The T5 Q&a Thread

[cham]

Ok, I'm getting a four bulb 24" Current USA fixture for my 20g tall (17" tall) frag tank. I think four bulbs should give me enough par right?

I was thinking

2- ATI Blue+
1- GE 6500
1- KZ Fiji purple

Any flaws here? I guess the major debate I'm having is getting the KZ or the UVL 75/25.

95% of the frag tank will be SPS.

 

[pfoster40]

What is the best bulb set up with a Tx5 for a mixed reef?

 

[nanug7]

GRIM,

WHAT DO THINK ABOUT THE AquaIllumination LED SYSTEM? DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE?

 

[redfishsc]

Hopefully the link I goofed above will work:
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5...inch__2x80W_SLR_T5_High-Output_Retrofit_Kit_w!_Bulbs_by_IceCap

 

[redfishsc]

Well CRAP just copy/past the friggin thing. I think the ! is what's goofing it up.

 

[ellinas]

rtparty-I actually messed up my bulbs. I actually have:
(all Geisemann)

Pure Actinic x2
Actinic Plus x3
Aquablue Plus x1
Midday x1

Can you re-answer my questions with this in mind...again sorry about the mistake but I was at work when I wrote this.
Thanks!

 

[rtparty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14519685#post14519685 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by n9gux
Yes retro kits. Sorry.

Call reefgeek and get the reefgeek brand reflectors. They have better output then the Ice Cap and better than the TEK reflectors.

The reefgeek stuff just isn't on their site yet.

ATI Blue Plus
KZ Fiji Purple
ATI Blue Plus
GE 6500K
ATI Aquablue
ATI Blue Plus

 

[rtparty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14520417#post14520417 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cham
Ok, I'm getting a four bulb 24" Current USA fixture for my 20g tall (17" tall) frag tank. I think four bulbs should give me enough par right?

I was thinking

2- ATI Blue+
1- GE 6500
1- KZ Fiji purple

Any flaws here? I guess the major debate I'm having is getting the KZ or the UVL 75/25.

95% of the frag tank will be SPS.

Your setup is perfect. That is about the highest PAR you can get. The ATI Aquablue has more PAR than the GE 6500K but you will want the color spectrum from the GE.

 

[rtparty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14520472#post14520472 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pfoster40
What is the best bulb set up with a Tx5 for a mixed reef?

ATI Blue Plus
UVL 75/25
ATI Aquablue
GE 6500K
ATI Blue Plus

If you want more PAR change the 75/25 to a KZ Fiji Purple

 

[rtparty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14520710#post14520710 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nanug7
GRIM,

WHAT DO THINK ABOUT THE AquaIllumination LED SYSTEM? DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE?

PFO who I believe makes those systems has shut their doors and is in a huge lawsuit right now. They infringed on a patent and now that company is taking them for everything they are worth.

LED lighting in the aquarium industry may be done for good.

 

[rtparty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14521734#post14521734 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ellinas
rtparty-I actually messed up my bulbs. I actually have:
(all Geisemann)

Pure Actinic x2
Actinic Plus x3
Aquablue Plus x1
Midday x1

Can you re-answer my questions with this in mind...again sorry about the mistake but I was at work when I wrote this.
Thanks!

(sigh of relief!)

I like the other bulbs A LOT more!

Actinic Plus
Pure Actinc
Aquablue Plus
Midday
Actinic Plus
Pure Actinic
Actinic Plus

Again I don't know the firing order on that fixture. Try to keep the Actinics and Actinic plus on for dusk dawn and the midday and Aquablue for midday.

Grim?????(He has that fixture so he will know the order better than I do)

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14516572#post14516572 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rpierce
The lights are about 5 inches above the water. Most corals look great, but I have a few that look really bad. The polyps dont even come out anymore. I'm confused. I've never had a problem like this. I do have 2 fans blowing across the bulbs. Thanks for your help.

Rick

Have you had all your water parameters checked?

Also check for stray voltage in the tank

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14516938#post14516938 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by suliaman007
Thanks, iv herd from many people that the GE 6500K Daylights are really yellow and contribute to algae and cyno growth . Do you think I will have any of those problems with only one bulb with all the actinics?

Thnks Again

I've never had the issue running GE lamps.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14518606#post14518606 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ellinas
Hey Grim,
Three questions: I recently picked up the Aquactinics Constellation 7 T5 Fixture.

