The T5 Q&a Thread
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A. Grandis
Active member
I would remove the system from the hole.
There is not enought gas exchange in that space.
Nice rockwork!
Grandis.
There is not enought gas exchange in that space.
Nice rockwork!
Grandis.
Fishingpcola
New member
Please explain remove the system from the hole. I will be cutting a 4" by 20" long hole on both sides.
reefsahoy
I can see thru you!
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15041440#post15041440 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Fishingpcola
I replaced 2 MH 250 watt and 3 vho with 8 T5 pushed with icecap 660s. My water temp went from 83 to 86-87. The canopy is enclosed with a 8" fan blowing down and 2 4" fans blowing down on the end caps. Other than cutting larger holes in the side of the canopy any other suggestions?
this is how i made my canopy. The decorated canopy is 3 sided and the top is open so there is full air exchange. the ac vent in the ceiling is actually pointing into the top of the tank. the inside wood structure is also 3 sided and the back is slightly tilted towards the water . The back also has 2 computer fans that blows air across the water then up thru the open top in the front of the canopy. my water has a temp of 76 even though my house is at 79 most of the time. here's a pic of my 14 year old daughter showing how to remove the top and to show that it's light enough to remove. if you got any ? let me know and i can get more pics.
Felix1021
New member
is the ATI blue plus better then the
giesemenn blue plus? (par/color/intensity)
does anyone know the name of the purple bulb from giesemenn?
I was recommended the following
ATI blue +
GE 65k
75/25 bulb
ATI blue +
but I want a purple in there some where.
should i get rid of a blue + or the 75/25
my choice would be a fiji purple or giesemenn but i dont know the name.
can someone pls help.
thanks
f.
giesemenn blue plus? (par/color/intensity)
does anyone know the name of the purple bulb from giesemenn?
I was recommended the following
ATI blue +
GE 65k
75/25 bulb
ATI blue +
but I want a purple in there some where.
should i get rid of a blue + or the 75/25
my choice would be a fiji purple or giesemenn but i dont know the name.
can someone pls help.
thanks
f.
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
Yes the ATI Blue Plus is better then the Gmann Actinic Plus.
Why do want a purple bulb? Are you talking about an actinic bulb? When all of the lights come on the actinic is washed out and really a waste of a bulb.
The 75/25 you have listed is purple with a hint of pink so you will get plenty of actinic from that. I would change the GE 6500K out for an ATI Aquablue. Unless you have some yellow corals that you want to really pop.
ATI Blue Plus
UVL 75/25 or Fiji Purple
ATI Aquablue or GE 6500K
ATI Blue Plus
mandm25254
New member
Hello, im looking to light my 40g breader (three way visable). Im looking for a t5 fixture and have come to the conclusion that i would liek the ATI 8 bulb 39w fixture. DO you think that is to much light i could use 3 or 4 attinic bulbs. The only reasion im going with the 8 is just in case i deside to upgrade some time in the future i have a very nice fixture already.
Also what do you think would be a good bulb combo For good growth and desint color, i would take coral growth over color though.
Also what do you think would be a good bulb combo For good growth and desint color, i would take coral growth over color though.
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
You will have a hard time keeping stuff happy in that tank with the ATI Powermodule. You may want to look into the ATI Sunpower 6x39W.
I was gonna run the ATI over my tank but decided against it because you I wouldn't have been able to keep acans and other LPS happy. With the Sunpower hitting 375 PAR at the sand on a 24" tall tank I knew with a 16" tall tank I would fry just about everything even running some actinics.
I like the idea of buying nicer now so if you upgrade you have a nice fixture already but the only tank you can really upgrade to is the 65 gallon. IF you go to a 4 footer you will want a 4 foot fixture. You may want to look into the Aquactinics TX5 also.
Hope that helps
mandm25254
New member
Would you say the 6 bulb is good, or d you still think that is to much.
birdman1979
New member
Grim,
What 4 bulb combo do you recommend with 2 vho super actinics on a 75 gallon tank? I'm still in the planning stages, but was thinking:
Blue +
Super Actinic
aquablue
Fiji Purple
Super Actinic
Blue +
Mostly SPS, any LPS would be shaded.
The VHOs are on an ARO ballast and the T5s are on Icecap 660.
I'm worried the lighting will be too intense, should I run 3 T5's off the 660?
Would be great if you could recommend a 4 and 3 bulb combo to go with the Super Actinics.
What 4 bulb combo do you recommend with 2 vho super actinics on a 75 gallon tank? I'm still in the planning stages, but was thinking:
Blue +
Super Actinic
aquablue
Fiji Purple
Super Actinic
Blue +
Mostly SPS, any LPS would be shaded.
The VHOs are on an ARO ballast and the T5s are on Icecap 660.
I'm worried the lighting will be too intense, should I run 3 T5's off the 660?
Would be great if you could recommend a 4 and 3 bulb combo to go with the Super Actinics.
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
The 6 bulb would still be PLENTY. Actually IMO it is still too much. You would want to run at least 2 slots as actinic bulbs. You can also raise the fixture so it is like 8" off the water and that will help a ton.
To help you understand my point a little more here is my thinking. Most SPS corals need between 300-500 PAR. A lot of LPS seem to like the 100-250 PAR range and 250 being high light LPS. My acans that I love so much only need roughly 120 PAR to be at full glory and color up very nicely. I did not want to fight too much light. If the ATI Sunpower was hitting 375 PAR at the sand on a 24" tank I know it would be hitting low to mid 400's in a 40 breeder. I could keep high light SPS on the sand and I would totally fry any LPS or softies. Grim and I even talked about running the crappy Current USA bulbs to knock PAR down quite a bit but I still decided against it.
