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The T5 Q&a Thread
- Thread starter JohnL
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The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
The Aquablue IS a 50/50 lamp (Actually 64/40) and the ZFji purple is as well, just a variation. What you have now should be fine.
MrSpiffy
Premium Member
After staring at it for a bit, I actually decided I like the color in my tank. I think staring down into the tank at the coralline-encrusted rock makes it look pinker than it is. Looking directly into the front pane, things look good, fairly bright, and not that pink at all.
First off thanx Grim for taking the time to answer all our questions.
I'm in the middle of a canopie build for my 125 which is 6' long. Originally My plan was to incorporate 10 3' lamps into it, however, looking at the tank I realized there are two braces at 2' on center. Since I have only ordered acrylic and ballasts I was wondering if going with 16 2' lamps would provide more light than 10 3'? The reason I am asking this question is that obviously 16 2' Icecap reflectors costs way more than 10 3', but if the light output will be much better I will be going with the 2' lamp setup.
Thanx for taking the time to help.
I'm in the middle of a canopie build for my 125 which is 6' long. Originally My plan was to incorporate 10 3' lamps into it, however, looking at the tank I realized there are two braces at 2' on center. Since I have only ordered acrylic and ballasts I was wondering if going with 16 2' lamps would provide more light than 10 3'? The reason I am asking this question is that obviously 16 2' Icecap reflectors costs way more than 10 3', but if the light output will be much better I will be going with the 2' lamp setup.
Thanx for taking the time to help.
Hi Grims. Thanks so much for your time on this post. It is awesome. I should have just posted right away but instead read it for about an hour....arggg! So confusing.
So here it goes.....
I have a 240 gallon tank 8' x 2' x 2'
I have been collecting frags and have mostly sps, with some lps and zoas. As time goes on I plan on having a mixed variety.
I would also like a clam or two at some point.
I am retrofitting the canopy with icecap ballasts and reflectors. I am looking at the 660's x 4, with 4 bulbs on each ballast, eight 4' bulbs on each side of the tank.
Q1: Are 8 bulbs per side too many? Should I go down to 6 bulbs per side?
Based on answer to Q1, what bulbs should I buy, and how do I place them front to back?
So here it goes.....
I have a 240 gallon tank 8' x 2' x 2'
I have been collecting frags and have mostly sps, with some lps and zoas. As time goes on I plan on having a mixed variety.
I would also like a clam or two at some point.
I am retrofitting the canopy with icecap ballasts and reflectors. I am looking at the 660's x 4, with 4 bulbs on each ballast, eight 4' bulbs on each side of the tank.
Q1: Are 8 bulbs per side too many? Should I go down to 6 bulbs per side?
Based on answer to Q1, what bulbs should I buy, and how do I place them front to back?
Jon
Got CaCO3...
Hey Grim,
Based on your feedback and others I finally finshed my DIY T5 rack design for my 250g tank. I will be building 2 of these. They are 8x54w and would hang side by side to cover an 8 foot span. Looking for comments or any red flags before I start to assemble.
The unit is 46.25" x 19" and about 2.5" height. I based a lot of it off of the ATI PM design. All structural material is 1/8" aluminum stock. It uses the new Aquatinic reflectors and standard twist lock endcaps (not waterproof). On the bottom is a slide in piece of plexiglas. The (4) Advance ballasts sit on top in red. On the far side are (4) 40mm fans that blow down on to the cold spots. That air is then directed below the full lenght of the bulbs and out a 1/4" gap at the opposite end. What I left off is a thin sheet of aluminum flashing that will cover the top under the braces to give it stability and keep the air in. BTW, the pic in the upper left side is transparent to show the inside details. The rack is also hanging over a built in tank so it wont be seen from the outside. Thanks agian for all the help,
Jon.............
Based on your feedback and others I finally finshed my DIY T5 rack design for my 250g tank. I will be building 2 of these. They are 8x54w and would hang side by side to cover an 8 foot span. Looking for comments or any red flags before I start to assemble.
The unit is 46.25" x 19" and about 2.5" height. I based a lot of it off of the ATI PM design. All structural material is 1/8" aluminum stock. It uses the new Aquatinic reflectors and standard twist lock endcaps (not waterproof). On the bottom is a slide in piece of plexiglas. The (4) Advance ballasts sit on top in red. On the far side are (4) 40mm fans that blow down on to the cold spots. That air is then directed below the full lenght of the bulbs and out a 1/4" gap at the opposite end. What I left off is a thin sheet of aluminum flashing that will cover the top under the braces to give it stability and keep the air in. BTW, the pic in the upper left side is transparent to show the inside details. The rack is also hanging over a built in tank so it wont be seen from the outside. Thanks agian for all the help,
Jon.............
jdoenumber2
New member
I will be upgrading my 75's lighting and would like some suggestions on what bulbs to buy. I have access to 6 x 3 month old bulbs. What i plan on doing is upgrading my 75 gal, from a 4 bulb that, to a 6 bulb retro. I would like to use some of the bulbs that were given to me and achieve the correct color that i want(To help save $$$). When i purchase my new retro i will have the choice of picking any two new bulbs. I would like the color to bring to make the colors pop on my fish and corals. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thank You.
