The T5 Q&a Thread

[coraladdict]

Hello Grim,

My current lighting is a Tek 8 lamp over a 120g 19 " deep sitting 5-6" above the water.I've recently bought 2 monti frags one green and one orange.The green one was set about 10" below the fixture and bleached after 2weeks.The orange one was 16" below the fixture and turned pink and tends to be white at it's base.
What should I do?

 

[Divetime]

Pyro2k - For your 55, I'd suggest this 5 bulb canopy from Aquactinics
:thumbsup:

 

[horkn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8418021#post8418021 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Serioussnaps


2)GET THE 6 BULB fixture/retro....i wouldnt normally disagree with grim here but on this one i do....

if you arent planning on keeping SPS the 4 bulb is more than enough...but if you are looking to all SpS go 6 bulb...

i wish i had more options....like the ability to add more actinics or a 3K bulb...

also, the 4 bulb doesnt cover the whole surface with light completely....the 6 bulb completely covers the surface with light....only thing about the 6 bulb is it is larger than the tank

the 6 bulb gives one more options on bulb combinations...i keep only SPS and i love the blue look but i cant get the blue look i desire because i dont have room for more actinics due to my PAR needs



GET THE 6 BULBS

snaps, the poster of this question wants mainly lps, softies, and a few sps.

4x54 is more than enough.

i have 3x39 over my 35g which is basically the same front to back as the 55g(normal) is. i have no issues with light coverage, although i run the 3" wide ati reflectors....

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8418570#post8418570 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by coraladdict
Hello Grim,

My current lighting is a Tek 8 lamp over a 120g 19 " deep sitting 5-6" above the water.I've recently bought 2 monti frags one green and one orange.The green one was set about 10" below the fixture and bleached after 2weeks.The orange one was 16" below the fixture and turned pink and tends to be white at it's base.
What should I do?

Throw a few layers of window screen over the tank to acclimate the corals. Remove a layer every week to ten days and see what happens.

 

[GMAX]

Grim

Well I launched in thinking I could retrofit my IceCap VHOs to T-5s easily. I was running 4 2 foot VHOs on a 430 ballast and assumed T-5 were the same. Got it all wired up and only got flashs on the bulbs no matter what. Seems the 430 will not drive that many bulbs ( I thought I had a 660 but did not check ) so now I am faced with a rewiring job to add either another 430 or a 660.

Or I could switch ballasts and use something that does not overdrive the bulbs. What is your recommendation? I have 4 sets of endcaps 4 bulbs, all 24 inch bulbs. Two Geismann aqua blue +, one GE daylight and one Aqua Medic Actinic. Plus the TEK refectors.

What would you drive them with? Any other suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

This for the 55? If so grab a standard ballast, overdrive the GE and a Aquablue. Use the Aquamedics lamp as a javelin install a UVL Super Actinic and a ATI blue Plus on the normally driven ballast and all will be good.

That will ive you enough light for whatever you want to grow.

 

[DJ88©]

Well boys n girls.

Need some help here with T5's.

Currently I have two PFO SE pendants on my systems with 400W Hamiltons in them. I like to colour but the growth lacks a bit. The actinics in these things are junk(coralife PC's need i say more) and I'd really like to get bak to Ushios but they were too yellow for me without VHO's or overdriven 02's.

So here we go.. I am thinkin about putting some T5 actinics overtop.

Do they make a short enough t5 actinic that I may be able to fit inside and just retrofit in the pendant? ~18 inches or so end to end for the pendant.

What T5's give the closest wavelength to the GE 02 Actinics(NO)? I think that they are the best colouration out there. Or at least used to.

If there aren't a short T5 to fit in, what is the best fully contained fixture(ballast may be remote) I can hang alonside my 400W's? Keep in mind i am fussy about how CLEAN the look of the tank is. I don't want it to look cluttered. I want the focus to be the coral not the stuff on top.

I really miss the POP proper actinics gave my old tanks and I want it back again. Hopefully someone here can point me in the right direction.

TIA

 

[GMAX]

Any brand standard ballast? And Javelin? You mean pitch it, right? Order two new bulbs, one different actinic and one ATI blue plus.

On the 55 yes.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8420028#post8420028 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GMAX
Any brand standard ballast? And Javelin? You mean pitch it, right? Order two new bulbs, one different actinic and one ATI blue plus.

On the 55 yes.

Yes

On the ballast the triads are best but people have had sucess with the workhorses too. The UVL Super Actinics are the best. The ATI Blue Plus combind witht he super actinics give a great look.

 

[GMAX]

Thanks for the help.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Shortest T5 HO's are 24".

