The T5 Q&a Thread

[JARJOZ]

Read through most of this thread to get some idea of how to make my t5 8-bulb light fixture.

My tank will be little different then most standard tanks. It is walk around 28” x 28” x 22” cube with live rock tower in the middle of
the tank that will go all the way to the surface of the water level. Because of this setup there is no front and back.

And now is my question to all of you light experts and specially
you Grim

How would you arrange 8 bulbs on this tank ?
What kind of bulbs ?
And what the lighting schedule would be?
I am thinking of mixed reef combination.

I will make the light fixture 24” x 24” with bulbs spaced evenly through
The 24” span.

Do you think it I can use some special arrangement of
bulbs and timing that I can get the impression of movement of the sun over the span of the day?

May be I should do 10 bulb or more (I have 24" of space) to do the sun movement effect ?

 

[slimpickins]

I have 90 gal with a TEK 6 bulb fixture, all sps. Need new bulbs and was planning on the standard config of 4 blue plus, 1 aquablue and 1 purple plus. Question is, what effect will I see if I swap out one blue plus for a 2nd aquablue?

thnx in advance

 

[TylerHaworth]

Aquactinics TX5 Directly on Top of Tank- Standard 75 Gallon - Looking for perhaps more PAR and a better highlight of Reds/Pinks, I'm fairly satisfied with the overall color.

Current Bulb Config
Front
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Actinic White
ATI Blue Plus
Back

Considering, In same order:

Blue Plus
Aquablue Special
Purple Plus
Aquablue Special
Blue Plus

-OR-

Aquablue Special
Blue Plus
Aquablue Special
Purple Plus
Aquablue Special

Thoughts... Opinions... Would the second configuration lose a lot of the "blue" hue that I like?

 

[Jake007]

Retrofit kit vs self contained units

Retrofit kit vs self contained units

I have a 6 bulb individual reflector setup on a 120G mixed reef and I am getting ready to change bulbs and deciding if I should replace the whole setup.

Q1. Are the ATI or other self contained fixtures better than a canopy with individual reflector retrofit kits as far as PAR?

Q2. My bulbs are 7-8" off the water, sounds like they should be lowered to 4-5"?

 

[hansmatt]

The ATI fixtures have better par values than most retrofits due to the better reflectors and the active cooling of bulbs. I'm sure there are some other newer, good fixtures that match the ATI, but as a straight t5 fixture without any leds' they are among the best

 

[rtparty]

The ATI fixtures have better par values than most retrofits due to the better reflectors and the active cooling of bulbs. I'm sure there are some other newer, good fixtures that match the ATI, but as a straight t5 fixture without any leds' they are among the best

I have not seen one other T5 fixture than can compete with an ATI.

Sfiligoi's might but I have my doubts. Especially since no one will take some PAR readings on them.

The ONLY retrofit I saw stay up with an ATI was an overdriven setup using IceCap ballasts. But there are major draw backs to over driving the bulbs.

Couple that with you can place an ATI as close as you like, you aren't gonna beat out an ATI in terms of PAR.

But you can have too much light over a tank. I had to keep my ATI about 8" off the tank to keep everything happy.

 

[westreef]

Hi Rtparty,
Can you elaborate a little more on what are the drawback of overdriven the bulbs?

 

[rtparty]

Hi Rtparty,
Can you elaborate a little more on what are the drawback of overdriven the bulbs?

More heat, less bulb life, quicker spectrum shift, and you use more electricity for a small PAR gain. The numbers tend to show that the harder you drive the bulbs, the less efficient they become.

Bulbs burn a little bit different of a color as well.

The ATI Blue Plus burns a bit more white than if ran on a spec T5 ballast.

The 80w bulbs tend to do a lot better than the others. I know of one guy who was losing like 40% of the PAR in about 4 months when he was over driving the bulbs and that was with proper cooling. He found that ATI was the only brand that seemed to hold up to over driving and even they didn't do "great".

Over driven bulbs need to be replaced about every 6-8 months. I have seen some people not be able to get the bulbs to last more than 4 months before they burned out.

For me there are just too many negatives for the very small gain of PAR they provide.

