The T5 Q&a Thread

[rbja]

thanks grim. ok what K. bulbs should i get for the ATI

i still dont understand how a 216w light can keep everything alive. with just 2.8wpg

thanks

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Blue Plus
UVL Super Actinic
UVL Aquasun
ATI Aquablue

A 6 lamp unit would be better for SPS and clams but you'd play hell keeping your softies happy.

 

[broke1]

What bulb combo would you use for a 6x54 frag tank light. The tank is all SPS if that makes any difference at all. Good growth with real good colors is what I'm after. The growth doesn't have to be great, they are usually only cut when they are of the right size anyway.

 

[jmc74]

ok, question:

I have a 48x24x12 frag tank, currently i use a fixture of 2x250MH DE Hamilton14kBlue and 4x64w Actinic PC's

what should be a comparable T5 setup, im tring to get good grow/color and save on electricity if posible.


also is there a diference on the units that have individual reflectors to the ebay fixtures that have a large common reflector?

they have 4,6,8,12 T5HO...


thanks

 

[ncwaterboy]

My nano has (2) 55 watt T5s, it is 24Wx20Dx20H, is this sufficient lighting for a softies and lps? How frequently should I change the bulbs? TIA

 

[dobber99]

Grim,

I read your posts on workhorse 7 ballasts and Ice cap 660 running 4x54 watts T5 bulbs, as far as watts and PAR. Just wondering what kind of wattage I would get if I just run 2x54 watt T5 bulbs on the workhorse 7 ballast. Will it overdrive like the Ice Cap ballast, and would the PAR also increas only running two bulbs instead of four?

 

[ooja3k]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11642234#post11642234 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ncwaterboy
My nano has (2) 55 watt T5s, it is 24Wx20Dx20H, is this sufficient lighting for a softies and lps? How frequently should I change the bulbs? TIA

I was skeptical about how many watts those t-5s are, but i went to their website and it says the same thing you do..

It says it comes with 2 55 watt T-5s... Well, 54 watt T-5s are ~4' long... So that wouldn't fit over your 24" tank... Unless they are severely over-driving some smaller bulbs, i would move to say that they are PCs, not T-5s...

Someone else might have an opinion on this as well..

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Grim,

I read your posts on workhorse 7 ballasts and Ice cap 660 running 4x54 watts T5 bulbs, as far as watts and PAR. Just wondering what kind of wattage I would get if I just run 2x54 watt T5 bulbs on the workhorse 7 ballast. Will it overdrive like the Ice Cap ballast, and would the PAR also increas only running two bulbs instead of four?

You can make the WH7 overdrive but I wouldn't try it. Too many bad things can happen.Running 4 lamps the WH& is a little less efficient than real T5 ballasts. Running 2, dunno, never checked

 

[The Grim Reefer]

broke1
Premium Member

Registered: Feb 2007
Location: IL
Occupation: "The world needs ditch diggers too"
Posts: 496



What bulb combo would you use for a 6x54 frag tank light. The tank is all SPS if that makes any difference at all. Good growth with real good colors is what I'm after. The growth doesn't have to be great, they are usually only cut when they are of the right size anyway.


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Ati Blue Plus
UVL Aquasun
ATI Blue Plus
GE 6500K Daylight
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ATI Aquablue



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01/20/2008 12:38 AM

jmc74
DOUBLE DECKER REEFER

Registered: Oct 2004
Location: Antioch, CA
Occupation: Water Filtration Tech. (RO)
Posts: 551



ok, question:

I have a 48x24x12 frag tank, currently i use a fixture of 2x250MH DE Hamilton14kBlue and 4x64w Actinic PC's

what should be a comparable T5 setup, im tring to get good grow/color and save on electricity if posible.


also is there a diference on the units that have individual reflectors to the ebay fixtures that have a large common reflector?

they have 4,6,8,12 T5HO...


thanks

Yeah, big difference. I assume that tank is 24: tall? If so you really need to stick to the individual reflectors.


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01/20/2008 06:06 AM

ncwaterboy
Registered Member

Registered: Jan 2006
Location: North Carolina
Occupation: Builder
Posts: 20


My nano has (2) 55 watt T5s, it is 24Wx20Dx20H, is this sufficient lighting for a softies and lps? How frequently should I change the bulbs? TIA



Probably fine although I would run more lamps to get a better mix of spectrum

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11642987#post11642987 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ooja3k
I was skeptical about how many watts those t-5s are, but i went to their website and it says the same thing you do..

It says it comes with 2 55 watt T-5s... Well, 54 watt T-5s are ~4' long... So that wouldn't fit over your 24" tank... Unless they are severely over-driving some smaller bulbs, i would move to say that they are PCs, not T-5s...

