Beenalongtime79
New member
thanks for the info. grim and hahn! I think I'm set on the T5's. Maybe now my corals will color up and fluoresce a little more. 
The T5 Q&a Thread
- Thread starter JohnL
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bureau13
New member
Hey Grim, have you ever tested the AB/Aqua Medic T5 "Ocean Blues?" They claim to be have a peak at 420nm, but they look very blue to me, not purple at all. My fixture has 4x39W Ocean Blues, and 4x250W HQI AB 10000, which are a warm look and really wash out the T5s, along with the reds and blues of my coral. If they're down on PAR compared with the ATI Blue+ I would try those...or I'm considering getting a more blue HQI (e.g. Phoenix or Reeflux 12K) and using Super Actinics for the T5. Then again, I could conceivably go with Blue+ in back and Super Actinics in front...but I'm not sure if that's a good idea or not, or if it really matters given their lack of oomph when up against 4x250W HQI.
Any thoughts?
jds
Any thoughts?
jds
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
Do a 50/50 mix of Blue Plus and super actinic T5's.
Beenalongtime79
New member
Hey T5 guys (grim and hahn)...
I'm going to get one ATI blue plus bulb and I'm trying to decide whether I want to get the UVL super actinic vs. the G-man pure actinic 03 bulb.
Grim, you seem to like the UVL super actinics a lot. Any reason you always suggest it over the G-man pure actinic bulb?
Hahn, feel free to chime in as I think you like the G-man bulbs quite a bit.
Cheers,
John H.
I'm going to get one ATI blue plus bulb and I'm trying to decide whether I want to get the UVL super actinic vs. the G-man pure actinic 03 bulb.
Grim, you seem to like the UVL super actinics a lot. Any reason you always suggest it over the G-man pure actinic bulb?
Hahn, feel free to chime in as I think you like the G-man bulbs quite a bit.
Cheers,
John H.
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
Well, I do have both, and you can see a pic of both in my gallery. You can see that the SA is a bit bluer, perhaps to get a higher PAR rating to drive its sales a bit. But its a bit redundant if you already have a blue+ type bulb. The G-man seems to have more of a pop... more true actinic output. On the spectrometer, I havent been able to measure exact comparison numbers yet (need to finish the black box), but I can tell you that the G-man does have a UV-A output as well. This seems to make some of my corals really color in well.
casingbill
New member
homeys......I know I went through this all before and I thought I decided to go and wait for the ATI 6x54 unit for a 75, BUT....I just bought a new 90 instead. I will have a canopy. I can do retro or should I still wait for the ATI?
ok i'm thinking i'm going for the t5 setup. i bought ADA tank that is 30x18x18. with 4x24w T5 tek retro with ice cap reflectors from reefgeeks. would that be a good setup for a reef system that would include claims? what would be my bulb combonation. i would like to darn/dust effect so what bulb should i turn on first and how long ? i want the tank to be little more blue. i have been useing pc bulb for a yr. and i just turn it on for 8hrs.
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
Thats almost a 40g there... 4x24wattT5 is kinda pushing it. I would consider 6x24 to be the minimum. On my 40B, I use 6x39watt, and thats really just 6" longer, but 2" shorter. I would consider 4x39watt a good mimimum on a 40B. For a 30" version... Id say 6 bulbs. FWIW, I would do a 250wattDE halide instead, or just use a 3' fixture and let the unit hang over the sides a bit.
smoney
Active member
Wow, I just started reading this thread, and wow, is all I have to say, couldnt finished if I tried, there is just too much information, but good stuff.
Hey Grim Reefer, I have a 4ft long canopy and probably looking for a 36" retrofit fixture. Is there a T-5 retrofit kit that you would recommend? brand or amount of wattage? Looking to maybe keep sps corals.
Thanks in advance,
Sonny
Hey Grim Reefer, I have a 4ft long canopy and probably looking for a 36" retrofit fixture. Is there a T-5 retrofit kit that you would recommend? brand or amount of wattage? Looking to maybe keep sps corals.
Thanks in advance,
Sonny
TropTrea
New member
Actualy the big variable on ambient light loss is is realy a matter of how the reflector is designed. If your at all familuar with theartical and photographic designed reflectors the light can be ficused simular to a spot light with little if any ambient loss or it can be spread out in a flood like fashion with very even distributation at a wide angle.
Dennis
Dennis
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9227164#post9227164 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GuySmilie
I'd think that much overhang would throw a LOT of ambient light into your room.
You might want to think hard on that if you or the s.o. are into aesthetics. I know my mine wouldn't
Guy
flapjack1439
New member
I'm replacing 4 vhos with T5s because the ballast will fire them. I have to replace the ballast of the other 2.
In looking at the Reefgeek website, I see they state that the Triad ballasts will not overdrive the bulbs. Don't you want the bulbs to be overdriven?
If I replace 2 75 watt vhos with 39 watt T5s, if they are not overdriven, will I see a difference?
In looking at the Reefgeek website, I see they state that the Triad ballasts will not overdrive the bulbs. Don't you want the bulbs to be overdriven?
If I replace 2 75 watt vhos with 39 watt T5s, if they are not overdriven, will I see a difference?
GuySmilie
Premium Member
Well I understand what you're saying, but if that fixture is hanging over the ends of the tank by 6 inches, then all those tubes will be shining light (intensified by very efficient reflectors) directly onto the floor plus whatever hits the walls within that 4-5 foot distance on the way down.
I've been there - done that before and the lil lady did not go for it....and you know how that goes....
Guy
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
If you are running just an actinic the G-mann or ATI will look to give you more of a pop because they produce less visible light. Once you add more lamps to the mix I get color with the Super Actinic I don't get with the others, Pink, Red and orange especially. One thing about the Blue Plus lamps is that they seem to do well on about every color but green. The UVL pops the green really well but also picks up the other colors where the Pure Actinic only seems to catch the greens. Either the G-mann or the super actinic look nice when mixed with a blue plus.
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
If the canopy has 48" inside you should be able to use the 54 watt retros in it. If your 4 foot tank is a 55 go with a 4 lamp tek retro, if it is a 75 4 would still be OK but I would do 6. If its a 90 do 6 lamps and if you order from reefgeek you can upgrade to Ice Cap reflectors. If it is a 120 go with a 6 lamp Ice Cap T5 retro.
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
With 4 of the lamps overdriven I would just run the other 2 on a regular ballast. Run a blue plus and a actinic, looks sweet for dusk/dawn
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