 

[westreef]

Thanks. Wow I didn't know all these issues.
I still have 3 overdriven bulbs after I have replaced 2 of them with DIY LEDs. And the bulbs are more than 8 months old. I better replace them ASAP. Btw, I just love the LEDs. Plan to replace all T5s with LEDs if the corals are happy with them.

 

[Pro X]

Not saying ATI fixtures dont adequately light an aquarium, but to say they are better than any other well designed fixture or retro is an opinion at best. Some state they have superior reflectors? How are you determining this? (Specular Reflectivity,Diffuse Reflection or Total Reflection Index) Where are these values documented on ATI fixture's that shows they outperform all others?
Short of said documentation; please just state you like your ATI fixture and leave it at that.

 

[rtparty]

Thanks. Wow I didn't know all these issues.
I still have 3 overdriven bulbs after I have replaced 2 of them with DIY LEDs. And the bulbs are more than 8 months old. I better replace them ASAP. Btw, I just love the LEDs. Plan to replace all T5s with LEDs if the corals are happy with them.

I just got myself a PAR30 LED bulb to go over 7.5g cube!

I have some doubts with LED's but they are getting better and better. (My doubts are more towards how long they will really last over our humid tanks)

I was on a another "nano reef" website and there were some really cool projects coming out from Nano Tuners.

I sold off my 40 gallon and got myself a small little cube for the time being. I am pretty excited to get water in this thing and get the LED's over some corals!

 

[rtparty]

Not saying ATI fixtures dont adequately light an aquarium, but to say they are better than any other well designed fixture or retro is an opinion at best. Some state they have superior reflectors? How are you determining this? (Specular Reflectivity,Diffuse Reflection or Total Reflection Index) Where are these values documented on ATI fixture's shows they outperform all others?
Short of said documentation; please just state you like your ATI fixture and leave it at that.

LOL I don't know what to really say to that.

Are you looking for PAR numbers???

When ATI reflectors reflect the most light back to the tank, they ARE the best reflectors on the market.

When an ATI fixture puts out more PAR than other T5 fixtures, it is the BEST fixture on the market for producing PAR.

Go search Reef Central and Google for 2 seconds and you will find plenty of documented information of the PAR values that ATI put out. You will then see that they out perform Tek, Aquatic Life, Current USA, Giesemann, Coralife, Odyssea, Hamilton, Ice Cap, and many other brands I don't need to mention.

So unless you have some documented proof to show me a fixture that out performs an ATI in terms of PAR, I will recommend that ATI fixtures are the best on the market.

I will now wait for Grim to post all of his numbers for you. :celeb2:

 

[Pro X]

If you read my earlier post you'll see I make no argument to PAR output but am looking for factual documentation of these superior reflectors that result in said superior PAR that you so eager point out.

Are you looking for PAR numbers???

When ATI reflectors reflect the most light back to the tank, they ARE the best reflectors on the market.:

It is your prerogative to frivolously recommend what ever you like to whomever you like; as it is mine to question said product in an educated manner to reach an intelligent conclusion as to If/why to does/doesn't outperform any other T5 fixture on the planet manufactured or not.

So unless you have some documented proof to show me a fixture that out performs an ATI in terms of PAR, I will recommend that ATI fixtures are the best on the market.

I will now wait for Grim to post all of his numbers for you. :celeb2:

 

[rtparty]

If you read my earlier post you'll see I make no argument to PAR output but am looking for factual documentation of these superior reflectors that result in said superior PAR that you so eager point out.




It is your prerogative to frivolously recommend what ever you like to whomever you like; as it is mine to question said product in an educated manner to reach an intelligent conclusion as to If/why to does/doesn't outperform any other T5 fixture on the planet manufactured or not.

Then please go research it. There is a nice long thread all about PAR readings from multiple fixtures.

Grim has posted the PAR numbers for the majority of reflectors, numerous times. Search through the pages and you will find them.

I would link them but can't from my phone.

 

[solitude127]

If you read my earlier post you'll see I make no argument to PAR output but am looking for factual documentation of these superior reflectors that result in said superior PAR that you so eager point out.