I am not trying to talk you out of the ATI Sunpower because I would not even think twice about getting it. I love the ATI stuff. But on shallower tanks they are way overkill, IMO. For my tank I have decided to either do a retro or even go with a crappy Current USA fixture and just change the bulbs after 3 or 4 months. The only problem I have with the Current fixture is if I do upgrade to a 65 it may not be enough.
4, 6, or even 8 bulbs isn't gonna change the PAR or intensity under the lamps. It is just gonna change how wide that intensity spreads. Make sense? I like the 6 bulb ATI Sunpower with 2 actinics, 2 ATI Blue Plus, 1 KZ Fiji Purple or UVL Aquasun, and 1 ATI Aquablue.
I hope that helps a little. I really would hate for you to spend good money and then fry everything in the tank. I just hope to help you make a more informed decision in the end. That way you and your tank are happy!
Slick Fork
New member
I have a quick question on cooling.
My DIY fixture is open top (really just a square out of 1x2's with endcaps mounted) so the passive cooling is quite good, and the tank is in my basement which stays quite cool (usually about 15 celcius) so I'm wondering if there's such thing as too much cooling? I have no way of monitering the bulb temp and the thought occured to me that maybe it's cold enough down there. Can I overcool the bulbs?
So, how do I know if I need cooling? If I need it I''ll probably get a computer fan but should I point it lengthways across the bulbs or should I have one blowing back to front across all 8 bulbs on the label end?
Thanks
My DIY fixture is open top (really just a square out of 1x2's with endcaps mounted) so the passive cooling is quite good, and the tank is in my basement which stays quite cool (usually about 15 celcius) so I'm wondering if there's such thing as too much cooling? I have no way of monitering the bulb temp and the thought occured to me that maybe it's cold enough down there. Can I overcool the bulbs?
So, how do I know if I need cooling? If I need it I''ll probably get a computer fan but should I point it lengthways across the bulbs or should I have one blowing back to front across all 8 bulbs on the label end?
Thanks
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
I am starting back in at this post. If you had a previous question you want me to answer please repost it.
Using a computer fan to blow down the row of endcaps on one side with the lamps installed so the labels are at that end will cool it fine.
You only need a slight amount of air movement right at the end of the lamp to cool it. By pointing the fan at the end caps you are pretty much going to be assured you aren't going to overcool the lamps
Using a computer fan to blow down the row of endcaps on one side with the lamps installed so the labels are at that end will cool it fine.
You only need a slight amount of air movement right at the end of the lamp to cool it. By pointing the fan at the end caps you are pretty much going to be assured you aren't going to overcool the lamps
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
Use a UVL 75/25 instead of the Fiji Purple, same effect but more mellow output. If you think the lighting is too intense you can angle the reflecto0rs a bit to tone down the intensity.
mandm25254
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15046768#post15046768 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rtparty
The 6 bulb would still be PLENTY. Actually IMO it is still too much. You would want to run at least 2 slots as actinic bulbs. You can also raise the fixture so it is like 8" off the water and that will help a ton.
To help you understand my point a little more here is my thinking. Most SPS corals need between 300-500 PAR. A lot of LPS seem to like the 100-250 PAR range and 250 being high light LPS. My acans that I love so much only need roughly 120 PAR to be at full glory and color up very nicely. I did not want to fight too much light. If the ATI Sunpower was hitting 375 PAR at the sand on a 24" tank I know it would be hitting low to mid 400's in a 40 breeder. I could keep high light SPS on the sand and I would totally fry any LPS or softies. Grim and I even talked about running the crappy Current USA bulbs to knock PAR down quite a bit but I still decided against it.
I am not trying to talk you out of the ATI Sunpower because I would not even think twice about getting it. I love the ATI stuff. But on shallower tanks they are way overkill, IMO. For my tank I have decided to either do a retro or even go with a crappy Current USA fixture and just change the bulbs after 3 or 4 months. The only problem I have with the Current fixture is if I do upgrade to a 65 it may not be enough.
4, 6, or even 8 bulbs isn't gonna change the PAR or intensity under the lamps. It is just gonna change how wide that intensity spreads. Make sense? I like the 6 bulb ATI Sunpower with 2 actinics, 2 ATI Blue Plus, 1 KZ Fiji Purple or UVL Aquasun, and 1 ATI Aquablue.
I hope that helps a little. I really would hate for you to spend good money and then fry everything in the tank. I just hope to help you make a more informed decision in the end. That way you and your tank are happy!
I have decided to go with the sunpower, i have contatacted Reefgeeks and will have one on its way to me soon. Now with reefgeeks i get the 6 free bulbs so would it be to much trouble for you to help me out with what bulbs i should get i can choose from any on here.
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/Replacement_Bulbs/T5_Fluorescent/39_Watt/
Please keep in mind i would like to keep mostly sps, and a acan nd zoo one or two at the bottom of the tank. I know i would want two good attinic's on the end and a fiji in the middle. So what else should i throw in there. I would rather better growth then coral too by the way.
The Grim Reefer
Ready for some NOBALL!!!
Clams should be fine assuming you don't mount the fixture more than 6 inches above the tank or so
I am not sure of the exact lamp pairings for dusk dawn but something along the lines of this should be close
Front
ATI Blue Plus
UVL 75/25
ATI Blue Plus
GE 6500K Daylight
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Actinic White
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Blue Plus
vangoghfish
Member
Hey Grim, what fixture would you say is better, the 72" current extreme pro with the 12 x 39w t5 or the 72" Aquatinics T5 fixture, with the 14 x 39w t5s, and why?
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