The T5 Q&a Thread

[edwardw771]

After driving myself crazy for a few weeks here is what I purchased. So far I like the way the frags look under these lights on my 265. When I get a few more $$$ I'll add a fourth Ice Cap 660. Thank you Grim for your help.


1 39W and 1 54W ATI Pro Color
1 39W and 1 54W 1200K ATI AquaBlue Special
2 39W and 2 54W ATI Blue Plus (Best Blue bulbs I've ever seen Blue Plus and Giesemann Actinic plus are every close to the same can't tell them apart)
1 39W and 1 54W Giesemann Actinic Plus
2 54W ATI UVL 1000k AquaSun.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12103974#post12103974 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Iostream
Okay, here goes.... I tried to start this as a separate thread, but realized this would probably be the best place to ask... I am looking to light a 90G RR, 48x18, 24" high.
I have read in the past that T5 actinics were not up to the task so much. Is this still the case? Would I be better off with a 6x54W T5 retrofit or a 4x54W T5 retrofit with 2x110W VHO for actinics? And what bulbs would go with that type of setup? I will be doing mostly LPS with some SPS and softies, maybe a clam.

There isn't a huge difference I can see between the VHO and good T5 actinics. While the VHO fluoresces more the T5 has a more pleasing color IMHO. The combination of the two is nice.

Id try this

VHO Actinic
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Aquasun
VHO Actinic
UVL Aquasun
ATI Blue Plus

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12104300#post12104300 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by EvilE
Are the TRU bulbs made by Coralife?

Dunno, dont care. 10 dollar lamp is a 10 dollar lamp. Doesn't matter who makes it.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12104509#post12104509 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cre8or23
i Have a 20g and am wondering what scheme should i use for my lighting. I have a 4 bulb 24w fixture. I was thinking
2 B+
1 aquablu
1 6k daylight

would that look o.k.?

Be fine

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Replace the Pro Color with a GE 6500K Daylight. Try changing the position of the Pro Color and 75/25 first though.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12104598#post12104598 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ihopss
Grim, I am having a problem with my tank being purple pink,here are my bulbs,front to back.

BP
SA
Pro Color
BP
12K
BP
75/25
BP
What bulb or bulbs should i replace to get blue/white and keep SPS(and some LPS if that is possible)
Thank you for all the help.

 

[ooja3k]

Hey grim,

Aquactinics TX5 or 4x39 VHO Icecap Retro? I currently don't have a canopy, but if you think the 4x39 is that much better than I could look into that. The Aquactinics is currently what i am looking to buy, just looking for a second opinion..

Also, if I did get the Aquactinics, i would need one more bulb. What would you recommend?

My current setup:

Blue +
Super Actinic
Aquasun
Blue +

i was thinking an ATI Aquablue?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12107410#post12107410 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CaribbeanDream
Need a lighting suggestion please. Im new to T5, I have a 240L 96x24x25. I want to keep SPS. What do you recommend? Thanks!

16 54 watt T5's (Ice Cap retros with standard T5 ballasts) Maybe overdrive half the lamps so 1 8 lamp HO and 1 8 lamp T5 VHO retro.

Depends how agresively you want to stock SPS.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Both are good ballasts, not sure one's better than the other. Yes, wire the blues on one ballast.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Re: FOWLR T5 Start

Re: FOWLR T5 Start

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12110459#post12110459 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dahacker
Hey Grim and all,

70G (36L x 18W x 24 Vertical Deep) FOWLR with likely transition to Soft Corals, Zoos, Mushrooms after several months.

Looking at normally driven Icecap Retros.

I know its difficult to peg the light needs since Soft Coral, Zoos and Mushroom needs vary widely based on species, but should I just get 2x39W T5 11k's to start out with, and just add another 2 bulbs in the canopy later.

Or, should I just get 4x39W T5's with Grims normal 4 bulb recommendation to start out with?

Money isn't really a huge driver. Heat might be. I just don't want to look like an idiot with too much light on my FOWLR. And I don't want to do a complete redo on lighting when I want to transition to Reef.

Just get the 4 lamp retro. Maybe do 2 actinics, a blue and aquasun. Would be plenty of intensity and make things glow. Until you add corals just run the blue and sun lamp. It will look nice

 

[tsouth]

Preciate it mang!

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12111481#post12111481 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hooked on reef
Well I read the first 80 of the now 487 pages :eek1: of this topic and I still have some questions. My tank is 240gal 72x 24w x 30tall. I see a lot of suggestions for halides if you want a mixed reef, but they're usually on shallower tanks. With a 30 in deep tank do you think I can still keep shrooms on the bottom. My thoughts are 36" ice cap retro fit 8 or 12 bulbs or halides 2 250w and a 400w (lumenbright or lumen arc but that's another argument) in the middle. I would like to be as energy efficient as possible because my wife says so. lol. Thanks for your help especially Grim. They should have a smiley with a brown nose.

