The T5 Q&a Thread

[The Grim Reefer]

Hello It's nice to finally meet the T-5 GOD! Anyways I just bought a Hamilton Fiji sun fixture. 6 bulbs were included 4- 420 nm blue 1- daylight and a 50/50. As well I have a wavepoint antinicand 50/50. All these bulbs and are brand new so I would like to use them. My tank is 36x16x18. Positions 1,6 2,5 3,4 turn on and off together. So here's the questions.
1. How would you use the bulbs I have.
2. If I bought one bulb now what should it be.
3. What should I eventually put in there?
4. And will there be a noticeable difference in colors with better bulbs?
Thanks for your help!

Use the Daylight and 2 50/50 lamps you have with 3 actinics. I'd at a minimum grab a blue Plus ATI lamp so you are only running 2 actinics. Once these lamps are 6 months old I'd switch to 3 or 4 ATI Blue Plus, 1 ATI Purple Plus and depending on the number of blue plus 1 or 2 ATI Aquablues.

 

[Froggy]

Hi Grim,

I just wanted to follow up with you on a question I asked a week or so ago. I inquired about your opinion on T5 combo's as supps to halides. I had been using 2 Blue Plus with my 175 watt Iwasaki 15 K halides. I had wondered about changing one of the Blue Plus to a Purple Plus.

I made the change and am very happy I did. The Purple Plus blends nicely with the halides and other Blue Plus when all of the lights are on. It does seem to accentuate certain pigments in my corals also that seemed a bit washed out from the blue spectrum halides and all Blue Plus T5's.

With only the T5's ( 1 Blue Plus and 1 Purple Plus ) on for dawn/dusk, there is a bit of a purplish hue to the tank but the corals seem to glow. My eyes quickly adjusted to the difference and I rather like the look.

I am convinced a purple bulb ( Purple Plus or Fiji Purple ) should be included in every T5 combination regardless of all T5 or mixed with halides. It just seems to add a spectrum that was missing for me, at least with the blue halides I use.

Thought you would be interested in the follow up results, from my opinion at least. Thanks for all the info you provide.

Joe

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Thanks for the feedback. My LED build is using a lot of warm white LED's and they make a big difference as well.

 

[travisw30]

Thanks for the help was just looking at my bulbs so I have 5 420nm antinics like I said but only one 50/50 and one is a 10k and one is a 6500k. What do you think and positions?

 

[diddy_reefguy]

I'd drop the Actinic for another Blue Plus

Grim. Is this suggestion a matter of preference or will swaping the actinic for a blue+ have a benefit?

 

[jformani]

Questions

Questions

I'd like to see a few pics of 60" fixtures on 72" tanks. I've been debating upgrading my current fixture to an ATI. However I dont want the ends to look dark.

Also Grim, I have a 125 mixed tank with 50% LPS, 25% SPS, and 25% softies. Will the 8 bulb ATI be over kill? I'm hoping in the next year or two to possibly go 210 or larger but who knows if that will ever happen.

Or is the 6 bulb better for my tank rt now? Will my Torch, Hammer, Open Brains, Duncans fry???? Can I keep the fixture lets say 10-12 inches from top instead of 6?

Thanks again!

 

[fiftyfiveg]

Grim,

I saw this channel after my posted on the forum. Anyhow, i'm seeking your inputs on a Wavepoint 4x54w combo for 75 primary LPS.

I was thinking about this combo.

1. ATI blue plus (front)
1. ATI Aquablue (second from front)
1. ATI Purple plus (third)
1. ATI blue plus (back)

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Thanks for the help was just looking at my bulbs so I have 5 420nm antinics like I said but only one 50/50 and one is a 10k and one is a 6500k. What do you think and positions?

Still use those. Just make sure you have the white lamps more in the middle and actinics in the dusk/dawn slots.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Grim. Is this suggestion a matter of preference or will swaping the actinic for a blue+ have a benefit?

More PAR and it will look better having a real blue lamp in there.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

I'd like to see a few pics of 60" fixtures on 72" tanks. I've been debating upgrading my current fixture to an ATI. However I dont want the ends to look dark.

Also Grim, I have a 125 mixed tank with 50% LPS, 25% SPS, and 25% softies. Will the 8 bulb ATI be over kill? I'm hoping in the next year or two to possibly go 210 or larger but who knows if that will ever happen.

Or is the 6 bulb better for my tank rt now? Will my Torch, Hammer, Open Brains, Duncans fry???? Can I keep the fixture lets say 10-12 inches from top instead of 6?

