The T5 Q&a Thread

[reefboy12]

Ding,

I hope this pic works.
( old combo..blue plus, fiji purple, aquasun, blue plus)

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10968708#post10968708 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by olkeller
thanks if ithey were overdriven but the tank was 30 deep could i still keep sps also how much heat will they produce when overdriven and how much is needed for simplicity sake lets say a 2 foot tank mine will be a 30x30x30.

I'd probably want 6 over that at a minimum. You could do SPS most of the way down with that. 8 would probably be the way to go. Being overdriven they are going to cause some heat but it should be managable.

I would probably do a halide over that tank.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10966627#post10966627 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ding2daDong
New bulbs and not so happy. I have been searching for the correct bulb combo for a while and just can't get it. I want my corals to pop and after draining more money into new bulbs and I am very unhappy.

Here is the bulbs I used to have and pictures;

Front;
Geismann Pure actinic
Geismann actinic plus
off name blue
Geismann aqua blue plus
GE 6500k
Geismann aquablue plus
Geismann actinic plus
off name blue

With this combo none of the colors popped but blues and greens. Most of the corals in general had a washed out look to them and the general look of the tank was a 14k.


Now for the new setup. I was trying to get a pop out of everything by getting bulbs that fall into every spectrum.

Heres the list,
Front
Geismann actinic plus
ULV super actinic
GE 6500K
ATI aquablue special
GE 3000
ATI pro color
ULV super actinic
Geismann actinic plus

Here is a picture. It has a yellow/pink look to the tank. It is VERY bright but the corals don't really look much better. They look even more washed out.

I just can't get the right combo and I am really getting frustrated. I have some really amazing rare corals that just turn completely brown.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

-Matthew

The more I see the way your lamps are place I would try swapping positions of the GE 6500K and the Pro Color and see what having some red more towards the front does.

 

[Labman48076]

Ok Grim 1 more question lol I promise I ordered the T5's today from reef geek can't wait to get them. in the mean time Scott from A.S, emailed me to say he has 39 watt fiji purples so should I try those or stick with the Blue Plus keep in mind I already own the 6 blue plus still should be good for abit what would you do keep the Blue Plus or the fiji purple

 

[The Grim Reefer]

I dunno. I am not sold on the Fiji Purple just yet. If you want to brighten up a blue tank they would be a good deal. Give it a shot and see what you think.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Hi Mr. Grim,

I hope you remember me. This morning I changed my 11k with the 75/25. Here are some pictures for comparison.

Whole tank shot before exchange:

Whole tank shot after exchange:

And another:

My Rose Milli before exchange:

After exchange:

What do you think?
Now my combination is (from front to back)
Actinic 03
Blue Plus
UVL 75/25
6,500k
Super Actinic
Blue Plus

Thanks for the input, Grim.

---
Wendy

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10973996#post10973996 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JerseyWendy
Hi Mr. Grim,

I hope you remember me. This morning I changed my 11k with the 75/25. Here are some pictures for comparison.



---
Wendy

Didn't remember you but I went back to check your post. You had asked if the Pro Color and 75/25 were close to the same and I answered I duno I am using both. Not sure what the hell I was thinking, must have been in the fog of answering posts You had already ordered the lamp so I don't feel quite so bad. I really wouldn't have expected the results you got.

How long had you been using the lamp when you shot that pic? Does the lamp look blue?


Here is a pic of some T5 lamps
They are starting at the left 4 different actinics, a UVL Actinic White and a Fiji Purple. The Actinic white looks a little pinkish to the naked eye.

Here are two shots of 4 of my lights from top ATI Pro Color, UVL 75/25, Fiji Purple, Aquascience 22000K Blue (blue plus style)

The pictures don't get the look exactly right. As you can see from the top picture the Fiji Purple isn't a blue lamp. It has a slightly violet tint to it. Sort of like an Aquablue with a little more actinic added to it so the tint is more violet than blue.

There isn't a bit of blue in the look of the UVL lamp that I can see. I would say it looks silver white.

Just for giggles try swapping that front actinic out for the UVL lamp and see what happens.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Grim, no the lamp didn't look blue, it had an ever so slight pinkish tint. I took the picture about 1 hour after I swapped the lights. In all honesty, I liked the "before" look much better and have switched back to the original configuration. Hey, it was worth a try. I'll try and sell the 75/25, that's all.

---
Wendy

 

[Twisted]

I think the before shot looks much nicer too. Just out of curiosity, have you tried putting the 75/25 in place of another bulb like blue plus just to see if the blue remains the same?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10974616#post10974616 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JerseyWendy
Grim, no the lamp didn't look blue, it had an ever so slight pinkish tint. I took the picture about 1 hour after I swapped the lights. In all honesty, I liked the "before" look much better and have switched back to the original configuration. Hey, it was worth a try. I'll try and sell the 75/25, that's all.

---
Wendy

I aint a fan of the tidybowl look. I just can't believe it did that to the look. I would still try 75/25 where you have the actinic up front just to see what it does. Looks like you just need a little more red to make the milli really pop. The 75/25 looks like it is nearly all blue and red. If it looked good it would sure give you a nice boost in PAR.

 

[JerseyWendy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10974751#post10974751 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
I aint a fan of the tidybowl look. I just can't believe it did that to the look. I would still try 75/25 where you have the actinic up front just to see what it does. Looks like you just need a little more red to make the milli really pop. The 75/25 looks like it is nearly all blue and red. If it looked good it would sure give you a nice boost in PAR.

Ok, I'll fiddle around with it and try and put it in the Actinic 03 place and take some pictures. If I like that look what will happen when only my actinics come on? Then I'll have the 75/25 and the Blue Plus on?