If you did 3 250 watt halides in good reflectors with electronic ballasts you're talking 750 watts or so. Add 8 T5's (4 rows 36"x2 lamps) so thats another 400 or so, total of 1150 watts, say 1200..

For T5's you would need 8 rows of overdriven T5's (16 lamps) Overdriven talking probably around a 1000 watts. Heck, you could probably get away with ODing half the T5's so knock out maybe 150 watts or so.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12111577#post12111577 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SaltyK
thanks for the response grimm. Next question is could i do a 72" t5 80w system and how many bulbs would i need compared to the 39w system?

You could. You would want the same number of rows of lamps be it two 36" or 1 60" lamp.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12112556#post12112556 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by alohagreg
Aloha Grim,

It's been about a year since you gave me good advice for a bulb configuration for a TX5 on a mixed reef tank.

The setup you recommended was as follows
Front
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Super Actinic
UVL Aquasun
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue

I need to change the bulbs within a couple months and I have a couple questions

Do you still recommend the same configuration, or are there better bulbs out there? I've been reading through this thread but there is so much info to go through.

Which bulbs should I use for the dawn/dusk. The TX5 has two switches, one that fires two bulbs and teh other fires three bulbs.

And lastly, should I change all the bulbs at once or stagger the changing?

Big thanks for all the help and knowledge you provide!

The arrangement you have is fine unless you want more blue in which case just swap in a Blue Plus in place of the Aquablue

You could change one lamp every few days just to gradually add in the new spectrum.

 

[serum153]

A little off topic, but....How do you like the Tunze 9010 Grim? If your running in tank, can you post a pic and your thoughts on the size?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12112678#post12112678 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jfl14609
Hey grim do you know if the uri ballast are equal to the ice cap 660's? I just read they were but wasnt sure

From what I understand Ice Cap now says the URI can be used for T5's if they are on a heat sink. By the time you figure in the price of the heat sink is the URI any cheaper than the 660 which comes with it.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Re: Lights for a 50 gallon

Re: Lights for a 50 gallon

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12114118#post12114118 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by beef3333
Hey Grim,

So I am getting lights for my 36*18*18 tank and i was looking at these two units.

Current USA

or the Tek

TeK 36"

The Current commes with everything but with the Tek i would have to buy the legs and 6 bulbs. So my question is it worth the extra money to get the Tek or would the Current Pro be fine. I want to be able to keep almost anything in the end. Also if I get either light what would be the best lights to have. I would replace the original ones that cane in the Current USA fixture.

Thanks,

Current Pro will work if you dump the lamps

Front
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Super Actinic
UVL Aquasun
ATI Blue Plus
Current 10K
ATI Blue Plus

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12116201#post12116201 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by shoprat001
I hope this is the right place to ask this. I'm thinking about getting the Aquactinic 72" constellation setup. I already own 3 Icecap 660 ballasts.
My question is has anyone switched out the Aquactinic ballasts with Icecaps to overdrive them and for future upgrades when Icecap comes out with their dimmable ballast,

Norm

You would have to mount the IC ballasts externally but it could be done.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12116657#post12116657 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ooja3k
Hey grim,

Aquactinics TX5 or 4x39 VHO Icecap Retro? I currently don't have a canopy, but if you think the 4x39 is that much better than I could look into that. The Aquactinics is currently what i am looking to buy, just looking for a second opinion..

Also, if I did get the Aquactinics, i would need one more bulb. What would you recommend?

My current setup:

Blue +
Super Actinic
Aquasun
Blue +

i was thinking an ATI Aquablue?

Tx 5 with the lamps like this

Blue +
Super Actinic
Aquasun
Blue +
Aquablue

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12117085#post12117085 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by serum153
A little off topic, but....How do you like the Tunze 9010 Grim? If your running in tank, can you post a pic and your thoughts on the size?

I like it. Running it in the sump.

 

[ooja3k]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12117185#post12117185 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
Tx 5 with the lamps like this

Blue +
Super Actinic
Aquasun
Blue +
Aquablue

Thanks grim!

I have been sitting here doing homework and seeing email notification after notification arriving from you replying to all 500 posts on this thread.

I think i can speak for everyone on this thread when I say thanks for all of your help, even when you probably have answered the same question 56 times somewhere in the 150,000+ pages of this thread...

Thanks! TX5 it is.