It is your prerogative to frivolously recommend what ever you like to whomever you like; as it is mine to question said product in an educated manner to reach an intelligent conclusion as to If/why to does/doesn't outperform any other T5 fixture on the planet manufactured or not.

Is PAR not factual enough for you?

 

[Pro X]

You quote my post stating I make no argument regarding to PAR output and then ask if PAR is factual enough for me?
I guess my point is beyond your comprehension so I'll move on; but to state that no T5 fixture compares to ATI due to their superior reflectors is puzzling. Furthermore, to lead people to believe you must spend hard earned money($500 to $1250) on an ATI fixture in order to achieve PAR values equal to ATI is incorrect.


Enough said.

Is PAR not factual enough for you?

 

[rtparty]

You quote my post stating I make no argument regarding to PAR output and then ask if PAR is factual enough for me?
I guess my point is beyond your comprehension so I'll move on; but to state that no T5 fixture compares to ATI due to their superior reflectors is puzzling. Furthermore, to lead people to believe you must spend hard earned money($500 to $1250) on an ATI fixture in order to achieve PAR values equal to ATI is incorrect.


Enough said.

The reflectors are only a part of the equation.

The cooling of an ATI is pretty superior to all other fixtures as well.

Cooling has a HUGE effect on light output. With improper cooling you can lose over 50% of the PAR in the first two hours.

No one on here is holding a gun to anyone's head and telling them they MUST have an ATI to have a sweet tank.

Lighting is a very small part of a good looking tank. Water quality is far more important than lighting.

You can use LED, PC, VHO, Sunlight, T5's or MH to light a tank.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Read through most of this thread to get some idea of how to make my t5 8-bulb light fixture.

My tank will be little different then most standard tanks. It is walk around 28” x 28” x 22” cube with live rock tower in the middle of
the tank that will go all the way to the surface of the water level. Because of this setup there is no front and back.

And now is my question to all of you light experts and specially
you Grim

How would you arrange 8 bulbs on this tank ?
What kind of bulbs ?
And what the lighting schedule would be?
I am thinking of mixed reef combination.

I will make the light fixture 24” x 24” with bulbs spaced evenly through
The 24” span.

Do you think it I can use some special arrangement of
bulbs and timing that I can get the impression of movement of the sun over the span of the day?

May be I should do 10 bulb or more (I have 24" of space) to do the sun movement effect ?

You'll need 3 ballasts that will drive one lamp and 3 two lamp ballasts to pull this off

Front
Blue Plus ballast 5
GE 6500K Daylight ballast 1
Purple Plus ballast 5
Blue Plus Ballast 4
GE 6500K Daylight Ballast 2
Blue Plus ballast 4
Blue Plus ballast 6
Purple Plus ballast 3
Blue Plus ballast 6

10am ballast 4 on (blue
11am ballast 5 on (Blue with a slight purple tint
11:30am ballast 6 on (brighter blue
12pm ballast 1 on (Whiter
1pm ballast 2 on (more white
2pm ballast 3 on (slightly more white
5pm ballast 1 off (less white
6pm ballast 2 off (blue with more purple in it
7PM ballast 5 off (less purple
8pm ballast 3 off (nuthin but blue
9pm ballast 4 off
10pm ballast 6 off

You can tweak with the times but the order should give you some cool looks.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

I have 90 gal with a TEK 6 bulb fixture, all sps. Need new bulbs and was planning on the standard config of 4 blue plus, 1 aquablue and 1 purple plus. Question is, what effect will I see if I swap out one blue plus for a 2nd aquablue?

thnx in advance

More of the 12 to 14K look

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Aquactinics TX5 Directly on Top of Tank- Standard 75 Gallon - Looking for perhaps more PAR and a better highlight of Reds/Pinks, I'm fairly satisfied with the overall color.

Current Bulb Config
Front
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Actinic White
ATI Blue Plus
Back

Considering, In same order:

Blue Plus
Aquablue Special
Purple Plus
Aquablue Special
Blue Plus

-OR-

Aquablue Special
Blue Plus
Aquablue Special
Purple Plus
Aquablue Special

Thoughts... Opinions... Would the second configuration lose a lot of the "blue" hue that I like?

try 2 purple plus and 3 blue plus.