The T5 Q&a Thread

[hahnmeister]

I was going to say 'either one' until you said you want more of a blue look... in that case I would say go with the 6 bulb unit. More bulbs to even out the spectrum is what you will more than likely want.

 

[HBtank]

I would appreciate some help with bulb and retrofit kit selection. I currently have a 4 bulb 48" Icecap T5 and I hate the color. The bulbs that came with the retrofit are two UVL Acitinic White and two Super Acitinic.

I will be buying another two light T5 Retrofit. It will be 36" due to the canopy construction. First question is should I get another Icecap T5? Or will it be to much light and should I get a regularly driven T5? The tank is 22" tall, and with the canopy, the lights are 29" away from the bottom of the tank and 7 from the surface. It is an 80 gallon mixed reef.

Next is bulb selection. I like blueish white light, it currently is purplish yellow to my eyes.

I plan on getting two new 48" bulbs and a new 36" retrofit kit to change up the color and have a dawn and dusk effect. So the 36" will be used for dawn and dusk and balancing the spectrum when all lights are on. I am assuming they will be mostly blue/purple.

So right now I plan on using one of each of the bulbs I already have, so two of the lights will be:

1 48" UVL Actinic White
1 48" UVL Super Acitinic

I need advise on new bulbs that would go well with them to give me 6 total? So I need help with:

2 48" bulbs

2 36" bulbs. (will be used for dawn and dusk)

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

 

[HBtank]

Also, the bulb layout will be:


Back
-----------48"-----------
-----------48"-----------
-----------48"-----------
--------36"--------
--------36"--------
-----------48"-----------
Front

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Grab yourself 1 ATI Blue Plus and a GE Daylight for the 54 watt lamps. For the 36" lamps get a UVL SA and a ATI Blue Plus.

You dont need to overdrive the 36" lamps.

Place them like this

Front

Blue Plus
Super Actinic (36")
Blue Plus (36")
GE
Actinic White
Super Actinic

 

[HBtank]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8510799#post8510799 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
Grab yourself 1 ATI Blue Plus and a GE Daylight for the 54 watt lamps. For the 36" lamps get a UVL SA and a ATI Blue Plus.

You dont need to overdrive the 36" lamps.

Place them like this

Front

Blue Plus
Super Actinic (36")
Blue Plus (36")
GE
Actinic White
Super Actinic

Thanks, making the order today.

 

[barjam]

I have two 11,000K bulbs and two actinic bulbs. Any suggestions on what to replace to get a bluer look? My tank is extremely white and bright.

Thanks

 

[rickh]

Hi Grim.
I an thinking about getting a T5 light for my 90 gallon mixed coral tank. Is the Aquactinics 5 bulb 48" T5 any good or do I have to build a canopy?? I am great with a soldering iron, but my woodworking ability is limited to decks and retaining walls
Please recommend bulbs.
Thanks. R

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8511569#post8511569 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by barjam
I have two 11,000K bulbs and two actinic bulbs. Any suggestions on what to replace to get a bluer look? My tank is extremely white and bright.

Thanks

Dump one 11K and 1 actinic for 2 Blue Pluses.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8512655#post8512655 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rickh
Hi Grim.
I an thinking about getting a T5 light for my 90 gallon mixed coral tank. Is the Aquactinics 5 bulb 48" T5 any good or do I have to build a canopy?? I am great with a soldering iron, but my woodworking ability is limited to decks and retaining walls
Please recommend bulbs.
Thanks. R

Should be fine. I would do a sun, a 11K 2 blues and a actinic.

 

[barjam]

Thanks!

 

[HBtank]

Another question, when buying retrofit parts seperately on reefgeek.com, where are the wiring harnesses for the non-icecap T5 ballasts?

 

[hahnmeister]

There are none. The Icecaps have a 16pin computer style plug that comes out of the ballast itself, as well as a 4-pin molex type connector for the power. What the Icecaps have is pretty much a modular wire system (shocking to most computer geeks, modular power supplies have been shown to be less stable than fixed wires because of the increased resistance added through the plug). What you are buying with a 'wiring harness' is pretty much the plug and wires... an expensive plug and wires...lol.

Regular ballasts often do not have these plugs... they just have the wire leads that you can run directly to the bulbs.

 

[sjm817]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8515836#post8515836 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hahnmeister
There are none. The Icecaps have a 16pin computer style plug that comes out of the ballast itself, as well as a 4-pin molex type connector for the power. What the Icecaps have is pretty much a modular wire system (shocking to most computer geeks, modular power supplies have been shown to be less stable than fixed wires because of the increased resistance added through the plug). What you are buying with a 'wiring harness' is pretty much the plug and wires... an expensive plug and wires...lol.

Regular ballasts often do not have these plugs... they just have the wire leads that you can run directly to the bulbs.

The Ice Cap does not have a 4 pin molex for the power. That is a connector for a dimmer. The power rides in that same 16 pin harness/connector.

 

[hahnmeister]

Oooo. thats right! Sorry. I was just looking at my IC660 and forgot that that was what the 4-pin thing was for. I havent used this thing in years... new wiring harness on the way.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

I'll be hooking my 660 up to VHO T6 lamps this weekend seeing as I can't do what I wanted with the T5's.

I am running 3 of the T6's in the plug and play fixtures right now, getting PAR in the 170's in the sand. Not bad over a 22" tall tank AND (((ARRR ARRR ARRR))) I can use a dimmer with the T6's. So the journey begins.

 

[sjm817]

Cool. Lets us know how the T6's are. I'm waiting on a harness extension for my 660s. Other that that, my 6x60" T5 setup is ready to go on the 180G. I'm using doubled up 33" Ice Cap reflectors.

Am I alone in thinking the power connection on the 660 is fairly odd running through the harness over the solid wire instead of a separate connector?

 

[rickh]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by rickh
Hi Grim.
I an thinking about getting a T5 light for my 90 gallon mixed coral tank. Is the Aquactinics 5 bulb 48" T5 any good or do I have to build a canopy?? I am great with a soldering iron, but my woodworking ability is limited to decks and retaining walls
Please recommend bulbs.
Thanks. R
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Should be fine. I would do a sun, a 11K 2 blues and a actinic.


Thanks Grim;
Could you elaborate on the manufacture or model of "a sun, a 11K 2 blues and a actinic".
Thanks. R

 

[somethinfishier]

I just wired up three 39 watt t5s to my IC 660 and they seem a little hot. I can touch them but I can not touch them for very long. I know that the 660 overdrives them and I plan on running fans in the canopy. Is this normal for them to be this hot?

 

[sjm]

Ok I got a 220 gal, 72 x 30 x 20. Right now I run with 4 VHO's. I am thinking of goint with TEK T5's. I have mostly fish, a few zoos, polyps, several mushrooms, and 1 monipora. We will stick with fish mostly and add some softies. Can ya'll give me some ideas??

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8518138#post8518138 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sjm817
Cool.
Am I alone in thinking the power connection on the 660 is fairly odd running through the harness over the solid wire instead of a separate connector?

I dunno, it works.