The T5 Q&a Thread

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The Grim Reefer said:
Yeah, trade a blue out for another Aquablue or if you want to kick up the purple look get a UVL Actinic White.
Click to expand...

grim, what one should i replace.thanks the first and sixth bulb are on one switch the rest are on the other
front
blue+
actinic white
blue+
ati aquablue
blue+
blue+
back
 
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ATI SP cooling ?

ATI SP cooling ?

Grim i read you home page but gotta double check.should i or shuoldnt i use an acrylic shield with my ATI SP. will it screw up cooling w/o shield?
 
hey grim,
time to upgrade my lighting..i was originally looking for an 8 bulb t5HO but that is out of my budget right now...

looking at getting a 6 bulb T5HO fixture..any recommendations on a good one that will support a few sps?
i have a 40 breeder rimless, with mainly zoas/palys,macros,and a few sps.

and bulb choice/order?

thanks so much!! you truley are a HUGE help!!

belle
 
Grim, Its time for new bulbs. I have a 65 tub that I'm currently running 4 T5 on Icecap 660 with 2 vho. I'm doing away with the vho and getting a 2 bulb tek retro for my dusk dawn. I'm not a huge fan of super blue, but I'm just not getting the colors out of my coral with the current setup(very white with a hint of pink/purple). 2 blue plus, 1 kz purple, 1 aquablue special and the 50/50 and actinic vho. Its a mixed reef primarily acan/favia, zoas and sps.

I'm currently thinking 3 ati blue plus. I'm not sure what combo to go with for the other 3. I'm seeing are kz figi purple, ge 6500k, uvl actinic white and ati special as mixes for sps tanks. What would get me the best mix with a 12k to maybe 14k look.

thanks,
Drew
 
briansbelle said:
hey grim,
time to upgrade my lighting..i was originally looking for an 8 bulb t5HO but that is out of my budget right now...

looking at getting a 6 bulb T5HO fixture..any recommendations on a good one that will support a few sps?
i have a 40 breeder rimless, with mainly zoas/palys,macros,and a few sps.

and bulb choice/order?

thanks so much!! you truley are a HUGE help!!

belle
Click to expand...

Tek would be fine for that tank

Front
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Actinic White
ATI Blue Plus
GE 6500K Daylight
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Blue Plus
 
FishF00d said:
Grim, Its time for new bulbs. I have a 65 tub that I'm currently running 4 T5 on Icecap 660 with 2 vho. I'm doing away with the vho and getting a 2 bulb tek retro for my dusk dawn. I'm not a huge fan of super blue, but I'm just not getting the colors out of my coral with the current setup(very white with a hint of pink/purple). 2 blue plus, 1 kz purple, 1 aquablue special and the 50/50 and actinic vho. Its a mixed reef primarily acan/favia, zoas and sps.

I'm currently thinking 3 ati blue plus. I'm not sure what combo to go with for the other 3. I'm seeing are kz figi purple, ge 6500k, uvl actinic white and ati special as mixes for sps tanks. What would get me the best mix with a 12k to maybe 14k look.

thanks,
Drew
Click to expand...

Do 5 Blue Plus with 1 UVL Actinic White. Should be really blue but the pink actinic white will bring out other colors well. You could swap out a blue blue for an ATI Aquablue if you want a brighter look.
 
The Grim Reefer said:
Do 5 Blue Plus with 1 UVL Actinic White. Should be really blue but the pink actinic white will bring out other colors well. You could swap out a blue blue for an ATI Aquablue if you want a brighter look.
Click to expand...

I actually don't like it really blue, I like a good white with hints of blue, or close to the 12k. I just didn't want anything near 20k. Thats why I was looking at only going with 3 blue plus. Just wasn't sure what mix to put in the other 3.
 
Alright after reading through over 50 pages I'm gonna finally break down and just ask the pros. I just picked up a 72" wide 150 gallon with two built in overflows on the back. It came with a hodge podge light setup of two 36 dual bulb fixtures which span the width and two smaller single bulb fixtures which span about 75% of the width. I want to setup the tank right but I don't want to spend the money on MH, the power bill and other costs associated. So I am pretty confident a T5 setup is what I'm aiming at now I just need advice on which one. Both local fish stores sell the Aquatic Life units. I do like the moonlighting a lot. Reading around here, it seems that the ATI's are the way to go but I only see a 60" on their site. And even an 8 bulb HO T5 looks like it will only provide me with around 1.5 wpg. I'm not trying to complicate this too much but here is the bottom line. I am okay with splurging on nice lighting but not going nuts. What light fixture/combo do I want for results I will be happy with long run?
-I like moonlighting but it's not a must
-I want to keep a colorful reef tank with mostly softies but the more stonies I can run the better

Will I be able to grow coral with a T5 setup well? Thanks in advance Grim...
 
found the answer i needed on the above light... its too wide for my tank...

so i am just going to upgrade to the 6 bulb version of my light(aquaticlife) so i can keep the built in timer and moonlights...

here are the bulbs i currently have:
3 blue+
1 aquablue special
6500k
uvl 75/25

and stock 10000k and actinics from my fixture...

thanks!!
 
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FishF00d said:
I actually don't like it really blue, I like a good white with hints of blue, or close to the 12k. I just didn't want anything near 20k. Thats why I was looking at only going with 3 blue plus. Just wasn't sure what mix to put in the other 3.
Click to expand...

3 Blue Plus with a Fiji or the UVL Actinic White and a Couple of ATI Aquablues should get you there
 
makdaddy386 said:
Alright after reading through over 50 pages I'm gonna finally break down and just ask the pros. I just picked up a 72" wide 150 gallon with two built in overflows on the back. It came with a hodge podge light setup of two 36 dual bulb fixtures which span the width and two smaller single bulb fixtures which span about 75% of the width. I want to setup the tank right but I don't want to spend the money on MH, the power bill and other costs associated. So I am pretty confident a T5 setup is what I'm aiming at now I just need advice on which one. Both local fish stores sell the Aquatic Life units. I do like the moonlighting a lot. Reading around here, it seems that the ATI's are the way to go but I only see a 60" on their site. And even an 8 bulb HO T5 looks like it will only provide me with around 1.5 wpg. I'm not trying to complicate this too much but here is the bottom line. I am okay with splurging on nice lighting but not going nuts. What light fixture/combo do I want for results I will be happy with long run?
-I like moonlighting but it's not a must
-I want to keep a colorful reef tank with mostly softies but the more stonies I can run the better

Will I be able to grow coral with a T5 setup well? Thanks in advance Grim...
Click to expand...

An 8x80 watt ATI Powermodule would give you enough light to raise about anything in that tank. A 60" Tek light would allow you to keep a few SPS on the rocks but forget about clams. Aquatic life is probably going to be good for some LPS and maybe a few SPS on top of the rocks.
 
justinc0708 said:
grim,so i got the little fan at bed bath and beyond.now to mount it,i dont have much room behind it so i think i will do it from the wall that is on the right side of the tank.blowing overtop of the whole fixture.you think that will be a good idea grim?
Click to expand...

Should be OK. I've seen a picture of someone else who did it like that and it worked well for him.
 
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