The T5 Q&a Thread

[sales weasel]

Time to Replace?

Time to Replace?

Hey fellas,
I've been running a TEK system for about 10-mos over a 55g. My SPS have grown quite well. However, I'm having a problem with green algae. It's the stuff that grows like a carpet. I can use a turkey baster to blow it off the rocks in large pieces. I'm hoping that new lights and possibly a different spectrum may cure my algae problem.

I'm running the following:
Giesemann Actinic
Gieseman n11000k Aquablue Plus
GE 6500k
Giesemann Actinic

The photo period is:
8am - 7pm actinic
9am - 6pm 6500 & 11000
I was running a longer photo period but shortened it a couple of months ago.

Could the lights be causing the algae problem? It's been a problem now the last 4 months.

All the other usual suspects are good (water quality). I'm running a phosphate reactor, skimmer, UV sterilizer and fuge, two Ocean Runner 3500s (return pump and SCWD CL), one Maxijet 900 and one 1200.

The one thing that has changed the last 5-6 mos is installing the SCWD. I can't imagine that it could contribute to my algae.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

I would change lamps and see what happens. Never heard of a T5 causing algae blooms but it is possible. I think I would go with a Blue Plus or actinic Plus in place of one of the actinics.

 

[sales weasel]

Thanks Grim. I think I'll replace them all and get a blue plus. BTW, one thing I didn't mention earlier: The algae seems to grow on the rocks closet to the glass. The actinics are on the outside. I wonder if actinic light traveling down the glass could be contributing? I'll find out when I get rid of one...or both.

 

[keeperofthefish]

Algae is caused by excess nutrients. period. green algae is usually excess phosphates. Bigger water changes (smaller, more frequent is preferable) or phos-ban reactor running rowaphos. Spectrum of lighting is linked to red slime algae, but not much else.

 

[sales weasel]

I agree with you about the excess nutrients. However, that doesn't seem to be my problem. I'll stay on it until I figure it out. Also, I only have one fish which I feed once per day. I have quit adding nutrients other than Reef Adantage and Reef Builder. I was adding Coral-Vite, Phytoplankton and Marine Snow.

I am going to replace my T5s and get rid of one actinic just to see what happens.

 

[coraladdict]

Hi Grim...


What spectrum will perk up the yellows from LPS such as Trachyphillia , it's sitting 18" below the lamps.
When I have the pure actinics and blue plus on dawn/dusk ,I can see some yellow color but when all 8 lamps are lit it turns to green.

This is my current set up

pure actinic Geisemann
Blue plus ATI
Aquablue Geisemann
Midday Geisemann
Aquablue Geisemann
Midday Geisemann Geisemann
pure actinics Geisemann
Blue plus ATI

Thanks

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Intresting problem. You could try swapping out an Aquablue for a GE 3000K and see what happens.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8777900#post8777900 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by coraladdict
Hi Grim...


What spectrum will perk up the yellows from LPS such as Trachyphillia , it's sitting 18" below the lamps.
When I have the pure actinics and blue plus on dawn/dusk ,I can see some yellow color but when all 8 lamps are lit it turns to green.

This is my current set up

pure actinic Geisemann
Blue plus ATI
Aquablue Geisemann
Midday Geisemann
Aquablue Geisemann
Midday Geisemann Geisemann
pure actinics Geisemann
Blue plus ATI

Thanks

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8777457#post8777457 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by keeperofthefish
Algae is caused by excess nutrients. period. green algae is usually excess phosphates. Bigger water changes (smaller, more frequent is preferable) or phos-ban reactor running rowaphos. Spectrum of lighting is linked to red slime algae, but not much else.

As a matter of fact their are certain algaes that respond to certain spectrums of light much better. I had a hair algae bloom once my 14K halides started dying. I had a defective lamp I had to replace and about 5 months later I started having hair algae problems. I fought it for more than a month before I realised it wasn't growing under one end of the tank where I had a newer lamp in. I replaced the 14K's with some yellowish 10K's I had laying around and I noticed a change in the hair algae within a week. 3 weeks later it was gone.

 

[Serioussnaps]

Grim,

I have been running my Tek 4x54 W light over my newly switched over to SPS dominant tank. Standard ballast, fixture so SLS reflectors or ref's that came on the unit. I started with this bulb combo:

2 ATI blue plus
1 ATI aquablue
1 GE daylight

With this combo is was getting around average growth and colors that were not to my liking so i made the switch to this combo:

3 ATI blue plus
1 ATI aquablue

2 ATI blue plus on 12 hours and the aquablue and other blue plus on for 6.5 hours....I have it 5" above the water with no acrylic shield(bulbs are exposed)

Now my Acros and montis have great color, perfect to my liking but i have noticed growth slow a great deal. Obviously this is due to the removal of the GE bulb. My system is in a large part of my kitchen that has 4 windows in which i keep the blinds open so the tank gets a few hours a day of natural sunlight and some days it can be bright...cool looking...anyways since switching i dont get as good of growth...

I notice it in 2 ways------looking.....dont get me wrong frags are encrusting and i get growth but not like i would like or what i observed previously....but what is bothering me is my PH. My ph used to go from 8.1 to 8.25 from night to late in full photoperiod. I notice a correlation in ph and growth. As photosynthesis is occurring your ph rises. Since switching out bulb combos and getting noticeable slowed growth...my ph doesnt rise as much and tops off. When the sun shines from the windows my ph jumps to 8.15 but as the sun goes down and all 4 bulbs are still on for about 4 more hours...the ph has dropped from 8.05-8.07. I believe the ph is dropping because photosynthesis is slowed and calcification is slowing in my corals. I am almost willing to be that if i throw the daylight back in the mix and pull the aquablue or one of the blue plus's that i will see growth increase and also ph will increase in daylight hours even after the sun goes down and the tank doesnt receive light from the windows. I believe my calcification is slowing due to decrease in useable light and reduction in photosynthesis.