 

[JerseyWendy]

Ok, I did a whole bunch of fiddling.
First, here's a picture with only the main lights on, meaning following lights are on (from front to back)
Blue Plus
11K
6500k
Super Actinic

Here I took your advice, Grim and swapped the Actinic 03 with the 75/25 ( I think I like it a lot)
from front to back
UVL 75/25
Blue Plus
11K
6500K
Super Actinic
Blue Plus

Here I switched the first 2 bulbs, now in this order:
Blue Plus
UVL 75/25
11K
6500K
Super Actinic
Blue Plus

What do you think?

---
Wendy

 

[witelytr]

I hope someone can help me out. I have a 30G (36x12x16) I currently have some purple moshrooms xenia zoo and finger corals. I just bought a 4x54 48" kit and wanted to make the lighting best possible for growth of these types of corals. I am not really into the sps but if the time comes I will add it to the tank. My question here is what bulbs are best setup and how should I set these up in the DIY fixture I need to make for it? How close should each bulb be to the next and what order should they be in?

 

[einsteins]

Hi all

I just upgraded my MH fixtures with some new reflectors but now I dont have any actinics.

I would like to add a 2 bulb fixture with t-5 actinics to suplement my halides.
Here is a post with my upgrade and pictures
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1228560

I have an Icecap 430 I could use i that works best.

Guess I am just looking for a nice fixture and some suggestions on what actinic bulbs to use. The tank is a standard RR 120 AGA .

Thanks for your suggestions!

einsteins

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10975086#post10975086 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JerseyWendy
Ok, I did a whole bunch of fiddling.
First, here's a picture with only the main lights on, meaning following lights are on (from front to back)
Blue Plus
11K
6500k
Super Actinic

Here I took your advice, Grim and swapped the Actinic 03 with the 75/25 ( I think I like it a lot)
from front to back
UVL 75/25
Blue Plus
11K
6500K
Super Actinic
Blue Plus

Here I switched the first 2 bulbs, now in this order:
Blue Plus
UVL 75/25
11K
6500K
Super Actinic
Blue Plus

What do you think?

---
Wendy

Thanks for taking the time to do that. Really all those pictures look nice, it's had to tell from a pic exactly how much it changed. What do you think? Did using the UVL lamp instead of the actinic give you a look you like better? In theory that should give you a tad more red and still a lot of the actinic spectrum. One other thing you might (assuming you like the current look with the 75/25 better) try is moving the super actinic to the front and the 75/25 to the slot where the SA is and see what that looks like. Also if you've never tried it a super actinic and Blue Plus running together makes a sweet dush/dawn combo

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10975219#post10975219 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by witelytr
I hope someone can help me out. I have a 30G (36x12x16) I currently have some purple moshrooms xenia zoo and finger corals. I just bought a 4x54 48" kit and wanted to make the lighting best possible for growth of these types of corals. I am not really into the sps but if the time comes I will add it to the tank. My question here is what bulbs are best setup and how should I set these up in the DIY fixture I need to make for it? How close should each bulb be to the next and what order should they be in?

You could keep anything in that tank under 4 T5's. Trouble is you may melt those poor shrooms Why a 54 watt kit, those lamps are almost 4 feet long. If you bought new return it and get 39 watts


Keep the lamps 2 1/2 inches apart. Basically mount the standoff edge to edge.

For lamps try this

Giesemann Actinic Plus
UVL 75/25
ATI Pro Color
Actinic Plus

I am pointing you towards lower PAR lamps. If you add SPS keep them up on the rocks a bit and they will do great. If you use Aquasun or aquablue lamps your shrooms will get fried. I think the mix will look sweet.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10975464#post10975464 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by einsteins
Hi all

I just upgraded my MH fixtures with some new reflectors but now I dont have any actinics.

I would like to add a 2 bulb fixture with t-5 actinics to suplement my halides.
Here is a post with my upgrade and pictures
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1228560

I have an Icecap 430 I could use i that works best.

Guess I am just looking for a nice fixture and some suggestions on what actinic bulbs to use. The tank is a standard RR 120 AGA .

Thanks for your suggestions!

einsteins

If this is going to be a fixture sitting right on the tank the best solution might be 2 of the Helios T5 fixtures that Premium Aquatics sells. The super blue lamps they sell are nice. The downside to those fixtues if you can only run the Helios lamp in them because they are slighty longer,

 

[Shark Keeper]

Thinking about setting up a 125 gallon (72LX18WX21H) as a mixed reef . Any suggestions as to what the combination should be and what I can use to power some T5's? Galaxy ballasts, ARO, or Triad ballasts?

 

[kysard1]

I will be supplimenting my 10k ushio with a pair of 660 driven T5's.
Since the Ushio is missing the 460 nm peak that higher K bulbs have I plan on adding ATI Blue+ bulbs. \

Will these Ble+ bulbs pop/flourence the corals well? Currently even Green Star polyps have no flouresence under the Ushio.

 

[witelytr]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10978593#post10978593 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
You could keep anything in that tank under 4 T5's. Trouble is you may melt those poor shrooms Why a 54 watt kit, those lamps are almost 4 feet long. If you bought new return it and get 39 watts

Keep the lamps 2 1/2 inches apart. Basically mount the standoff edge to edge.

For lamps try this

Giesemann Actinic Plus
UVL 75/25
ATI Pro Color
Actinic Plus

I am pointing you towards lower PAR lamps. If you add SPS keep them up on the rocks a bit and they will do great. If you use Aquasun or aquablue lamps your shrooms will get fried. I think the mix will look sweet.

what if I am runnig these on a timer to run 2 by 2.