1)My LFS sold me Geisemann bulbs and I was wondering what order you would suggest to put them in?
2)Also are these a good assortment to start growing SPS corals? I currently only have softies (but I want to make a change to SPS w/o MHs, hence the T5). Here are the bulbs I have:

3x Aquablue+
2x PureActinic
1x Midday
1x Actinic+

3)I was wondering which bulbs would you suggest to go on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd? There are three controlers on the fixture. 2 seperate controlling 2 bulbs, 1 controlling 3 bulbs. I like the idea of 'dawn to dusk'.
Thanks!

I'd get more Blue (Actinic Plus) lamps.

Front
Pure Actinic
Aquablue
Midday
Actinic Plus
Aquablue
Aquablue
Pure Actinic

That will let you run the actinic plus and 2 pure actinics as dusk/dawn, Then 2 aquablues and then the midday and last aquablue.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: T5 new fixture time setting help!

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: T5 new fixture time setting help!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14518770#post14518770 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fishtk75

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14512134#post14512134 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rtparty
I am not sure I understand your second question.

T5 bulbs usually last about a year. After that people notice big differences. They will not last 18 months that is for sure. All of the blue phosphors will be gone by then. Current USA bulbs are good for about 6 in my opinion.

The bulbs I recommended are the 4 you should run in my opinion. [/QUOTE

Second question was when times up of bulb life to change to list of bulbs you listed.
When I looked and can not find at LFS so who handle these you listed.
How many hour for lights you say to run a day?

Don't try to push the lamps over a year if you have SPS. reefgeek has about the best selection of lamps

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14519232#post14519232 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by redfishsc
Here is a PAR, color temp, and growth relationship question.

If you have two bulbs that are pretty close in actual PAR output, does the spectrum really matter all that much in a MIXED reef? I realize corals that come from shallow water will benefit from lower K ratings and vice versa, but in a mixed reef, does it really matter?


In other words, if you had a 2-lamp configuration, which bulb combo would you expect better growth from? Let's assume all these bulbs to be "equal" in PAR output, although I know they vary by ~10-15%

I am as interested in opinions/preferences as well has any hard evidence anyone can point me to regarding light spectrum, coral growth, and PAR output.

ATI Blue+ and ATI Aquablue

ATI Aquablue and UVL Aquasun

ATI Blue+ and UVL Aquasun

ATI Blue+ and Fiji Purple

Disco ball and strobe light



Another way I can phrase this is "which is more important for a mixed reef: total PAR or appropriate spectrum"?

Only way to get hard evidence is going to be costly in time and materials. It is fairly well accepted that corals best utilize light in the blue/green spectrum. If you look at a graph of PUR which is the usable light range of PAR it has a valley in the area of yellow. I have seen another graph that shows the light different elements in the corals use and it was in the blue green and the deeper red spectrum.

At one time the Iwasaki 6500K halide was considered the best there was for growing corals but it seems a great many people have now switched to the higher K lamps with great success. While that 6500K halide looked yellow it also had a lot of blue in the output. You really don't hear of many people using the 6500K halide any more.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14519505#post14519505 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by n9gux
I have a 125 gallon 60x18x25 tank. I am planning on going with either a Tek 60" 6x80w fixture or an Icecap 60" 6x80w fixture. Which one should I go with and what bulbs? I want to be able to keep just about anything. Thanks in advance!

ATI 6 x 60" fixture. I am not sure if Tek makes a 60" fixture now but they do have 60 inch retro reflectors. Ice Cap has retro fits but not 60". You can get a 60" retrofit kit from reefgeek. If you do call and order the reefgeek reflectors with are only 2 1/2 wide. The Teks are slightly more than 3" wide which causes an issue trying to place 6 in an 18" area.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14520710#post14520710 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nanug7
GRIM,

WHAT DO THINK ABOUT THE AquaIllumination LED SYSTEM? DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE?

Not personally, I am told by someone I trust they have pretty good output but I would want to see a few more people's experience on them before I would drop the money they want for them.

PFO's LED fixtures weren't all that great. The company that is suing them is supposedly bringing out a line of LED fixtures this spring.

 

[nanug7]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14523363#post14523363 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
Not personally, I am told by someone I trust they have pretty good output but I would want to see a few more people's experience on them before I would drop the money they want for them.

PFO's LED fixtures weren't all that great. The company that is suing them is supposedly bringing out a line of LED fixtures this spring.

What's the company in the lawsuit with PFO?

 

[divewsharks]

Orbitec is the company who owned the patent.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1567602