The T5 Q&a Thread - split

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally Posted by E-A-G-L-E-S

I have some PAR to play with considering it is a 6 lamp over a 40 breeder....which actinic lamp(s) is superior in this regard?
TIA Grim!

ATI or UVL. I would pick ATI simply because UVL's don't seem to last as long. Sfigoli or however the hell you spell it have some nice one's too.

[njw26]

The Question is who makes the best T-5 bulbs???

[The Grim Reefer]

I've had the best luck with ATI and GE lamps. I suspect KZ will be equal to the ATI's. Giesemann are a step below. then as far as I am concerned you have all the others. My standard is price. There is no way to sell a good lamp for half the price what the good stuff goes for. If you aren't paying at least 17 bux for a 48" T5 that is aquarium trade specific (doesn't apply to the GE) it can't have the same quality as the good stuff.

[jhoff]

So what's the skinny on the new ATI coral plus..

[rtparty]

Originally Posted by jhoff

So what's the skinny on the new ATI coral plus..

It was just barely released and probably isn't even in the States yet. LOL

It looks like the KZ New Generation from what I can tell. Should be a little more blue than the Aquablue and that is a VERY good thing IMO.

[TropTrea]

Originally Posted by rtparty

It was just barely released and probably isn't even in the States yet. LOL

It looks like the KZ New Generation from what I can tell. Should be a little more blue than the Aquablue and that is a VERY good thing IMO.

I just looked at there advertised spectrum for the coral plus. In my estimation it is 25% 6,500K and 75% of there blue plus. This may turn out to be a great full spectrum bulb but the question will be if one can get away with just one of these bulbs or it they will need two to get a good balance against additional blue plus bulbs.

They do show a strong red peak so I'd be hesitant to use it with purple plus until I knew more about this bulb. I'm very leery about manufacturers spectrum graphs after working in the industry and learning some of the sales tricks.

[The Grim Reefer]

A Purple plus is basically an aquablue with the green removed as much as possible so you are left with red and blue spectrum, Purple. I am out of the ATI loop since I dared use LED's for my new system but the 25% 6500K 75% if whatever the blue plus mix is sounds like what the New Gen has. You can see all the colors from violet to red but the blue is very dominant. With a Purple Plus in the mix it's going to depend on the so-called 6500K phosphor they use. If it's pinkish like the UVL it'll suck, If it's ivory like the old GE 6500K Daylights were it will be a great complement to the purple plus and allow you to custom tailor your color by using more or less of them in a mix of Blue and Purple Plus.

[TropTrea]

Originally Posted by The Grim Reefer

A Purple plus is basically an aqua blue with the green removed as much as possible so you are left with red and blue spectrum, Purple. I am out of the ATI loop since I dared use LED's for my new system but the 25% 6500K 75% if whatever the blue plus mix is sounds like what the New Gen has. You can see all the colors from violet to red but the blue is very dominant. With a Purple Plus in the mix it's going to depend on the so-called 6500K phosphor they use. If it's pinkish like the UVL it'll suck, If it's ivory like the old GE 6500K Daylights were it will be a great complement to the purple plus and allow you to custom tailor your color by using more or less of them in a mix of Blue and Purple Plus.

From the spectrum I saw for this bulb the spike in the green and the spike in the red are very close in magnitude. Therefore I'd suspect that the full spectrum part of the bulb would fall in the yellow range like the GE 6,500K if you decreased the blue. But the Blue area of the spectrum almost matches perfect to the Blue Plus so the bulb will be predominantly blue. Also noting that the eye is more sensitive to green light than red light I doubt you will be able to detect any predominance of pinks. not that the advertised spectrum for the aqua blue special has a much stronger green spike than this bulb is advertised at, and the purple plus has less of red spectrum than this bulb has on its plot.

But as I said advertised power spectrum's are not always very accurate. If any peak is 10% higher and another 10% lower there still considered accurate but the final color visible to the eye can turn out other than what you would expect. Until a few people get a hold of this bulb and run it a few hours to break it in and give there opinions we have to just go by the advertised spectrum.

[The Grim Reefer]

Yeah. I have a cheap spectrometer and what is actually produced doesn't look anything like those lame graphs the companies market with. If I had a good macro lens for my camera I'd post up some of the lamps.

[clevebill]

i have 4ft 8 bulb ati powermodule over my 60x18x19 tank.i have it at around 13 inches from the water.what i noticed my bubble coral that is midway down dosent inflate real big and my open brain on the sand dosnt get puffy kinda lays flat.i had a nice green milli that got nuked it was more toward the top of the tank and a red milli sps that was on the sand is gone.
i run
super actinic
b+
b+
purple +
b+
kz new gen
b+
super actinic
i love the color my tank looks now i tried running 4 bulb and it kinda looks dark.i might try six bulbs but i might not have the same color.now if i run less bulbs should i lower the light or keep at the same height.this fixture is so dam bright that it cooks stuff fast.or should i add more actinics to lower the par.

