The T5 Q&a Thread

[Hudzon]

How to test watts the ballast is putting out

How to test watts the ballast is putting out

How can you test a Ballast? I have 6 X 39W system is there a way to test to make sure I'm getting the right voltage to each bulb ?

 

[jlylec]

I recently purchased a 150H (48"Lx24"Wx31"D) and am struggling with the lighting choice. 8 bulb TEK or nearly twice as much for 6 bulb ATI Powermodule? Or do I need to stick to 8 bulbs due to the depth regardless of ATI or TEK? I'm moving a few fish, several SPS and a couple LPS into the new digs as soon as possible. I should be able to keep the SPS 10-12" off the floor. No clams but would like the option eventually.

If the recommendation is an 8-bulb do you have any bulb suggestion due to the depth?

Thanks so much in advance...I really appreciate the time it must take to respond to all of these posts!!

 

[kgk]

I recently purchased a 150H (48"Lx24"Wx31"D) and am struggling with the lighting choice. 8 bulb TEK or nearly twice as much for 6 bulb ATI Powermodule? Or do I need to stick to 8 bulbs due to the depth regardless of ATI or TEK? I'm moving a few fish, several SPS and a couple LPS into the new digs as soon as possible. I should be able to keep the SPS 10-12" off the floor. No clams but would like the option eventually.

If the recommendation is an 8-bulb do you have any bulb suggestion due to the depth?

Thanks so much in advance...I really appreciate the time it must take to respond to all of these posts!!

The 8-bulb ATI Sunpower is another (very good) option, priced in between the two.

 

[saleen2881]

Hey, What ati buld combo should i get ? I have a 48 in t5 ho.I am lookig for a blue look. Should i get


ATI Blue plus
ATI purple plus
ATI tru actinic
ATI Blue plus

or

ATI Blue plus
ATI purple plus
ATI blue plus
ATI Blue plus

or

ATI Blue plus
ATI purple plus
ATI Aquablue special
ATI Blue plus

its a mixxed coral tank

 

[Postal]

What would you recommend to cool t5 retrokits? I have a 5-bulb kit and a 4-bulb kit, both over 40 breeders and both fired by Advanced ballasts. The canopies are fully enclosed except for the back which has gutter guard across the length of it.
Will the Azoo double fan be too much for the label end of the bulbs?
Should I go with something smaller? Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

 

[coralreefdoc]

Grim,

Thanks in advance for your knowledgable advice ... I've been reading many pages of this thread, great work !

Currently looking for lighting options for a 60G Long Shallow Mixed Reef 48L x 18W x 16H, rimless. I am going to do a mixed reef and would like SPS in other places besides just the top crest of the reef but dont want to burn any LPS mid-bottom. I've narrowed my choices down to 5 options:

1. ATI 6 bulb Powermodule
2. ATI 6 bulb SunPower
3. SS 6 bulb Tek
4. SS 6 bulb Tek Elite ( really worth the extra money ? )
5. AquaticLife 6 bulb w/ moonlights (convenient w/ built in moonlights)

Which of these fixture would you go with ($ is an issue) and in what order ? Also, if I could get an 8 bulb for a comparable price would you get the 8 instead or is it just too overkill on this application ? Maybe just run 6-7 bulbs and use a middle reflector for moonlights ...

Thanks again for your thoughts and suggestions, I enjoy your work/thread !

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Hi there Grim, I have a question about how high above the waterline should I keep my ATI Sunpower T5/LED Hybrid: Yes, I modded my 6x24watt Sunpower to 5x24watt T5 + almost 60watts of Cree LED (20xRoyal Blue + 4xBlue). Total almost 180watts T5+LED.

Here is my build thread so you can see what I have done: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=18068168#post18068168

Anyway, I was using a mix of 40 + 60 degree optics, but this caused coral bleaching. So I replaced with about 6x60 degree optics and the rest as 80 degree optics. No more bleaching, and better colour blending now.

I currently have the Sunpower about 5 inches off the waterline. How high in your opinion is the "best" in order to retain good PAR, but also to have good spread?

My tanks area is 30" x 20". The water height from sand is just under 15", so quite a shallow tank.

I am using the following combo from front to back:

Front:

ATI Blue Plus
Arcadia 14K
24 Cree LEDs @ 700mA (20xRB + 4xBlue)
ATI Purple Plus
ATI AquaBlue Special
ATI Blue Plus

This produces a very nice 20K look. The pinks and red are still quite visible.

Just need to know whats the best height to keep the fixture at. Many thanks, and sorry for the looong winded post, but I wanted you to know all the details since you are the T5 guru and are now dabbling very much with LED's as well.

Thanks! :wave:

Like 6" above the water would be where I'd start then just see how it goes from there. Looks cool

 

[The Grim Reefer]

I have a couple of questions about my T5 light. I have a 10 X 54 Watt ATI Powermodule. The bulbs are over a year old and all need replacing. Can I replace them all at once? It would be easier than trying to remember which ones I replaced if I only did a few at a time?
Also, if I do replace them, how many hours should I subtract from my current lighting schedule?
Right now I have 2 bulbs on from: 11am - 1:30pm, and 7:45pm - 9:30pm
10 bulbs on from: 1:30pm to 2:00pm and 7:00pm to 7:45pm
and 8 bulbs on from: 2:00pm to 7:00pm

Thanks, Jeff

Keep your current times for the 2 lamp mix and run the 8 lamps for a total of 4 hours a day when the 2 lamps are not on, then just slowly work you way back up to full lighting over a few weeks.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

How can you test a Ballast? I have 6 X 39W system is there a way to test to make sure I'm getting the right voltage to each bulb ?

