The T5 Q&a Thread

[RicGio]

I have a 90 gal , lighting was (4) T5's and (1) 250 watt HQI XM bulb. I liked the color, but the 250W seemed way too bright for my corals. The Monti's and birdnests near the top of the rockwere bleaching and my LPS's and Zoo's were not very happy either. I removed the 250W fixture and just ran the 4 T5's for a few months. Growth slacked way off and the corals just don't look as good.

I'm going to install a lower wattage HQI fixture, but I'm not sure what wattage to use? Will a 70 watter be enough? A 150 W too much? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Also, I'm going to use a ballastwise ballast with an ushio 14K bulb. Anyone have any experience with this combo?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14322140#post14322140 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by awilson500
Grim, Hi there I'm sorry if this seems repetitive, but I tried to read through this whole post but it is to long.
I'm building a 90 gallon sps tank and a have a lighting question for you. right now I'm running a Tek T-5 light with only 4 bulbs and I want to move it over to the 90. So what bulbs would you run in it? And am I going to need any metal halides?

Going to be tough raising SPS in a 90 with only 4 lamps in a Tek fixture.

If you really want to get serious about SPS grab a ATI 6 x 54 Sunpower. Just over 500 bux with lamps.

With the Tek you would need to use 4 Aquablue ATI lamps and get a fan to blow across the center of the fixture from the rear of the tank (Azoo makes a 2 fan clamp on array that works great) just to get by. You could certainly do that to start with but eventually you are going to need more light.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14322278#post14322278 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lightningfront
Just an FYI I was wrong, I checked when I got home tonight and installed the bulbs, the first and the 5th are the ones on a separate circuit.

How long of a photo period do people normally run with good T5 set-ups.

I was running 12 hours a day with my old PC fixture and I have been slowly working up the photo period since I switched to the T5s. Started out only running them for a few hours a day and have been increasing it over the last 2 weeks up to 8 hours with all 6 bulbs and the dawn/dusk only 2 bulbs for an hour before and after but that was with the current bulbs that came with the extreeme pro.

Should I keep the same 8 hour full photo period with the 1 hour dawn and dusk with my new bulbs?

You can switch the lamps around to get the dusk/dawn period you want. As far as photo period goes you can run the dusk/dawn as much as you want but I wouldn't run the others over 10 hours a day or so but at least 6 I would say.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14322458#post14322458 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by awilson500
Hey Grim right now I'm running

2-48" 54W HIGH OUTPUT 10,000K DAYLIGHT BULB and
2-48" 54W HIGH OUTPUT 460NM ACTINIC BULB

both are made by current. is this a good light setup?

They look OK but the output of the 460 actinics is dismal. If you like the look and growth I would let them go 6 months at east before changing them.

I'd use a UVL 75/25, A GE 6500K Daylight and 2 ATI Blue Plus.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14323673#post14323673 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by malawinovice
Can get a deal on an almost new version one of the aquactinics tx 5. Is the version two that much better that version one.

95% reflective material vs 98% miro silver material?

The change in reflector material takes the Aquactinics reflector from slightly less output than a Ice Cap to Slightly more. If the difference was more than a 100 bux I go for the older version if PAR output isn't critical.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14324107#post14324107 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kmu
Anyone else besides current usa makes 18" 18 watt T5 bulbs?

Im gettin ready to buy the Nova extreme pro 6x18watt T5 fixture that comes with the 3 10k bulbs and 3 actinic 460 bulbs which are blue in color and I like the actinics a little more purple so that it will make the corals glow better.

Dont know of other 18 inch lamps right now.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14324339#post14324339 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RicGio
I have a 90 gal , lighting was (4) T5's and (1) 250 watt HQI XM bulb. I liked the color, but the 250W seemed way too bright for my corals. The Monti's and birdnests near the top of the rockwere bleaching and my LPS's and Zoo's were not very happy either. I removed the 250W fixture and just ran the 4 T5's for a few months. Growth slacked way off and the corals just don't look as good.

I'm going to install a lower wattage HQI fixture, but I'm not sure what wattage to use? Will a 70 watter be enough? A 150 W too much? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Also, I'm going to use a ballastwise ballast with an ushio 14K bulb. Anyone have any experience with this combo?

A lot depends on what you are doing for reflectors. A 250 watt halide with a reasonably good reflector AND 4 T5's in good reflectors is a hell of a lot of light but if both are used in close quarters the heat from the halide can kill the T5 lamps. 70 watt halides are about worthless. If you have good T5 stuff I would try 2 ATI Blue Plus, one Aquablue and one UVL 75/25 then a 150 watt halide. Grab a couple fans and mount one on each side of the canopy blowing in from the back so the air cools the rows of endcaps and lamp eands.

 

[lightningfront]

Just thought Id share my new bulb pics.

From front
UVL 75/25
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue
KZ Fiji Purple
ATI Blue Plus
ATI ATI AquaBlue

 

[greennd79]

hey grim, how would this work in a 180 with lps and softies 6 ati blue pluses,4 uvl 75/25,2 uvl aquasun,2 uvl super actinic? right now i have 8 ati blue pluses,2 ati procolor,2 uvl super actinic,2 ati aquablue.