[rezaktp]

Whats the best 60" T5 reflector out there?

also the best 48"?

[TropTrea]

Originally Posted by clevebill

i have 4ft 8 bulb ati powermodule over my 60x18x19 tank.i have it at around 13 inches from the water.what i noticed my bubble coral that is midway down dosent inflate real big and my open brain on the sand dosnt get puffy kinda lays flat.i had a nice green milli that got nuked it was more toward the top of the tank and a red milli sps that was on the sand is gone.
i run
super actinic
b+
b+
purple +
b+
kz new gen
b+
super actinic
i love the color my tank looks now i tried running 4 bulb and it kinda looks dark.i might try six bulbs but i might not have the same color.now if i run less bulbs should i lower the light or keep at the same height.this fixture is so dam bright that it cooks stuff fast.or should i add more actinics to lower the par.

too much light is a real possibility with your tank being only 18" tall and your running 8 bulbs with one of the more efficient fixtures. The easiest solution in my mind would to raise the light fixture if possible. another possibility is put a piece of frosted Plexiglas between the tank and the light fixture only that may cut it too much. but if you don;t cover the entire area you can reduce the light in some areas.

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally Posted by rezaktp

Whats the best 60" T5 reflector out there?

also the best 48"?

LET from reefgeek.

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally Posted by clevebill

i have 4ft 8 bulb ati powermodule over my 60x18x19 tank.i have it at around 13 inches from the water.what i noticed my bubble coral that is midway down dosent inflate real big and my open brain on the sand dosnt get puffy kinda lays flat.i had a nice green milli that got nuked it was more toward the top of the tank and a red milli sps that was on the sand is gone.
i run
super actinic
b+
b+
purple +
b+
kz new gen
b+
super actinic
i love the color my tank looks now i tried running 4 bulb and it kinda looks dark.i might try six bulbs but i might not have the same color.now if i run less bulbs should i lower the light or keep at the same height.this fixture is so dam bright that it cooks stuff fast.or should i add more actinics to lower the par.

You could go with UVL 454's instead of ATI blue plus because they have a lot less PAR. Other than that raise the fixture or add a layer of fiberglass window screen over the tank to drop PAR

[Borchers]

So I know that you guys prefer ATI bulbs but that's not what I have. I am running all Giesmann bulbs in my 48 Tek 8 bulb unit. I just bought the bulbs as this is all my LFS carries. I am looking for a good sane to dusk 20k radium look. Here is what I have. By the way my Tek runs the four outside bulbs and then the 4 inside

I have the following Giesmann bulbs.
4 Actnic +
3 Aquablue +
2 Actinic
1 miiday.

So let me know

[rtparty]

Originally Posted by Borchers

So I know that you guys prefer ATI bulbs but that's not what I have. I am running all Giesmann bulbs in my 48 Tek 8 bulb unit. I just bought the bulbs as this is all my LFS carries. I am looking for a good sane to dusk 20k radium look. Here is what I have. By the way my Tek runs the four outside bulbs and then the 4 inside

I have the following Giesmann bulbs.
4 Actnic +
3 Aquablue +
2 Actinic
1 miiday.

So let me know

For a real true 20k look, you will have a tough time with those bulbs. If I want a 20k look with 8 bulbs I use 6 blue and 2 pink bulbs. That would be 6 Actinic Plus and 2 AquaPink bulbs using Geisemann bulbs.

You could try the 4 Actinic Plus, 2 Actinic and 2 Aquablue and see what you think but the Aquablue bulbs are going to overpower just about everything else. See if the store will exchange some bulbs for you. I would take all 3 Aquablue bulbs back and get another Actinic Plus and 2 AquaPink bulbs.

[SDonkey]

Ok guys, have looked back through tons of posts but still want to ask..
6 bulb 36" Aquatic life fixture over a 65.
Light configuration with time is:
Lamps 1,3,5,6 for "white" timer
Lamps 2 and 4 for "blue" timer.

I currently have it running front to back:
Blue Plus
Purple Plus
Blue Plus
Blue Plus
UVL Super Actinic
Blue Plus

I run the "white" timer as first on and last off and the "blue" timer that kicks on during the day.
So that means first on and off is:
Blue Plus
Blue Plus
UVL Super Actinic
Blue Plus

Followed by:
Purple Plus
Blue Plus

Fiance says its still too blue for her during the daytime hours. I tried an aquablue and its just way too "bright/white" for me. I also have quite a bit of coraline algae in the tank and it seems the combo of the Purple Plus and Aqua Blue really make that stand out and the corals not as "showy".
I'm willing to drop the UVL since from what I read it doesn't help growth, just color.
Any suggestions?

