The T5 Q&a Thread

[Skeptic_07]

Thank you!

 

[Cbravo212]

What would the minimum number of bulbs needed to keep any type of SPS and clams on the substrate in a 40 breeder? I know it depends on the fixture and bulbs, but how many would you suggest on opposite ends of the price ranges.

1. ATI Powermodule fixtures

2. Nova Extreme Pro fixtures

Thanks

 

[jmsalt1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15001537#post15001537 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
I would strongly suggest an Aquactinics Constellation as a compromise between the two. Looks better than both IMHO and will have better output than the Tek even with the external fan running PLUS it also has a splash shield so you can sit it right on the tank if you wish which gives you a nice gain in the amount of light reaching the bottom of the tank.

Grim,
I was heading down the retro fit path but having looked at the Constellation Series Aquactinics 48" 7 lamp T5 fixture I think that is an amazing unit. I like the 7 lamp with three different switches, excellent flexibility. If I were to use it in a well ventilated canopy or to reconfigure and create a open top canopy of sorts, do you have any specific advice having used this fixture? I know the fans are on the top, what are the smaller holes on the top? Would it make any sense to mount fans (e.g. 3" Icecaps) above the fixture in a canopy to ensure proper air flow if the top was not completely open? My initial vision was the fixture placed fairly close to the water in the canopy on rails so I could slide it forward or back in the canopy for maintenance with 3" Icecaps above the lighting unit bringing fresh air into the canopy from each side of the canopy. There would be an open section in the top of the canopy (call it 46" x 8") and the front lid would be an L shaped piece that flips back (I have this with PC lights right now) providing really nice access for maintenance and feeding by flipping it back and sliding the lighting unit back within the canopy. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[PermaNoob]

I'd like to put a retro 8x54w setup in my oceanic canopy but know absolutly nothing about lighting nor wiring. Will it fit and what setup do folks recommend including ballast, reflectors and bulbs. Tank is 24x24x48 and will have mostly lps with some sps.

Are retro setups better than fixtures or the other way around? I guess the fixture gets screwed right into the top of the canopy like a retro would? Thx.

 

[spider8u]

Hey grim would me going from the old nova extreme 8x54 fixture to the new nova extreme pro 6x54 fixture be an upgrade. Or should i spend the extra cash and get the tek 6x54 fixture. The thing i don't like about the tek is know active cooling and i would like my light to sit on top of my tank. Right now i just have some lps and soft corals but would like to get some sps the tank is 100gl 24inch deep thx

 

[reefsahoy]

OK Grim, it's gonna be the constellation 7 bulb for my 48x24x20h tank. i'd like to know what bulb combo to get lighting like szymon tank. He has a 10 bulb setup so I'm not sure which to drop off and which to add. Do you think the combo will also encourage growth? here's a pic of his tank for ref.

Thanks

 

[tatoofr]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15004791#post15004791 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reefsahoy
OK Grim, it's gonna be the constellation 7 bulb for my 48x24x20h tank. i'd like to know what bulb combo to get lighting like szymon tank. He has a 10 bulb setup so I'm not sure which to drop off and which to add. Do you think the combo will also encourage growth? here's a pic of his tank for ref.

Thanks

Hi,
Amazing tank.
What kind of lighting are you using now?
Frank

 

[reefsahoy]

tatoofr that's not my tank but that's where i want to be. that tank uses all t5's and was a totm some time ago. i was just using that pic as a ref.

 

[cardiffgiant]

Originally posted by cardiffgiant
I've been running a 6x54 tek fixture for 2 months. My oranges look good, and greens are insane. Just about anything green is a nuclear green. Some of my purples and reds are a bit flat. I've got some pink and purple birds nest, and some red planet that are pretty much brown. Showing good growth, but I'm not thrilled with the color.

This is what I have so far. Can someone recommend something that might help?

Giesemann AquaBlue+
Giesemann AquaBlue+
Giesemann Actinic Plus
Giesemann AquaBlue+
Giesemann Actinic Plus
Giesemann AquaBlue+
*front

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14999717#post14999717 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
Get a UVL 75/25 and try it in place of Aquablue. It has some red output and should pop your reds, pinks and purples better. Fiji Purple would work too.

Excellent! Thanks for your help!! Which one do you think would be best to replace? Middle?

 

[redhanded77]

just wondering, about how low can i place sps with a ATI 6 bulb fixture? or in other words, what is the depth rating for this fixture?

 

[ataller]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15002990#post15002990 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
Just cool the lamp ends. I never experimented enough with the 80 watt set to see how easy they are over cooled but the standard T5's will lose output with even a moderate amount of air directed at the center of the tube.

Grim, sorry to beat a dead horse but I am still trying to understand how a t5 bulb is found ideally temperature wise.

The cold spot which is by the label, is this normally cooler than the rest of the bulb and needs to be heated up? Or is it called the cold spot because it is the spot that needs to be cooled? Regardless I am correct that the cold spot needs to be 94 degrees?