This is what i got for free.
Ati
2 x Blue Plus
Aqua blue spezial
UVL
super actinic
aqua sun
GE
6500k
PS:How would it look if i used a fiji purple in the mix or is it a waste of time. What would be the best order from front to back?
Thank You.
This is what i got for free.
Ati
2 x Blue Plus
Aqua blue spezial
UVL
super actinic
aqua sun
GE
6500k
PS:How would it look if i used a fiji purple in the mix or is it a waste of time. What would be the best order from front to back?
scuglass
New member
I have a 48x20(wide)x18(tall) and am looking at T5 fixtures. Im in Canada so alot of the fixtures are hard to come by. Ive been looking at Tek or Nova Extreme Pro as they are the only available fixtures that I have found. Which of these would you recomend? I glanced at the ATI's at reefgeek cause they are the only american dealer that ships to canada (that I found) but they are almost double the price. Is it worth it? Is there something else I should be looking at instead?
Im looking at 6 bulbs. I like the blue'er look and will be keeping primarily SPS. Could you also suggest a combo.
Thanks.
Im looking at 6 bulbs. I like the blue'er look and will be keeping primarily SPS. Could you also suggest a combo.
Thanks.
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
Braces dont matter, go with the 3' lamps
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
6 rows will work (but more is better) as long as the clams can be placed under the lights and not out front of the array
Front
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue
UVL Aquasun
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue or GE 6500K Daylight
ATI Blue Plus
for 8
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue
UVL Super Actinic
UVL Aquasun
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Pro Color
ATI Aquablue
ATI Blue Plus
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13254602#post13254602 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Jon
Hey Grim,
Based on your feedback and others I finally finshed my DIY T5 rack design for my 250g tank. I will be building 2 of these. They are 8x54w and would hang side by side to cover an 8 foot span. Looking for comments or any red flags before I start to assemble.
The unit is 46.25" x 19" and about 2.5" height. I based a lot of it off of the ATI PM design. All structural material is 1/8" aluminum stock. It uses the new Aquatinic reflectors and standard twist lock endcaps (not waterproof). On the bottom is a slide in piece of plexiglas. The (4) Advance ballasts sit on top in red. On the far side are (4) 40mm fans that blow down on to the cold spots. That air is then directed below the full lenght of the bulbs and out a 1/4" gap at the opposite end. What I left off is a thin sheet of aluminum flashing that will cover the top under the braces to give it stability and keep the air in. BTW, the pic in the upper left side is transparent to show the inside details. The rack is also hanging over a built in tank so it wont be seen from the outside. Thanks agian for all the help,
Jon.............
Only room for improvement I can see is if you could direct the air over the ballasts and then down to the cold spots and back out. If the ballasts will be out in the open I wouldn't worry about it.
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
Front
ATI Blue Plus
GE 6500K
UVL Super Actinic
UVL Aquasun
ATI Aquablue
Blue Plus
jdoenumber2
New member
I have the option to get two new bulbs with the new retro. Is there any better bulb combonation that i can get if i get 2 new bulbs and mix it up? For what its worth how would fiji purples be in the mix?
Thank you for your time!
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
On that tank the Tek would be fine
Front
ATI Blue Plus
UVL 75/25
UVL Aquasun
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue
ATI Blue Plus
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
Not impressed by the Fiji Purple.
For the two included lamps go for a blue plus and Aquasun.
jdoenumber2
New member
Ok so if i already have the blue plus and the aquasun then there is no need for me to purchase a retro with other bulbs. When my brother had that light config on his tank in his tek fixture it looked kind of blah and not too much popped. However, this was over a 120 gal. Mine is a 75 gal.
Thanks again
boxerzz
New member
I have a 4 tube T5 currently it is 2 aqua blue, 1 blue plus and 1 procolour. I will be changing tubes soon. I am thinking of 2 aqua blue, 1 blue plus, 1 true actinic or 2 aqua blue and 2 blue plus. All tubes are ATI. Which combi is better ? How much does the par compare between procolour and true actinic ?
trmiv
Active member
So it's that time to replace my bulbs. This is what I currently have setup on my TX5:
Front:
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Super Actinic
UVL Aquasun
UVL Super Actinic
ATI Blue Plus
I like it, gives me a nice crisp light. The two actinics may make it a little purple though. I want a nice crisp light with a blue tint that will still fluoresce the corals. This tank mainly zoos, LPS, and softies, but will eventually have a couple of caps near the top.
Grim I saw you recommend this to another TX5 user, what kind of look will this give me vs what I already have?
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Super Actinic
UVL Aquasun
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue
Front:
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Super Actinic
UVL Aquasun
UVL Super Actinic
ATI Blue Plus
I like it, gives me a nice crisp light. The two actinics may make it a little purple though. I want a nice crisp light with a blue tint that will still fluoresce the corals. This tank mainly zoos, LPS, and softies, but will eventually have a couple of caps near the top.
Grim I saw you recommend this to another TX5 user, what kind of look will this give me vs what I already have?
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Super Actinic
UVL Aquasun
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue
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