Grim... do you know of anyone that runs 2 super actinics in their combo? I am thinking about taking out the aquablue once and for all...it just washes out my tank toooo much! Trying to decide what to replace it with.
The T5 Q&a Thread
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Grim or anyboady else,
Do you have a pic of a tank that has the 2 bulb Aquablue and 2 blue+ setup? I have some sps blue tort that doesn't show a lot of blue under my current lighting setup. J/w will the 2 bulb Aquablue and 2 blue+ will show more of the nice blue tint of the blue tort.
Do you have a pic of a tank that has the 2 bulb Aquablue and 2 blue+ setup? I have some sps blue tort that doesn't show a lot of blue under my current lighting setup. J/w will the 2 bulb Aquablue and 2 blue+ will show more of the nice blue tint of the blue tort.
sales weasel
New member
I have a question about over driving T5s. I have a 48" tank that uses Univeral B254PUNV-D ballasts and 48" T5s. I'm swithing to a 24x24 tank. If I run 24" T5s on these ballasts, will I have a problem?
Goibot
New member
Grim, I am amazed at how many replies you have made helping people with lighting questions. My hat is off to you. Now if you have time for 1 more question 
On a 36x36x27 square tank, would two of the new 6 bulb Nova extreme Pro's work ok on a mixed reef?
If not how would you light it in T5?
Thanks for your help.
On a 36x36x27 square tank, would two of the new 6 bulb Nova extreme Pro's work ok on a mixed reef?
If not how would you light it in T5?
Thanks for your help.
odysseysteve
New member
Hey Grim,
I am a noob seeking your lighting advice. I have a 100 gallon tank (60"L x 18"D x 24"H) and I plan to keep a combination softies and fish. I am going to have a canopy made to my specifications. I want to run T5 lights. What do you recommend in terms of canopy dimensions, lighting, bulbs etc.
Thank you in advance for the advice!
I am a noob seeking your lighting advice. I have a 100 gallon tank (60"L x 18"D x 24"H) and I plan to keep a combination softies and fish. I am going to have a canopy made to my specifications. I want to run T5 lights. What do you recommend in terms of canopy dimensions, lighting, bulbs etc.
Thank you in advance for the advice!
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
No reason why you cant
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
Try replacing an aquablue with a Actinic and see what happens.
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
More than likely. I know of a fixture manufacturer that tested 39 watt lamps on a 54 watt ballast and it smoked a lamp in less than 2 weeks
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12191425#post12191425 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Goibot
Grim, I am amazed at how many replies you have made helping people with lighting questions. My hat is off to you. Now if you have time for 1 more question
On a 36x36x27 square tank, would two of the new 6 bulb Nova extreme Pro's work ok on a mixed reef?
If not how would you light it in T5?
Thanks for your help.
ATI 10 lamp fixture would be best but 2 novas will work as long as high light critters are high up on the rocks.
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12191622#post12191622 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by odysseysteve
Hey Grim,
I am a noob seeking your lighting advice. I have a 100 gallon tank (60"L x 18"D x 24"H) and I plan to keep a combination softies and fish. I am going to have a canopy made to my specifications. I want to run T5 lights. What do you recommend in terms of canopy dimensions, lighting, bulbs etc.
Thank you in advance for the advice!
Build the canopy with a single piece top that lifts open like a lid hinged at the back. That way you mount the lights to the underside of the lide so when you open it to access the tank they are out of your way.
Make the canopy tall enough that you have atleasr 4" between the water and the lamps.
I would use a 6x54 Ice Cap HO retro from reefgeek, the one with the standard T5 ballasts, not the Ice Cap/
For lamps
Front
ATI Blue Plus
UV Super Actinic
Aquasun
Blue Plus
UV 75/25
Blue Plus
Rudereefer's thread on switching over from VHO has me thinking about supplementing my current tek retro 4x54 w T5 with 2x110 VHO actinic. Maybe something like:
VHO actinic
blue plus
aqua blue
VHO actinic
aqua sun
blue plus
Too blue?
24" tank, mostly LPS, some SPS near top. Too much light?
Thanks in advance!
VHO actinic
blue plus
aqua blue
VHO actinic
aqua sun
blue plus
Too blue?
24" tank, mostly LPS, some SPS near top. Too much light?
Thanks in advance!
Grim got grumpy with me on another thread, so I'm posting her per his directions I'm trying to build a Ice cap SLR light rack to hold 2 rows of 10 of 5' bulbs.
The problem I'm actually facing right now is how to build the light racks to hold these things and cool effectively. I'm planning on building 2 5' racks that can be raised/lowered independently. This makes detaching the light racks easier if I have to do it solo.
So imagine a 2x4 frame for a light rack. Now imagine 2x2's or 1x2's that run parallel to the short side say 12 or 18 inches off center affixed to the bottom of the 2x4 rectangle, not inset into the rectangle. So I've got a rectangle with a bunch of parallel bracing under it. I'll affix the endcaps and slr's to this bracing. (perpendicular)
The problem I'm having is the cooling. Grim told me I should run fans over the endcaps and the middle of the bulbs. Since the rack is built lattice like to enable the facilitation of convection I have to run the fans perpendicular to the end caps to cool them off. If I run them parallel there is no sealed box to cool them all as in a fixture. So this means the fans have to drop down past the slr's and flow over the endcaps UNDER the bulbs. If I use 120MM fans that means 4" of fan below the lights. This limits how close I can get to the water.