You'd have to wire a meter into the circuit to check the current being pushed through the lamps, not an easy task.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

I recently purchased a 150H (48"Lx24"Wx31"D) and am struggling with the lighting choice. 8 bulb TEK or nearly twice as much for 6 bulb ATI Powermodule? Or do I need to stick to 8 bulbs due to the depth regardless of ATI or TEK? I'm moving a few fish, several SPS and a couple LPS into the new digs as soon as possible. I should be able to keep the SPS 10-12" off the floor. No clams but would like the option eventually.

If the recommendation is an 8-bulb do you have any bulb suggestion due to the depth?

Thanks so much in advance...I really appreciate the time it must take to respond to all of these posts!!

I'd do a Sunpower at a minimum. 5 ATI Blue Plus, 2 ATI Purple Plus and a Aquablue.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Hey, What ati buld combo should i get ? I have a 48 in t5 ho.I am lookig for a blue look. Should i get


ATI Blue plus
ATI purple plus
ATI tru actinic
ATI Blue plus

or

ATI Blue plus
ATI purple plus
ATI blue plus
ATI Blue plus

or

ATI Blue plus
ATI purple plus
ATI Aquablue special
ATI Blue plus

its a mixxed coral tank

I'd do the middle one. If you have a lot of softies the top might be nice because you'd get a little extra glow off the actinic.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

What would you recommend to cool t5 retrokits? I have a 5-bulb kit and a 4-bulb kit, both over 40 breeders and both fired by Advanced ballasts. The canopies are fully enclosed except for the back which has gutter guard across the length of it.
Will the Azoo double fan be too much for the label end of the bulbs?
Should I go with something smaller? Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

I'd just grab a good 3 or 4 inch computer case fan. The duel azoo fan is OK but the air pattern is so wide you'll end up cooling too far toward the middle of the lamp and hurt the output

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Grim,

Thanks in advance for your knowledgable advice ... I've been reading many pages of this thread, great work !

Currently looking for lighting options for a 60G Long Shallow Mixed Reef 48L x 18W x 16H, rimless. I am going to do a mixed reef and would like SPS in other places besides just the top crest of the reef but dont want to burn any LPS mid-bottom. I've narrowed my choices down to 5 options:

1. ATI 6 bulb Powermodule
2. ATI 6 bulb SunPower
3. SS 6 bulb Tek
4. SS 6 bulb Tek Elite ( really worth the extra money ? )
5. AquaticLife 6 bulb w/ moonlights (convenient w/ built in moonlights)

Which of these fixture would you go with ($ is an issue) and in what order ? Also, if I could get an 8 bulb for a comparable price would you get the 8 instead or is it just too overkill on this application ? Maybe just run 6-7 bulbs and use a middle reflector for moonlights ...

Thanks again for your thoughts and suggestions, I enjoy your work/thread !

Id go with a 4 lamp Powermodule a little higher up so it will spread out the light better and give you a narrow band of higher light for your SPS right below the lamps and lower light out on the sand for the other stuff.

 

[saleen2881]

I'd do the middle one. If you have a lot of softies the top might be nice because you'd get a little extra glow off the actinic.

Hey, What light combo would be best for some sps near the top?

 

[straydum]

Hey, What ati buld combo should i get ? I have a 48 in t5 ho.I am lookig for a blue look. Should i get


ATI Blue plus
ATI purple plus
ATI tru actinic
ATI Blue plus

or

ATI Blue plus
ATI purple plus
ATI blue plus
ATI Blue plus

or

ATI Blue plus
ATI purple plus
ATI Aquablue special
ATI Blue plus

its a mixxed coral tank

I'd do the middle one. If you have a lot of softies the top might be nice because you'd get a little extra glow off the actinic.

currently i'm keeping an SPS dominated with 14" height and i run

ATI Blue plus
ATI purple plus
ATI tru actinic
ATI Blue plus

its mainly for the colour but (please correct me if i'm wrong) it seems like the actinic doesn't really do much for the sps growth or colouration? could be replaced with a blue plus for better par. would this be better for sps?

same like saleen2881 i'm wondering about the best 4 bulb combo for sps. blue special was too white for me thats why i swapped it for purple plus but if the benefits are there i may swap back :hmm4:

 

[jessicaparker]

So my current setup is 2 Blues 1 purple and 1 white. i want to take out either the purple or white to give my tank more blue lighting. which bulb should i replace. the purple or white? ive heard you dont need white bulb to grow corals

 

[mrsmithers]

Grim,
Whats your take on this...
ATI PM 8*54watt on a 5x2x2 150 sps tank?
I do plan on upgrading to a 54x30x20high will this work well for this as well?

 

[wesleyforbes2]

Hello, I basically joined ReefCentral just to get to talk with you.

I have a standard 90 gallon tank, I have mostly LPS and a few soft. I dream to have a colorful tank full of SPS and perhaps a clam or two. I was wondering if you think that an ATI Sunpower 6 x 54 would supply enough light to forfill my dream? Light combo maybe something like this, looking for a 14-15K:

GE 65K
Blue+
Aquablue
KZ Fiji or Purple Plus
Blue+
Aquablue or Blue+

Thanks in advance!

 

[luckyfish]

Are there any sites or threads that list out PAR values for T-5 bulbs? I'm specifically interested in the ATI brand.
Thanks

 

[rtparty]

Are there any sites or threads that list out PAR values for T-5 bulbs? I'm specifically interested in the ATI brand.
Thanks

http://sites.google.com/site/tfivetesting/

That is a good start. Some of the numbers are a little off but close enough. Apogee PAR meters under read blues and over read reds.

ATI bulbs are at the very top of the list for highest PAR bulbs.

http://home.comcast.net/~stevelarsen00/site/?/home/

That is another good place to start.