Thanks for all your help guys!!
Zack

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally Posted by SDonkey

Ok guys, have looked back through tons of posts but still want to ask..
6 bulb 36" Aquatic life fixture over a 65.
Light configuration with time is:
Lamps 1,3,5,6 for "white" timer
Lamps 2 and 4 for "blue" timer.

I currently have it running front to back:
Blue Plus
Purple Plus
Blue Plus
Blue Plus
UVL Super Actinic
Blue Plus

I run the "white" timer as first on and last off and the "blue" timer that kicks on during the day.
So that means first on and off is:
Blue Plus
Blue Plus
UVL Super Actinic
Blue Plus

Followed by:
Purple Plus
Blue Plus

Fiance says its still too blue for her during the daytime hours. I tried an aquablue and its just way too "bright/white" for me. I also have quite a bit of coraline algae in the tank and it seems the combo of the Purple Plus and Aqua Blue really make that stand out and the corals not as "showy".
I'm willing to drop the UVL since from what I read it doesn't help growth, just color.
Any suggestions?

Thanks for all your help guys!!
Zack

Try a KZ New Generation in place of the Actinic

[Borchers]

Originally Posted by rtparty

For a real true 20k look, you will have a tough time with those bulbs. If I want a 20k look with 8 bulbs I use 6 blue and 2 pink bulbs. That would be 6 Actinic Plus and 2 AquaPink bulbs using Geisemann bulbs.

You could try the 4 Actinic Plus, 2 Actinic and 2 Aquablue and see what you think but the Aquablue bulbs are going to overpower just about everything else. See if the store will exchange some bulbs for you. I would take all 3 Aquablue bulbs back and get another Actinic Plus and 2 AquaPink bulbs.

I'll try the Combo first and then see how things look.

[cdivine]

I just purchased four UVL bulbs. The 454, Aqua Sun, 75/25, and super actinic to go over 48x12high frag tank. They were on sale and in the past they were my favorite bulbs. Now I'm catching up on this thread and I'm reading that the quality control isn't all that great. Did I make a bad purchase? Why are the new UVL bulbs, so different from the old UVL bulbs?

[boosted chemist]

double

[boosted chemist]

Now I have been playing wiht bulb combos and cant seem to attain the color and pop I like. First it was two giessman blue, aqua blue and a kz new gen, my sps basically lost color, so next i swap out the new gen for a figi purple and a new aquablue special, the color is back but honestly i HATE the red the kz figi bulb puts out. So now im 3 blue and one aqua blue, i must say the coral pops more and the sps seems happy (going to let it sit for a bit)

But i was thinking, I have newish bulbs and they are "good" bulbs" so maybe it is time to point the finger at my fixture. I run a current sundial t5 (yaya i know), been looking to upgrade to a tek 4 or 6 bulb or a ati 4 bulb over my 40b. I plan on keeping mostly lps and some colorful zoa along with acros. At the same time I don't wanna cook my acans, do you guys think its a good idea to upgrade the fixture? And is the base tek going to give me what i want compared to my current model?

(also looking at the radion though im not entirely sold on the leds yet.)

[TropTrea]

Originally Posted by boosted chemist

Now I have been playing wiht bulb combos and cant seem to attain the color and pop I like. First it was two giessman blue, aqua blue and a kz new gen, my sps basically lost color, so next i swap out the new gen for a figi purple and a new aquablue special, the color is back but honestly i HATE the red the kz figi bulb puts out. So now im 3 blue and one aqua blue, i must say the coral pops more and the sps seems happy (going to let it sit for a bit).)

Did you try the New Generation with the 3 Blue Plus Bulbs? or another option is the GE 6500 with 3 blues.

Originally Posted by boosted chemist

But i was thinking, I have newish bulbs and they are "good" bulbs" so maybe it is time to point the finger at my fixture. I run a current sundial t5 (yaya i know), been looking to upgrade to a tek 4 or 6 bulb or a ati 4 bulb over my 40b. I plan on keeping mostly lps and some colorful zoa along with acros. At the same time I don't wanna cook my acans, do you guys think its a good idea to upgrade the fixture? And is the base tek going to give me what i want compared to my current model?

(also looking at the radion though im not entirely sold on the leds yet.)

Yes your tank is not that tall so light does not have to penetrate very deeply and a 6 bulb fixture could be too much for some of your corals.

I also like the LED fixtures but am very skeptical about them. Therefore I'm doing some DIY experimenting with that idea myself now. Starting small but if they prove to be a good at some claim I should be able to cut my lighting bill in half eventually.

[gibbus123]

Hi I decided to replace my 8x39module to an ATI dimmable. Would an 8x39sunpower dimmable be ok for a full SPS tank(42x24x24)? Or would I benefit more from a 10x39 power module?

Oh what bulb combination for a 14k look?

[njw26]

I'm running a 8 bulb 54 watt t-5 fixture on my 55 gal mixed reef tank. i just bought 5 blue plus, 2 purple plus and an aqua blue bulbs. Any specific order i should put them in the fixture???