The T5 Q&a Thread

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11950953#post11950953 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by vder
I have an Aquatinics Constellation Series 7 Row T5 HO Fixture sitting above my 135 gallon tank. Looking for a bulb reccomendation. Thanks . What brand bulbs work best? This is a 14 bulb fixture.

Front
Blue Plus/Actinic Plus
UVL Aquasun
UVL Super Actinic
Aquablue
Blue Plus
UVL 75/25
blue Plus

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11958408#post11958408 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by anin
what can i use the clean up the waterspots on the aluminum reflectors on my tek? I had some meguiars mag and aluminum polish..figured i try that..

Give it a shot

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11951290#post11951290 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bpoore89
Grim, I have a 55 with a Nova Extreme Pro. 6 bulbs. I want to keep SPS but have that bluer look. Any ideas?

Pull 1 10K and replace it with a Blue Plus. I would replace the other 3 blue lamps that come with the fixture with the blue plus (or Giesemann Actinic Plus) too, currents blue lamps suck.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11963514#post11963514 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sbcaes
hey grim. i just ordered some of those nova extreme bulbs the t5 ho 18" bulbs. I'm hoping to put these into a fixture that im building at the moment.

What reflectors woudl you reccomend and what ballast woudl you use? i know that current has a "sunpak" e-ballast for these but what ballast would you use? the fulham workhorse? (the model 33) kind of like how aquactinics does theres? or how woudl you improve it?

You will have to cut down reflectors, I'd do Ice Caps. The workhorse ballast is the only reasonable choice for the oddball lamp.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11965455#post11965455 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by markjglover
Grim I just installed my Tx5 with the following bulbs
Front:
Giesemann Actinic +
UVL 75/25
UVL Aquasun
Giesemann Actinic +
Giesemann Aquablue plus

This config is not as blue as I thought it would be. Should I think about adding an ATI Blue Plus? or something else to make the colors pop more...

Thanks!

Aquablue out, Blue Plus in

 

[triggerfinger]

Hi Grim, after doing quite a bit of reading it would seem that you are the t-5 guru If you don't mind I've got a few Q's for a friend of mine. He bought a 72" constellation light bar, and is in the process of assembling it for his new 125 gallons mainly sps/clams tank. He has 14 39 watt bulbs that run on 3 switches(6/4/4)the daylight bulbs are 6 and consist of geissman miday 6500k(X2), geissman aquablue+(X2) and ati procolor(X2) 2nd switch he was going to run geisman superactinic(X4) and 3rd switch geisman Actinic+(X4)

This would give him 4 blue and 3 white per side (i think)

questions:
Should he swap out the geisman aquablue+ for ati aquablue special? (some have said it will give a more crisp look?) or is going primarily geissman the best choice as they are sold local and he could save the shipping cost. Although he would have to get the procolor from ATI because its the bulb to pop? his red/orange corals.

Is UVL the way to go on the super actinic? he read that geissman has the only TRUE actinic and that's why he bought them?

Thank you for any advise you could give, Pat

 

[SteveNMegz]

WOW this thread is very knowledgable!

We have a 65G tank 48x18x20deep. and we bought the nova extreme fixture a month ago all to find out this isn't enough for what we want to keep. We want a mixed reef with anemone, sps, clam.

What fixture would you reccomend?
We were thinking of going to halides, but don't know....

Which make should we get and should we get a 6x54W fixture or a 8x54W

We really donèt want to have anymore of these headaches haha

Thanks Grim!!!

 

[vder]

Thanks Grim for taking the time to reply.

 

[ReefEnabler]

Hi guys!

I am setting up a 35G frag tank 36x18x 12" tall.

Wanting to go ATI T5.

I am thinking either the 4x39 or the 6x39. I'll be fraggin lots of different stuff, SPS, LPS softies. Is 4x39 a good compromise? Is it enough for SPS to grow?

Since its a frag tank I'm more concerned with growth than anything.

Grim, several pages back you recommended the following 4 bulbs to somebody wanting 4x39:

Blue Plus
UVL Super Actinic
UVL Aquasun
ATI Aquablue

I'd like to know why specifically you recommend this mix? Is the wider range of lighting wavelengths beneficial to more coral, or are you mixing that based on looks?

What would be wrong with 2 Aquablue and 2 Sunpro? Or even all aquablue bulbs?


Thanks!

 

[AustinVines]

Hola Grim and others,

I am finally getting around to having my canopy re-worked and wanted your input on the bulb order. This is over a 75g and it will have 2x110 vho actinic and 4x54w t5s sandwiched in between. The bulbs you had suggested were a UVL Aquasun, 2 Aquablues and a Blue Plus.

Also, I was thinking of having some fans installed on the ends of the canopy. Do you have a suggestion on size, brand and configuration? I have a controller so I don't think I need to spend the dough on the icecap fans but hear good things about the silenx fans.

Would it be better to have the let's say 60mm fans pointing into the canopy or one in, one out?

Thanks

 

[bpoore89]

Thanks for the help grim. Will my sps get enough par pulling 1 10k? That would mean I would have 4 actinics. Im deff taking your advice on replacing the actinics it comes with, with blue plus

 

[DARKSILENTTYPE]

Grim

You seem to be the answer guy . Thanks in advance

Here is what I am going to do

2 fixtures next to each other .

36inch 39watt t5 high output ATI power modules .These will have 8 bulbs each .