Is it possible i dont have enough light?

How can i mitigate this slowed growth rate without changing my bulb combo so i dont lose the colors i am enjoying? I dont cool my fixture and I am interested in the fan idea as i have heard it can really boost PAR and hopefully my growth rates.

Do you think pulling the third blue plus and adding the aquablue will give me alot more PAR and possibly a little boost in the growth department?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Put the Daylight in where the Aquablue is and see what happens. Running a fan is going to hlp output. Make sure your calc and alk in within spec too.

 

[Serioussnaps]

I test ALK 3 times a week, CA once a week. CA-430 and ALK-8.6 DKH.....I have it mastered...not the issue.

What do you think about 2 aquablues and 2 blue plus. Of course the 3 blue plus and 1 GE may be a good combo too. Which one better for growth?

Anyone got pics of how they cool the tek fixture? I do have a ceiling fan not directly above the tank but about 4 feet away from it....i use it to cool the tank if it ever gets over 80 F...not because the temp is bad but because that would be too much of a fluctuaiton from what it is normally at. Do you think that fan would be "a gnat on a boars ***" in cooling the fix? I am clueless about what exactly is an efficient cooling to increase the PAR...just keeping the unit cooler?


thanks grim

 

[The Grim Reefer]

I used a 6 in clip on fan for the fixture test. It was blowing down a bit so the air wasn't directly hitting the lamps which can over cool the lamps. PAR without the fan 152. PAR with the fan 198

I think the 3/1 mix with the daylight is going to be about the same as th 2/2.

 

[latches109]

hi, i just set up 4x24w t5s using a standard electronic ballast. I have 2 10,000k and 2 460 that came with the setup. With an 18" high tank, can I keep sps and lps?
thanks,
-latches109

 

[The Grim Reefer]

As long as you keep them in the upper half you should be fine

 

[latches109]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8782111#post8782111 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
As long as you keep them in the upper half you should be fine

REALLY!! that's awsome. thanks for the help!
-latches109

 

[hahnmeister]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8779571#post8779571 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Serioussnaps
I test ALK 3 times a week, CA once a week. CA-430 and ALK-8.6 DKH.....I have it mastered...not the issue.

What do you think about 2 aquablues and 2 blue plus. Of course the 3 blue plus and 1 GE may be a good combo too. Which one better for growth?

Anyone got pics of how they cool the tek fixture? I do have a ceiling fan not directly above the tank but about 4 feet away from it....i use it to cool the tank if it ever gets over 80 F...not because the temp is bad but because that would be too much of a fluctuaiton from what it is normally at. Do you think that fan would be "a gnat on a boars ***" in cooling the fix? I am clueless about what exactly is an efficient cooling to increase the PAR...just keeping the unit cooler?


thanks grim

Ill be starting a thread later this week (still have to take some pics) about how to do a very nice 'ventilation' mod to a Tek light using nothing but a piece of acrylic and a cross flow fan. I have to wait because I finally get my PAR meter tomorrow. I want to use the PAR meter to show the exact output increase.

 

[Khaley]

Have to buy the lights this week for a new 120g. Tek or Nova Extreem. Does anyone recomend one brand over the other? Will be running topless. Some are trying to push MH but I keep seeing these awsome T5 tanks. I am trying to keep heat issues down but PAR up.

 

[destaf3080]

Hello, My Tank is a 56g Column (30x18x24) this is my first tank an i'm just trying to get all the equipment up. i'm having trouble with picking lighting for it. i was looking at 24" 6x24w tek t5. but would that be too much lighting for it? i'm going to have LPS,Mushrooms,and maybe some softies in it.

 

[Serioussnaps]

Good stuff hahn....keep me posted

I know how to use the fans for MH(i was kind of trying to avoid that which is one reason i went T5 but oh well, such is life), but wasnt sure if that would be sufficient in actually cooling the whole unit. Am i just trying to cool the bulbs? ballast? both? It would be interesting to see a number of ways and situations in which it was not cooled or cooled in different manners and get the PAR output after different time periods of the lights being on!

BTW and FWIW grim.......because i dont use an acrylic shield and run the fixture 5 inches off the surface i get some water/salt spray onto the bulbs and reflectors....last night i cleaned the ref's and bulbs and already 3 hours into the photoperiod my PH has gone up to 8.15...........I HAVE MORE PHOTOSYNTHESIS!!!!!....I GUESS THERE IS SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR NOT LETTING THE BULBS AND REFLECTORS BE SHADED BY DRYED SALT WATER DROPS ALL OVER THEM......ANOTHER INTERESTING TIDBIT FOR YA!!

I suspect the reason my ph was not rising was photosynthesis was inhibited by the spray all over the bulbs and ref's thus the ph was leveling off lower than usual...i wish i had a PAR meter to test the output differences, but i know they were there.

Cheers....maybe i wont have to change out bulbs or maybe i will do it anyways i am gonna see if growth kicks back up

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8783221#post8783221 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Khaley
Have to buy the lights this week for a new 120g. Tek or Nova Extreem. Does anyone recomend one brand over the other? Will be running topless. Some are trying to push MH but I keep seeing these awsome T5 tanks. I am trying to keep heat issues down but PAR up.

Tek hands down. That or look at the Aquactinics Solar Flare. Aquarium Specialties from th sponsor pages sells the Flare. That would let you raise SPS and Clams with no problem. If you go with the Tek I would go for an 8 lamp unit if you want clams or A LOT of SPS.