The T5 Q&a Thread

[JeF4y]

Sunpower should be fine unless you plan on lots of clams. Powermodule is about 10% more output.

Perfect. Thank you, this is exactly what I was looking for.

I do plan on a clam or two, but will make sure I can place them in decent light. The ATI PM I have now is honestly overkill for our existing tank.
$300 back into the budget! Woohoo :rollface:

 

[sweet d]

Use Current 460 Actinics with the other lamps or if you want to use all current lamps do 4 460's and 2 10K's.

I can't mix and match due to a small mod I have to do to use the uvl bulbs, so there's no other combo of those bulbs that would replicate what the 454s would produce.if not I will just order the current bulbs I was just hoping to use the uvl. Bulbs.sorry if this is a silly question has im lost with lighting

 

[sweet d]

I guess I should say I like the option to have a variety of diff bulbs I could use with going the uvl route

 

[sedorusc]

Thanks grim for all the advice. My bulbs are coming up on 6 months of use in my 8x54 watt tek fixture. I have had what I consider great growth with your previous suggestions and just wanted to see if you suggest I purchase the same bulbs or if another combination should give me better growth and color. My current giesemann bulbs are:
Aquablue
Aquaflora
Aquablue
Midday
Aquablue
Aquaflora
Aquablue
Aquablue

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk

 

[Mike Ordner]

Grim, I have an Aquactinics Tx5 with bulbs about a year old, so thinking it is about time to replace. Currently have the following 54 watt bulbs.
ATI Aquablue
ATI Blue plus
UVL Actinic white
UVL Superactinic
ATI Blue plus

On reefgeeks saw a Korallen New Generation stating it is 1400 k bulb. Do you have any information on this bulb? If this is a good bulb PAR wise, how would my setup look if I replaced the Actinic white with this bulb.

Or, would you go with a different setup than the one I have?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[reeflover7826]

Hi Grim,

I've been thinking of changing my lighting. I have an SPS dom tank, I've been running a mix of 2xATI Blue+ 2xATI AB Special on Icecap ballast and 2x250w Radium love the color and growth but I hate the pattern that the coral grow towards the radium bulbs I would like a more uniform look. I decided to retro my own T5's. My tank is 60"Lx18"Wx24"H SPS dom, I already have 2x660 ballast what would you go with on an 18"wide tank 6 7 8 bulbs? How would you retro fit this tank?

Thanks, Rich.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

I guess I should say I like the option to have a variety of diff bulbs I could use with going the uvl route

What then hell kinda mod could you do that wouldn't allow you to mix and match 18 inch lamps? If you are willing to do so do 4 460 current, 1 Indigo sun and 1 Actinic White. Both companies make 18" lamps so,...,

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Thanks grim for all the advice. My bulbs are coming up on 6 months of use in my 8x54 watt tek fixture. I have had what I consider great growth with your previous suggestions and just wanted to see if you suggest I purchase the same bulbs or if another combination should give me better growth and color. My current giesemann bulbs are:
Aquablue
Aquaflora
Aquablue
Midday
Aquablue
Aquaflora
Aquablue
Aquablue

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk

Holy skimolly, if you like that try this

ATI Blue Plus
ATI Purple Plus
ATI Blue Plus
GE 6500K Daylight
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Purple Plus
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Blue Plus

If you correctly listed all your current lamps the change will blow your socks off.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Grim, I have an Aquactinics Tx5 with bulbs about a year old, so thinking it is about time to replace. Currently have the following 54 watt bulbs.
ATI Aquablue
ATI Blue plus
UVL Actinic white
UVL Superactinic
ATI Blue plus

On reefgeeks saw a Korallen New Generation stating it is 1400 k bulb. Do you have any information on this bulb? If this is a good bulb PAR wise, how would my setup look if I replaced the Actinic white with this bulb.

Or, would you go with a different setup than the one I have?

Thanks,
Mike

Try this
Aquablue
Blue Plus or actinic
ATI Purple Plus
Blue Plus
Blue Plus

All ATI lamps.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Hi Grim,

I've been thinking of changing my lighting. I have an SPS dom tank, I've been running a mix of 2xATI Blue+ 2xATI AB Special on Icecap ballast and 2x250w Radium love the color and growth but I hate the pattern that the coral grow towards the radium bulbs I would like a more uniform look. I decided to retro my own T5's. My tank is 60"Lx18"Wx24"H SPS dom, I already have 2x660 ballast what would you go with on an 18"wide tank 6 7 8 bulbs? How would you retro fit this tank?