I want to stay with ATI bulbs . Which bulbs and in what spot in the fixture do you think I should do for a mixed 135 gallon 6 feet long tank . Very clear water system .

John

 

[wet reefer]

Grim,
I bought a TEK 4-54w light before I knew any better. You mentioned an ATI puts out twice the light as the TEK. If the reflectors (as claimed) have only a couple % difference in reflectivity, the difference must be in the ballast? The TEK is not overdriven, the ATI is? If so, I'm assuming that overdriving a TEK would put it relatively close to the ATI in output? I'm still trying to figure out how to put a fan on the thing.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11965948#post11965948 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by triggerfinger
Hi Grim, after doing quite a bit of reading it would seem that you are the t-5 guru If you don't mind I've got a few Q's for a friend of mine. He bought a 72" constellation light bar, and is in the process of assembling it for his new 125 gallons mainly sps/clams tank. He has 14 39 watt bulbs that run on 3 switches(6/4/4)the daylight bulbs are 6 and consist of geissman miday 6500k(X2), geissman aquablue+(X2) and ati procolor(X2) 2nd switch he was going to run geisman superactinic(X4) and 3rd switch geisman Actinic+(X4)

This would give him 4 blue and 3 white per side (i think)

questions:
Should he swap out the geisman aquablue+ for ati aquablue special? (some have said it will give a more crisp look?) or is going primarily geissman the best choice as they are sold local and he could save the shipping cost. Although he would have to get the procolor from ATI because its the bulb to pop? his red/orange corals.

Is UVL the way to go on the super actinic? he read that geissman has the only TRUE actinic and that's why he bought them?

Thank you for any advise you could give, Pat

That combo should be good. I favor the super actinic over the pure actinic.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11966159#post11966159 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SteveNMegz
WOW this thread is very knowledgable!

We have a 65G tank 48x18x20deep. and we bought the nova extreme fixture a month ago all to find out this isn't enough for what we want to keep. We want a mixed reef with anemone, sps, clam.

What fixture would you reccomend?
We were thinking of going to halides, but don't know....

Which make should we get and should we get a 6x54W fixture or a 8x54W

We really donèt want to have anymore of these headaches haha

Thanks Grim!!!

Aquactinics TX5 T5 fixture would be my choice. % lamps, good reflectors and active cooling.

 

[wet reefer]

snaza
Registered Member

Registered: Mar 2006
Location: Australia
Occupation: sys admin/acupuncturist
Posts: 396


Hi again,

do you have any PAR readings for the Sylvania lamps?

Sylvania Aquastar T5 (10,000k)
Sylvania Coralstar T5 (Actinic)
Sylvania Gro-Lux T5 (8,500k)

Thanks

These are NO lamps in T8. Not very good except maybe for a nano with mushrooms or some LPS.

 

[cougaran]

I'm not in the market for it(yet), but is a 6' t5 bulb in the works? I'm curious if the 5' bulbs are enough for a 6' tank. I suppose you could always stagger them in a DIY canopy if you didn't want sides to be dim, although that would be alot more work.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11950953#post11950953 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by vder
I have an Aquatinics Constellation Series 7 Row T5 HO Fixture sitting above my 135 gallon tank. Looking for a bulb reccomendation. Thanks . What brand bulbs work best? This is a 14 bulb fixture.

Front
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Aquasun
UVL Super Actinic
UVL 75/25
ATI Blue Plus
ATI AQUABLUE
ATI Blue Plus

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11967463#post11967463 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RyanBrucks
Hi guys!

I am setting up a 35G frag tank 36x18x 12" tall.

Wanting to go ATI T5.

I am thinking either the 4x39 or the 6x39. I'll be fraggin lots of different stuff, SPS, LPS softies. Is 4x39 a good compromise? Is it enough for SPS to grow?

Since its a frag tank I'm more concerned with growth than anything.

Grim, several pages back you recommended the following 4 bulbs to somebody wanting 4x39:


Blue Plus
UVL Super Actinic
UVL Aquasun
ATI Aquablue

I'd like to know why specifically you recommend this mix? Is the wider range of lighting wavelengths beneficial to more coral, or are you mixing that based on looks?

What would be wrong with 2 Aquablue and 2 Sunpro? Or even all aquablue bulbs?


Thanks!

4X39 will work. You want to give the critters plenty of blue spectrum but they use it all, especially shallow water SPS and clams. For growth I would use 2 Blue Plus and 2 Sun Pro or Ge 6500K lamps. That will give plenty of growth and promote good color. Not just make the corals look cool like actinics do but allow them to develop a nice look which is important too.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11967570#post11967570 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AustinVines
Hola Grim and others,

I am finally getting around to having my canopy re-worked and wanted your input on the bulb order. This is over a 75g and it will have 2x110 vho actinic and 4x54w t5s sandwiched in between. The bulbs you had suggested were a UVL Aquasun, 2 Aquablues and a Blue Plus.

Also, I was thinking of having some fans installed on the ends of the canopy. Do you have a suggestion on size, brand and configuration? I have a controller so I don't think I need to spend the dough on the icecap fans but hear good things about the silenx fans.

Would it be better to have the let's say 60mm fans pointing into the canopy or one in, one out?

Thanks

Having a fan blowing in from the back on each side so they blow down the endcaps works well. 3 or 4" fans will work