Thanks again!

If you can keep the 8 lamp fixture about 10 inches above the tank the brains might be OK with it.


This is a 125 with a 60 inch retro mounted about 2 inches above the water. Also had an ice cap ballast mounted at each end the block some light, even so the shadows at the ends weren't as dark as the picture makes it look.

This is a 5 foot tank with crappy 4 foot fixtures sat right on top

 

[jformani]

Thanks for the reply. I think I'll be fine with the 60". I'll check back on bulb selection after I purchase!

 

[Gyr]

jformani
I'd like to see a few pics of 60" fixtures on 72" tanks. I've been debating upgrading my current fixture to an ATI. However I dont want the ends to look dark.

I agonized about 60 inch ATI over my 72 inch tank (22 inches deep) for similar reasons. I wound up going with the 6-bulb ATI and have been very pleased with my decision. The tank does NOT look darker on the sides than in the middle, to my eye. I keep the fixture about 6 inches above water level.

I am at work for the next few days and don't have a FTS with the T5 system in my photo album, but I do have a recent photo of the SPS's in the far left side of the tank (the side glass is just out of the photo frame). These corals are also pretty low in the tank, the green with purple rim M cap is only a few inches above the sand. They are all growing well and I am happy with their color, even the turqoise stag acro. The only sign of there maybe being a little lower light intensity is the bird's nest. I fragged a big piece off that and put the frag in the center of the tank, a few inches higher than the one in the picutre, and the frag's skeleton is a brighter white than the one you see.

Here's the photo:

I hope that helps.

 

[lindenfish88]

Front
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Purple Plus
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue
ATI Blue Plus

Use the 3 blue plus as dusk/dawn

Thanks grim, look forward to seeing this combo.

 

[celstar]

What T5 Bulbs to use

What T5 Bulbs to use

Grim, what T5 bulbs would you recomend in a 8 lamp HO unit that i'm developing and going to bring to market soon. I have a very large 550 gallon tank that i will be testing them on. I'm looking to get that 14K look with good par and color. I will also be looking for someone to test these new fixtures for over all Par and lumens, any sugestions you may have would be great.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Grim, what T5 bulbs would you recomend in a 8 lamp HO unit that i'm developing and going to bring to market soon. I have a very large 550 gallon tank that i will be testing them on. I'm looking to get that 14K look with good par and color. I will also be looking for someone to test these new fixtures for over all Par and lumens, any sugestions you may have would be great.

4 Blue Plus, 2 Aquablue and 2 Purple plus ATI lamps.

As far as testing see if there are any well known reefers local to you that will try them. Line up someone with a PAR meter that can do comparative readings against some other fixtures and again, try to do so with a well known person watching. It's one thing for the owner of Acme lights to say they have x amount of PAR. When the Roadrunner backs it up it means something.

 

[RBGreef]

I have a 48" Tek t5 8 bulb t5 fixture. What do you think about the following bulb combo? I am looking for more of the blue look. Thanks in advance.
Blue+
aquablue
Blue +
pro color
Blue +
blue+
aquablue
Blue+*

 

[The Grim Reefer]

I have a 48" Tek t5 8 bulb t5 fixture. What do you think about the following bulb combo? I am looking for more of the blue look. Thanks in advance.
Blue+
aquablue
Blue +
pro color
Blue +
blue+
aquablue
Blue+*

Get the Purple Plus instead of the procolor and should be fine. Not sure the pro colors are even available any more.

 

[JG1]

I have a 48" Tek t5 8 bulb t5 fixture. What do you think about the following bulb combo? I am looking for more of the blue look. Thanks in advance.
Blue+
aquablue
Blue +
pro color
Blue +
blue+
aquablue
Blue+*

A really nice 8 bulb combo (I'm using) that's 20k type look.

Blue +
Fiji Purple
Blue +
KZ New Gen
Fiji Purple
Blue +
KZ New Gen
Blue +

 

[The Grim Reefer]

What positions should the following bulbs be placed in on a 90 gallon:
2 blue plus, fiji purple, aquablue special
Thanks for the help.

Blue plus in front and either Aquablue or blue plus in rear. Other than that wont matter.

 

[Mr Milt]

hey Grim there is a lot to read in this thread, I am about to set up my new tank and was wondering if what i am about to do is over kill. This is going to be a sps tanks, size is 48Lx30wx24T
I will be adding 8 T5's with icecap plus my two 150w MH. i was wondering what bulbs and placement.

thanks
-------------
MR Milt