Thanks, Rich.

Blue Plus
Purple Plus
Blue Plus
GE 6500K Daylight
Blue Plus
Purple Plus
Blue Plus
Blue Plus

Should look really nice.

 

[reeflover7826]

Which reflector would you go with? not many reflectors for 80w bulbs that are under 2" cant really fit them all in a 18" wide tank.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

LET reflectors, will have to go with 6 lamps over a 18" tank, 4 blue plus 1 purple plus and a aquablue.

 

[reeflover7826]

Those reflectors are 2.5" wide so i can cram about 7 bulbs What would you recomend for a 7 bulb setup and in what order?

Thanks again.

Rich

 

[jackaninny]

What then hell kinda mod could you do that wouldn't allow you to mix and match 18 inch lamps? If you are willing to do so do 4 460 current, 1 Indigo sun and 1 Actinic White. Both companies make 18" lamps so,...,

Grim-

The UVL bulbs were manufactured 1/4" too short. In order to use them you can move one end of the NEP closer which is fine if you are using all UVL. As you can imagine with the fixture are 17 3/4" now it's a little difficult to fit an 18" Current or other bulb in with the UVLs

To make matters a little worse the 454 bulbs are out of stock and Nanotuners is waiting for a new shipment BUT they don't know if they will now be the correct 18" or still at 17 3/4".

Bottom line you cannot mix 18" UVL and any other 18" bulbs at this time.

 

[sweet d]

What then hell kinda mod could you do that wouldn't allow you to mix and match 18 inch lamps? If you are willing to do so do 4 460 current, 1 Indigo sun and 1 Actinic White. Both companies make 18" lamps so,...,

current lamps come in at 18" and the uvl come in a full quarter inch smaller so its a matter of moving the end caps in a little therefor you cant mix and match so .....

 

[sweet d]

whatif i went with a aqua sun,actinic white and 4 super actinic,would this work? or should i just stay with the current bulbs and be done with this matter?

 

[koestech]

Hi Grim,

I have a 8xT5 ATI Powermodule over my Peninsula reef tank.

Right now I have the following lamp combination:

ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue Plus (Also on for dawn)
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue Plus (Also on for dawn)
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue Plus

. Now I saw in some of your recommendations, that you sometimes preferr to even have more than 50% of Blue Lamps. I also like it blue. But I had in my head, that the corals also need the white light for a good growith and that I therefore should not use more than 50% of blue lamps. If this might not really be correct would you recommend the following combination:

ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue Plus (Also on for dawn)
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Blue Plus (Also on for dawn)
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue Plus

Or would you switch to a complete other sequence of the lamps?

I once tried a purple lamp, but I did not really like it.

Thank you very much.

Best regards,

Christian

 

[gravity316]

Hello Grim,
I have a 90 gallon tank (48 X 18 x 24) and a 6 X 54 retro kit from Reef Geek.
Bulbs are 3 B+, 1 GE 6500, 1 Figi Purple, and 1 Blue special.
I was wondering if I can keep some SPS higher in the tank?
From my research Acros need real high intensity, though was not sure about montipora? I currently have some LPS that are doing well.

Thanks for the help.

 

[jglackin]

If you like the look then no need to change.

My personal preference would be:

5 ATI Blue Plus
2 ATI Purple Plus
1 ATI Aquablue

Ditch the actinic. It doesn't add much of anything, especially with 8 bulbs. You will get more PAR using a Blue Plus instead and on a 30" deep tank, I would think you need as much as PAR as possible.

Ryan, thank you for your feedback. No offense, I don't hang out on this forum and don't know who you are, but Grim was recommended to me and I wanted to see what his opinion is.

Grim,

I am running an 8 bulb ATI Powermodule with the following bulbs and have a 30" deep tank that is 95% SPS.

1 Fiji Purple
4 ATI Blue Plus
2 ATI Aquablue Special
1 UVL Super Actinic

Any thoughts on this and what order would you use?

 

[jglackin]

Sorry, never mind, I see you just made this recommendation for someone with a similar fixture.

"Put a ATI Purple Plus in 2 and 7, GE 6500K Daylight in 5 and ATI Blue Plus in the rest. Reefgeek should have all them in 80 wattts"

Don't need you to repeat yourself.