 

[jennmac415]

green... I am thinking of going with a combo similiar to your current combo... do you have any pics of your tank running these bulbs?

 

[tsr770]

Hey Grim,

My tank is 36"x30"x21"tall, I've been running my 6 bulb TEK retro for about a year now with just the regular workhorse ballasts. I have gotten myself into more and more SPS, and I think it is time for more light. I have a IC660 ballast here from a previous tank that I am thinking about wiring in to overdrive 4 of my 39 watt bulbs, I guess my question is if am I going to see a big difference with the TEK reflectors on the overdriven bulbs or should I pick up some IC or Aquatinics reflectors for the hot bulbs? What one of those reflectors do you like for a 21" deep tank?

I guess of I buy more reflectors I may just have to add 2 more bulbs over the tank too since I'll have the extra ballast and reflectors anyway... sounds like a good enough excuse to me at least.. lol

 

[greennd79]

no sorry i dont i love it i think its a little to much blue maybe if i changed the aqaublue for something a little whiter it would be perfect. but now of course im trying something a little differant

 

[jennmac415]

oh shoot! I like a bluer tank, and am thinking of going with a very similiar bulb combo... was hoping to see it beofre I order new bulbs.

 

[Milhouse]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14324263#post14324263 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
In some cases I'll throw in the Fiji Purple because someone asks about it. I have made my opinion on it well known and I am not going to get into pushing or steering people away from a product based on my personal opinion. The only time I would reco a Fiji Purple out of the blue is if PAR output is critical. The Fiji has more PAR than the 75/25 but isn't so harsh that it will overpower the look in a tank with just a few lamps the way an Aquasun can. I am going to revisit the UVL Actinic White lamp too. I had written them off before we discovered the benefit of adding some red into the spectrum.

Par isn't an issue for me since I'm pairing the T5's with MH. So I've got 4 T5's to go with a 20k MH. So for the 4 T5's two blue plus, one actinic and one 75/25? Will that be a good combo? Or should I just get rid of the actinic? Like I said, that combo is kinda close to what I have on my sons tank. I might try the same on his when I change the bulbs.

 

[awilson500]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14324412#post14324412 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
They look OK but the output of the 460 actinics is dismal. If you like the look and growth I would let them go 6 months at east before changing them.

I'd use a UVL 75/25, A GE 6500K Daylight and 2 ATI Blue Plus.

Does the wattage make a huge difference? 54watts or 80watts?

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14328608#post14328608 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by greennd79
hey grim, how would this work in a 180 with lps and softies 6 ati blue pluses,4 uvl 75/25,2 uvl aquasun,2 uvl super actinic? right now i have 8 ati blue pluses,2 ati procolor,2 uvl super actinic,2 ati aquablue.

Just spread them out so you get even distribution of the light.

Front
Blue Plus
Aquasun
Super Actinic
75/25
Blue Plus
75/25
Blue Plus

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14328911#post14328911 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tsr770
Hey Grim,

My tank is 36"x30"x21"tall, I've been running my 6 bulb TEK retro for about a year now with just the regular workhorse ballasts. I have gotten myself into more and more SPS, and I think it is time for more light. I have a IC660 ballast here from a previous tank that I am thinking about wiring in to overdrive 4 of my 39 watt bulbs, I guess my question is if am I going to see a big difference with the TEK reflectors on the overdriven bulbs or should I pick up some IC or Aquatinics reflectors for the hot bulbs? What one of those reflectors do you like for a 21" deep tank?

I guess of I buy more reflectors I may just have to add 2 more bulbs over the tank too since I'll have the extra ballast and reflectors anyway... sounds like a good enough excuse to me at least.. lol

30 inches front to back I would add more lamps, at least 2, 4 would be better. You really don't have to overdrive on a tank 21" tall but as long as you already have the ballast might as well.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14329052#post14329052 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Milhouse
Par isn't an issue for me since I'm pairing the T5's with MH. So I've got 4 T5's to go with a 20k MH. So for the 4 T5's two blue plus, one actinic and one 75/25? Will that be a good combo? Or should I just get rid of the actinic? Like I said, that combo is kinda close to what I have on my sons tank. I might try the same on his when I change the bulbs.

That combo sounds good to me.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14329132#post14329132 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by awilson500
Does the wattage make a huge difference? 54watts or 80watts?

Mainly just the length of the lamp.

 

[Milhouse]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14329797#post14329797 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
That combo sounds good to me.

Let me ask you a bit of a follow up question. So is bulb order really only for our benefit? Meaning only for aesthetics? Or is there some actual benefit for the corals? I was thinking my order would be blue plus, actinic or 75/25, MH, actinic or 75/25 and blue plus. I was leaning towards putting the actinic second, but I'm not sure if that would make my view seem a little more "blue" since i'm going with a 20k bulb. Obviously I can just play around with the selection order, but I was curious if there is more than aesthetics to it.