What temperature does the air around the rest of the bulb ideally need to be.

Thanks !

Adam

 

[gsxunv04]

what do you all think of the UVL 14k bulb (75% actinic, 25% phosphors)
I have a six bulb combo(2 ATI Blue plus,2 ati aquablue specials and, the middle two are UVL aquasun and a 75/25) but my current bulb configuration is too much red/pink spectrum I feel. I would like to blue it up a bit, but still maintiain growth and PAR, any recommendations? I was also considering the FIji purple or green bulb. Thanks

 

[Sardaukar]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15001537#post15001537 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Grim Reefer
If you could see the fixtures side by side I think you would understand the price difference. The ATI is better engineered and has a lot better output due to the cooling and superior reflector materials and design but you can add an external fan on the back of the tank blowing across the rear of the Tek at the center of the fixture and score a nice gain in PAR, just make sure you don't use the splash shield and mount the fixture at least 4" above the water.
It still wont match the ATI performance or look but it will do well.

I would strongly suggest an Aquactinics Constellation as a compromise between the two. Looks better than both IMHO and will have better output than the Tek even with the external fan running PLUS it also has a splash shield so you can sit it right on the tank if you wish which gives you a nice gain in the amount of light reaching the bottom of the tank.

Thanks for the suggestion. It is indeed a very beautiful fixture with a nice price middle ground between those other two. At 14" wide it should fit perfectly over a 120 oceanic tech (24" front wide with euro bracing).

 

[mray]

Would 66 cfm of air from two pc fans be too much cooling for 6 54w bulbs?

 

[redhanded77]

on another note, what is your thoughts on using (2) 48" 8 bulb tek light fixtures to light a 96x24x24 aquarium that is sps and clam dominated?

 

[90g-reefer]

Grim I have a specific question for you. Will a Blue 450/460nm 20k bulb provide as much PAR as a 20k daylight bulb and still get sufficient growth? And secondly if I were to only run 2 "daylight" bulbs on my 8 bulb fixture and a combination of blue bulbs and antinic bulbs would that be enough daylight bulbs to achieve maximum growth?

 

[rtparty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15006621#post15006621 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by redhanded77
on another note, what is your thoughts on using (2) 48" 8 bulb tek light fixtures to light a 96x24x24 aquarium that is sps and clam dominated?

For SPS and clam dominated you will want the ATI fixtures. IMO the Constellation would be the lowest grade fixture I would consider.

 

[rtparty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15006637#post15006637 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 90g-reefer
Grim I have a specific question for you. Will a Blue 450/460nm 20k bulb provide as much PAR as a 20k daylight bulb and still get sufficient growth? And secondly if I were to only run 2 "daylight" bulbs on my 8 bulb fixture and a combination of blue bulbs and antinic bulbs would that be enough daylight bulbs to achieve maximum growth?

20K daylight? 20K is blue and falls in the 460nm range. The blue bulbs are the highest PAR bulbs available when it comes to T5's. You would be fine running only one "daylight" bulb in an 8 bulb combo if you really wanted.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15003268#post15003268 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Cbravo212
What would the minimum number of bulbs needed to keep any type of SPS and clams on the substrate in a 40 breeder? I know it depends on the fixture and bulbs, but how many would you suggest on opposite ends of the price ranges.

1. ATI Powermodule fixtures

2. Nova Extreme Pro fixtures

Thanks

You could do it with the PM with 4 lamps but I would do 6 to get better coverage. The Nova pro with 6 good lamps would work too.

 

[The Grim Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15003335#post15003335 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jmsalt1
Grim,
I was heading down the retro fit path but having looked at the Constellation Series Aquactinics 48" 7 lamp T5 fixture I think that is an amazing unit. I like the 7 lamp with three different switches, excellent flexibility. If I were to use it in a well ventilated canopy or to reconfigure and create a open top canopy of sorts, do you have any specific advice having used this fixture? I know the fans are on the top, what are the smaller holes on the top? Would it make any sense to mount fans (e.g. 3" Icecaps) above the fixture in a canopy to ensure proper air flow if the top was not completely open? My initial vision was the fixture placed fairly close to the water in the canopy on rails so I could slide it forward or back in the canopy for maintenance with 3" Icecaps above the lighting unit bringing fresh air into the canopy from each side of the canopy. There would be an open section in the top of the canopy (call it 46" x 8") and the front lid would be an L shaped piece that flips back (I have this with PC lights right now) providing really nice access for maintenance and feeding by flipping it back and sliding the lighting unit back within the canopy. Any advice would be appreciated.

Make sure you have at least a couple inches between the top of the fixture and the canopy as well as an inch or so at each side, the air is drawn in from the sides. I would place a small fan at each eand of the canopy at the rear to feed fresh air into the intake vents of the fixture. The other holes on top are just vents.