I can't think of a better way besides enclosing the whole light hood which just seems totally inefficient and wrong, as I'm going to lose all the convection.
I've also read the thread on the heat dissipation issues with T5's and Oliver (from ATI) statements on how over cooling is actually more detrimental than not cooling at all as far as par output goes.
I can recap his points if anyone missed it, just ask.
Any ideas? I've looked around and ever large light rack I've seen is a MH one. I haven't seen a t5 only rack with cooling.
I'm trying to build a Ice cap SLR light rack to hold 2 rows of 10 of 5' bulbs.The problem I'm actually facing right now is how to build the light racks to hold these things and cool effectively. I'm planning on building 2 5' racks that can be raised/lowered independently. This makes detaching the light racks easier if I have to do it solo.
So imagine a 2x4 frame for a light rack. Now imagine 2x2's or 1x2's that run parallel to the short side say 12 or 18 inches off center affixed to the bottom of the 2x4 rectangle, not inset into the rectangle. So I've got a rectangle with a bunch of parallel bracing under it. I'll affix the endcaps and slr's to this bracing. (perpendicular)
The problem I'm having is the cooling. Grim told me I should run fans over the endcaps and the middle of the bulbs. Since the rack is built lattice like to enable the facilitation of convection I have to run the fans perpendicular to the end caps to cool them off. If I run them parallel there is no sealed box to cool them all as in a fixture. So this means the fans have to drop down past the slr's and flow over the endcaps UNDER the bulbs. If I use 120MM fans that means 4" of fan below the lights. This limits how close I can get to the water.
I can't think of a better way besides enclosing the whole light hood which just seems totally inefficient and wrong, as I'm going to lose all the convection.
I've also read the thread on the heat dissipation issues with T5's and Oliver (from ATI) statements on how over cooling is actually more detrimental than not cooling at all as far as par output goes.
I can recap his points if anyone missed it, just ask.
Any ideas? I've looked around and ever large light rack I've seen is a MH one. I haven't seen a t5 only rack with cooling.
Grim, or anyone,
I am upgrading to a 75 gallon. I am going to do a minimalist reef tank - not so much rock. The bio load will be small. Max of 4 fish, inverts and corals.
I do not know what corals I will get yet, but my question is the T5 lights. I could go with 6 for 324 watts which is 4.32 watts per gallon or I could go with 8 which would be 432 watts at 5.76 watts per gallon.
Since I will not have a lot of rock to move corals to the top, but also not a lot of rock to get in the way, which lights should I go with.
I do have a Sebae nem now. Would I be limited with the 324 watts or will that take care of just about anything I want to keep? If not, what can I not have?
I already got the which bulbs from you that I would need for either the 6 or 8, but I just can't decide whether I really need the 8. More money to buy and to run especially if I don't really need it.
Thanks
I am upgrading to a 75 gallon. I am going to do a minimalist reef tank - not so much rock. The bio load will be small. Max of 4 fish, inverts and corals.
I do not know what corals I will get yet, but my question is the T5 lights. I could go with 6 for 324 watts which is 4.32 watts per gallon or I could go with 8 which would be 432 watts at 5.76 watts per gallon.
Since I will not have a lot of rock to move corals to the top, but also not a lot of rock to get in the way, which lights should I go with.
I do have a Sebae nem now. Would I be limited with the 324 watts or will that take care of just about anything I want to keep? If not, what can I not have?
I already got the which bulbs from you that I would need for either the 6 or 8, but I just can't decide whether I really need the 8. More money to buy and to run especially if I don't really need it.
Thanks
sales weasel
New member
Thanks, that was my fear. There may be some cheap T5s on eeeeeebay soon
fireman912
New member
Hey Grim THANK YOU for all your help, reading this thread has helped me out alot. I would like your recommendation on which color bulbs to buy and in what order to put them in. I am buying the aquatincs constellation 48" 7 bulb fixture. I will be keeping all sps and want the colors to really pop and dont mind if it looks blue. THANKS GRIM
Crush Coral
New member
Here is my question - If a florescent tube has the same physical charectoristics (gas inside a tube with a phosphorus coating) what makes a T5 bulb brighter and last longer than a PC bulb? Has anyone done meter comparisons with comperable wattage T5s and PCs?
It doesn't, really. The advantage of the T5 bulb is that it's physically smaller in diameter than a CF and that its shape lends itself well to proper reflector design. The reflectors are what makes the T5 systems work well - reflecting the vast majority of its output into the tank. CFs, because of their convoluted shape, are very difficult to design good reflectors for and as a result, a lot of their output is lost which is why they tend to be inefficient.
Crush Coral
New member
Thanks. So the Nova Extremes that are not the Pro series with the individual reflectors would not be much of an improvement over my PCs?
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