +
Blue +
Aquasun
Aquablue
Blue +
Blue +
Back

I have to buy all the lamps so any lamps are fair game (I would like to avoid the GE lamps for personal reasons if possible) and I'm open to any combo, whatever K rating except 10K or 20K would be fine I think.

Thanks for the help, again!