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8420006#post8420006 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DJ88©
Well boys n girls.

Need some help here with T5's.

Currently I have two PFO SE pendants on my systems with 400W Hamiltons in them. I like to colour but the growth lacks a bit. The actinics in these things are junk(coralife PC's need i say more) and I'd really like to get bak to Ushios but they were too yellow for me without VHO's or overdriven 02's.

So here we go.. I am thinkin about putting some T5 actinics overtop.

Do they make a short enough t5 actinic that I may be able to fit inside and just retrofit in the pendant? ~18 inches or so end to end for the pendant.

What T5's give the closest wavelength to the GE 02 Actinics(NO)? I think that they are the best colouration out there. Or at least used to.

If there aren't a short T5 to fit in, what is the best fully contained fixture(ballast may be remote) I can hang alonside my 400W's? Keep in mind i am fussy about how CLEAN the look of the tank is. I don't want it to look cluttered. I want the focus to be the coral not the stuff on top.

I really miss the POP proper actinics gave my old tanks and I want it back again. Hopefully someone here can point me in the right direction.

TIA

 

[GMAX]

OK found Workhorse and Triad ballasts at ReefGeek. One more question. Pictures do not show wiring harness at all. Do these ballasts come with wiring or is that separate?

 

[DJ88©]

Thanks for answering my Q's Grim..

appreciate it..

 

[horkn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8420340#post8420340 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GMAX
OK found Workhorse and Triad ballasts at ReefGeek. One more question. Pictures do not show wiring harness at all. Do these ballasts come with wiring or is that separate?

you dont need any special wiring harness for the workhorse or triad or advance. just the endcaps, and a power cord.

 

[GMAX]

Now I am confused. How does the ballast connect to the end caps? Is the power cord separate. I bought endcaps which are similar to ICE CAP end caps, is there a difference for these ballasts.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

You need to buy the wire to connect the triads to the endcaps. 18 gauge solid wire that you can buy at radio shack. Ice Cap ballasts come with a harness.

 

[coraladdict]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8418570#post8418570 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by coraladdict
Hello Grim,

My current lighting is a Tek 8 lamp over a 120g 19 " deep sitting 5-6" above the water.I've recently bought 2 monti frags one green and one orange.The green one was set about 10" below the fixture and bleached after 2weeks.The orange one was 16" below the fixture and turned pink and tends to be white at it's base.
What should I do?

Is there anybody out there that has an an idea on what could bew going on?

I can see everbody looking at having the best lighting system but what about coral bleaching under T5's?

 

[banditfl]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8420431#post8420431 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GMAX
Now I am confused. How does the ballast connect to the end caps? Is the power cord separate. I bought endcaps which are similar to ICE CAP end caps, is there a difference for these ballasts.

The wiring diagram for the triad is located on the ballast. If using a Workhorse ballast visit their website and use the "find your ballast and wiring diagram" tool on the right of the page. www.fulham.com

 

[hahnmeister]

Sounds like light shock from too much light. If there was one category of corals that seemed to suffer from this more, I would have to say cat's paw type birdsnests. Montis, as it turns out, are rather sensitive to massive increases in lighting. I have had many fellow reefers who do nothing more than a bulb change and all of their montis bleach... nothing else but the montis either... other acros, SPS, etc... even deepwater acros, do fine, but for some reason, the pink montis caps and digis all bleach out.

When Acclimating digis to T5s, I have found that they are just fine on the bottom of the tank. I have many digi frags that are on the bottom of my T5 tank that are very rich and deep in coloration, and are growing very fast. The only one that seems to like the higher light levels up at the top is the purple digi. The bright green, orange, and caps all prefer the bottom areas.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8421320#post8421320 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by coraladdict
Is there anybody out there that has an an idea on what could bew going on?

I can see everbody looking at having the best lighting system but what about coral bleaching under T5's?

 

[coraladdict]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8421487#post8421487 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hahnmeister
Sounds like light shock from too much light. If there was one category of corals that seemed to suffer from this more, I would have to say cat's paw type birdsnests. Montis, as it turns out, are rather sensitive to massive increases in lighting. I have had many fellow reefers who do nothing more than a bulb change and all of their montis bleach... nothing else but the montis either... other acros, SPS, etc... even deepwater acros, do fine, but for some reason, the pink montis caps and digis all bleach out.

When Acclimating digis to T5s, I have found that they are just fine on the bottom of the tank. I have many digi frags that are on the bottom of my T5 tank that are very rich and deep in coloration, and are growing very fast. The only one that seems to like the higher light levels up at the top is the purple digi. The bright green, orange, and caps all prefer the bottom areas.

Thanks that's what I was hoping for as an answer.