Someone else might have an opinion on this as well..

They might be reffering to T5 PC's lamps

 

[zotzer]

Hi there, Grim!
I've got a 6-lamp Nova Pro on the way, and have some fairly new bulbs here already in my 4-lamp fixture. With these bulbs on hand, what lamps should I trade out when the fixture arrives?

AquaBlue
SuperActinic
AquaSun

(I also have an actinic white collecting dust in the closet. Not sure if there is a use for it or not in the new fixture. It was f'ugly in any combination in the 4-lamp fixture! LOL)

Thanks for your help!!
Tracy

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Id take out 2 10K'sand a blue and throw those in. Couldn't hurt to play with the actinic white.

 

[zotzer]

Thanks!

So, I think I will try this:

Super Actinic
AquaBlue
460
AquaSun
460
10k

And will experiment swapping the Actinic White in those last two slots. Will post results some time next week.

I forgot to ask.....

Do you recommend starting out with only four lamps active and ramping up, or simply cutting down on light time and gradually increasing daylight hours?

Tracy

 

[The Grim Reefer]

I'd just cut back on the time a little. The pro isn't that much brigher than the flat reflector units so most of the gain is from the extra 2 lamps.

 

[jmc74]

Grim



I have a 48x24x12 frag tank, currently i use a fixture of 2x250MH DE Hamilton14kBlue and 4x64w Actinic PC's

what should be a comparable T5 setup, im tring to get good grow/color and save on electricity if posible.


also is there a diference on the units that have individual reflectors to the ebay fixtures that have a large common reflector?

they have 4,6,8,12 T5HO...


thanks

quote" Yeah, big difference. I assume that tank is 24: tall? If so you really need to stick to the individual reflectors. "

actually the tank is 48" wide x 24" deep x 12" high

this is a frag tank, so is only used for propagation, but I will be setting up a double tank (one on top and one on the bottom, as I just picked up 2 2nd 48x24x12, but I want to eliminate the MH if I can...


thanks

 

[shelburn61]

Do T5 reflectors need to be mounted parallel to the water surface?
I would like 2 bulbs on either side of my lumenarcs but the reflectors would need to be angled toward the center of the tank to fit...

Also, is much intensity lost with the bulbs 4-5" above the water?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11646291#post11646291 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jmc74
Grim



I have a 48x24x12 frag tank, currently i use a fixture of 2x250MH DE Hamilton14kBlue and 4x64w Actinic PC's

what should be a comparable T5 setup, im tring to get good grow/color and save on electricity if posible.


also is there a diference on the units that have individual reflectors to the ebay fixtures that have a large common reflector?

they have 4,6,8,12 T5HO...


thanks

quote" Yeah, big difference. I assume that tank is 24: tall? If so you really need to stick to the individual reflectors. "

actually the tank is 48" wide x 24" deep x 12" high

this is a frag tank, so is only used for propagation, but I will be setting up a double tank (one on top and one on the bottom, as I just picked up 2 2nd 48x24x12, but I want to eliminate the MH if I can...


thanks

Hell on a 12" deep I would grab a Nova extreme Pro and put good lamps in it. Too bad you couldn't just set the tanks back to back. You could get the 54 watt Tek II retrofit kits with the lampsturned so the cover both tanks. 8 lamps would cover both tanks.

As long as you keep the lamps close to the top of the water you don't need a lot of light to grow frags in that shallow of a tank. If you can use the Tek II retros with the wide reflectors you could cover each tank pretty good with 4 lamps.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11646722#post11646722 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by shelburn61
Do T5 reflectors need to be mounted parallel to the water surface?
I would like 2 bulbs on either side of my lumenarcs but the reflectors would need to be angled toward the center of the tank to fit...

Also, is much intensity lost with the bulbs 4-5" above the water?

Angling the reflectors is no big deal, just dont do it any more than you have to, the higher the angle the more light that will be reflected off the surface of the water. 4 to 5" off the surface of the water is fine.

 

[ncwaterboy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11643258#post11643258 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
They might be reffering to T5 PC's lamps

The Red Sea Max website lists them as (2) T5 55 watt power compacts. Now I am confused, what is the difference between T5's and T5 power compacts? Thanks

 

[syilk1]

When do I change my T5 bulbs

When do I change my T5 bulbs

Hello, I have a question about how often you need to change out you T5 bulbs. I have an aquatinics hood with 5 bulbs I believe. Have had them going for little over a year.Also what would be best bulbs to replace with. I have 2 light cycles. One daylight and 2 bulbs are actinics. I have softs, Shrooms, Zoos and looking to do some sps
Thanks, Scott