The T5 Q&a Thread

[doovid]

Gtim, I was wondering why you recommend that the fan blow air on to the endcaps with the labeling?

 

[rtparty]

water movement

water movement

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13772015#post13772015 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by snaza
Growth is good. Not amazing but good. I dont really want extremely fast growth though. Here are a few old pics i dug up.

First off let me tell you your tank is gorgeous! It was seeing your tank that made up my mind on what bulbs to get for my 90 gallon.

I have a quick question for you though. What powerheads are you running in your tank? Do you have a wavemaker or anything like that?

I can see a couple Koralia's but what else do you have and what size are the Koralias?

thanks

Ryan

 

[binoy_415]

hello,i wanted to upgrade my lights,into a nova extreme pr0 t5 ho 72"(12 39w,610000k,6-460nm)so far i had a couple of birds nest bunch of zoa;s,monti danae,anemone,nepthea green.basically it would be a mix of sps and lps,,right now i have 2 175 mh(20000k sps bulb,hamilton ballast,and 2 t5 1 actnic 1 day(which is under the needs of this tank)..,,i wanted to ask for opinions on wich combination would likely fit my tanks needs,by the way my tank is 72x24x30 with a canopy that is around 8'-10" high,i wanted this upgrade before i buy some more frags for my tank,,thanks very much..

 

[snaza]

Re: water movement

Re: water movement

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13791295#post13791295 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rtparty
First off let me tell you your tank is gorgeous! It was seeing your tank that made up my mind on what bulbs to get for my 90 gallon.

I have a quick question for you though. What powerheads are you running in your tank? Do you have a wavemaker or anything like that?

I can see a couple Koralia's but what else do you have and what size are the Koralias?

thanks

Ryan

3xK4 and 1 x cheap resun wavemaker

 

[Poseidon]

Hey Grim, just wanted to give an update. I was able to fit the IceCap ballasts into my DIY fixture that I had asked about a few pages ago. I have a total of 6 bulbs, on an IC660 and a 430, with the bulbs in this order:

Geismann Pure Actinic
Geismann Aquablue +
Geismann Pure Actinic
UVL 75/25
Geismann Aquablue +
Geismann Actinic +

Here are a few pictures of the project:

Neither the bulbs or ballasts get hot, I would describe them as warm to the touch, which I am very happy about!

Thank you for all your work and dedication!

 

[SoLiD]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13787310#post13787310 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
If you are using 10K haliudes I would use half T5 Blue Plus lamps and half VHO Actinics.

I never thought of that Grim . Thanks for all the help you provide to the Reef Central Community.

 

[kmacartney]

Enterprise that is a great rig!!!

Does anyone else have problems with their zoas and shrooms hiding?

 

[DheereCrossing]

NICE JOB!!!! I love the look!

 

[Poseidon]

Thank you kmacatney, and DheereCrossing, I am rather pleased with it myself.

 

[hpglow]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13792317#post13792317 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Enterprise
Hey Grim, just wanted to give an update. I was able to fit the IceCap ballasts into my DIY fixture that I had asked about a few pages ago. I have a total of 6 bulbs, on an IC660 and a 430, with the bulbs in this order:

Geismann Pure Actinic
Geismann Aquablue +
Geismann Pure Actinic
UVL 75/25
Geismann Aquablue +
Geismann Actinic +

Here are a few pictures of the project:

Neither the bulbs or ballasts get hot, I would describe them as warm to the touch, which I am very happy about!

Thank you for all your work and dedication!

Damn when I built my fixture I couldn't decide between using black acrylic or aluminum and after seeing your pics I wish I would have used aluminum.

 

[Poseidon]

It's funny you mention black acrylic! I am going to use that to fill the "gap" between the top of the tank, and the bottom of the fixture.

I chose Al for its ability as a heatsink, and for its strength and the corrosion resistance of this particular alloy.

 

[ooja3k]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13792317#post13792317 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Enterprise
Hey Grim, just wanted to give an update. I was able to fit the IceCap ballasts into my DIY fixture that I had asked about a few pages ago. I have a total of 6 bulbs, on an IC660 and a 430, with the bulbs in this order:

Geismann Pure Actinic
Geismann Aquablue +
Geismann Pure Actinic
UVL 75/25
Geismann Aquablue +
Geismann Actinic +

Here are a few pictures of the project:

Neither the bulbs or ballasts get hot, I would describe them as warm to the touch, which I am very happy about!

Thank you for all your work and dedication!

Did you put a super thin acrylic shield on the fixture??

 

[Poseidon]

No, I did not. I have thought about it, but the bulbs are actually a little farther away from the water then what they were when I had my wood canopy.

I considered the use of the shield for 2 reasons, first for the forced cooling it would cause, by forcing all the air pulled in by the fans to pass over the endcaps. Secondly, it would be easier to clean a single acrylic shield then it is to clean 6 bulbs and reflectors.

 

[saltydog64]

Source of T5 HO Blubs

Source of T5 HO Blubs

Hi guys,

I'm sure this has been asked a million times....sorry but once again where you folks buying your blubs, specially the ATI stuff...Thanks for your help.

Posts seems to have timed out I'll try again, if it's a 2X post oh well...............

 

[Todd March]

Re: Source of T5 HO Blubs

Re: Source of T5 HO Blubs

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13793727#post13793727 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by saltydog64
Hi guys,

I'm sure this has been asked a million times....sorry but once again where you folks buying your blubs, specially the ATI stuff...Thanks for your help.

Posts seems to have timed out I'll try again, if it's a 2X post oh well...............

reefgeek.com, reefgeek.com, reefgeek.com, reefgeek.com, reefgeek.com!

Best selection and best prices. Greg ships wonderufully tooâ€"lamps are rarely broken...

 

[mboos]

Grim,

reefgeek.com offers the 2 x 54 icecap retro, but it says that it comes with either the Universal AccuStart or Vossloh-Schwabe electronic ballast. Which one would you suggest?

And what two lamps do you suggest for a FOWLR?

thank you.

 

[in_flight]

just wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a 24" 4 bulb fixture for my frag tank, i'm looking for a nice blue colour with good par and promotes faster growth if possible

 

[aquaglobal]

Hi Grim,
Just wanted to say Thanks again for all the help! I am going for the two T5 retrofits! I will hopefully post some pics when its all done!
Thank you

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13789613#post13789613 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ajones51
Ok, I currently have a 55 standard with 6" dsb and a current usa sundial t5ho fixture. The fixture is 6" above the water. It has the vvvvv style reflector and the 4 stock bulbs.

I just bought a 90 gallon setup that came with an icecap 660 ballast and 4 t12 vho bulbs. I know the t12's are old and need to be replaced. So I was thinking about doing a 4 bulb t5vho retro and using the 660 ballast to power them.

Can I do a 4 bulb T5vho retro and get another ballast so I can keep 2 of the t12 vho superactinics? Would this make the colors pop better? Or should I just go with a 6 bulb t5vho setup instead?

My tank is mixed reef with softies, lps, and sps (at top)

I will be using my sundial fixture in the mean time. It has done well enough on my 55. How about keeping the sundial and using 2 of the t12 vho superactinics?

Use the Ice Cap for the 4 T5's and grab a Workhorse 7 for the VHO Actinics. Reefgeek will make you a deal on a VHO T5 retro minus ballast.

I hate to waste the icecap ballast and I know the uvl vho super actinics are sweet.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13790077#post13790077 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by doovid
Gtim, I was wondering why you recommend that the fan blow air on to the endcaps with the labeling?

Thats where the cold spot in the lamp is located. I still reco blowing fans at both ends but the biggest effect is had by cooling the label ends.