The T5 Q&a Thread

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by hapka16
Hey Grim.
I recently upgraded from a PC light to a Catalina Aquarium 6x39 watt T5 HO light for my 30 gallon reef tank. I've had it for about 3 weeks now and my current bulb config is 2 10K, 1 6500K, 1 18K, and 2 actinics. The brand of bulbs are Glo (they came with the fixture cuz i bought it used). Are these bulbs crap and if so what should i use and where can i get them. I live in Dallas, TX so i'll probably have to order them because all the stores here also carry Glo bulbs. My tank has mostly soft coral and some LPS and a single SPS...for now. My tank dimensions are 30"L x 12"W x 18"H...is this enought light for SPS? I've only been in the reef tank hobby for almost 4 years and am starting to get seriously addicted and want to do things right. I'm going to be upgrading to a 55gal. tall once i move to Denver in a year. Any help is appreciated.

Im pretty sure I already answered this for you but here it goes again.

If the actinics are real actinics which means they look violet add 2 Blue Pluses in place of one actinic and 1 10K. Dunno anything about Glo lamps. If you upgrade to anything much taller than what you have now you will have to be really careful about coral placement in the tank. The reflectors in that unit don't do much.

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by crsswift70
Wow this thread is long.. I have an outerorbit 2x150mh (10k) 4xt5h0 (2x420 2x460nm). The Mh are a crisp white, but they seem to wash out the visual effect of the actinics. The corals aren't showing great color. I have heard the 10k MH are great for growth, but i'd like more color punch. Can someone suggest some t5 changes? thanks.

If it's the current brand lamps I would go with 3 ATI Blue Plus and 1 UVL Super Actinic

[crsswift70]

Yup, they are the stock Currents. Thanks

[aquaconnect]

Grim,

You helped me out in the past with my 65 gallon, and now I have another question. I am a 1st grade teacher and had some equipment donated to set up in my classroom. I have a 40 gallon breeder, and have the choice of a 4 bulb or 6 bulb 36" tek light, which ever I wish to use. If I'm going to do a mixed reef with maybe carpet or rose anemone for the kids to have a 'nemo' or something like that, a couple of sps, lps and sofites (which I'm just going to donate out of my main system), which fixture would be best? Also, could you suggest bulbs and order for the configuration you think would be best for a 12-14K look? It'll be 3 sided viewable to section off my reading corner in my classroom. I don't know which fixture nor bulb sequence or combonation to chose since it's such a short tank and 3 sided viewable, and I'm not that up to speed with tek lights. It's going to be a pretty basic setup, so I don't want to have to mess with a skimmer, or chiller, so low heat will kind of be an issue. I always try to teach my kids so much about the ocean and it's conservation, and this is an awesome donation for my classroom.

Thanks in advance!

[keith5]

I'm probably going to pick up a Tek 4 bulb fixture for my 46 bow when my stimulus check comes. I'm thinking of doing this for my bulbs:

Giesemann Pure Actinic
Giesemann 11000K Aquablue Plus
Giesemann 11000K Aquablue Plus
Giesemann Actinic Plus

Will this look nice? I want more of a balanced look, not ridiculously blue.

[TulsaReefer]

I have ordered a 30" tank; a 220G that is 6' long and plan to bring over my 4 tube 4' T5 setup using one of my Icecap 660s, and then use my other Icecap to drive 4 more 4' tubes as well. Then to fill in the gaps, I have ballasts and reflectors from my 29G that I'll be bringing over to add a 24" tube to each row. You have previously recommended 8 rows, so I'll give that a shot. I already have half the Icecap reflectors I need, so I'll probably just continue to use those, unless there is a significant difference with the Aquatinics, they are a little more expensive, but if they are worth it I'm open to trying them?

So I'll have 8 rows of tubes, and I'll alternate the 2 footer and 4 footer on each row, so that they won't fall together. It would be easier to just use 16 3' tubes, but I would then leave all the 4' and 2' reflectors that I already own and are in perfect shape. So I've read back over the thread, and you've recommended quite a few different 8 bulb combos. Considering the 72x24x30 (30 depth) tank, I'm leaning toward:

Front
ATI Blue+
UVL Super Actinic
UVL Aquasun
ATI Blue+
ATI Aquablue (already have these tubes and they are fairly new)
ATI Blue+
UVL Aquasun
ATI Blue+

What do you think? It's a lot of depth, but all the 48" tubes will be overdriven (the 24" won't be). Trying to keep the color a bit on the blue side, with good PAR, but not overly blue. Today I run a 6 tube combo over my 24" deep 110G:

Front
VHO Super Actinic (T12)
ATI Blue+
UVL Aquasun
ATI Blue+
ATI Aquablue
VHO Super Actinic (T12)

and like the look fairly well, so I'd like to stick close to the same color, if anything slightly more blue would be fine.

So do you think my mix is optimal for hitting the depths, and PAR in a 30" deep tank, and still getting a decent color? Anything you see that would enhance ability to get to depth? I have a large Derasa clam that I'd like to leave in the sand bed (which I plan to be from 2" to 4" depth). If it doesn't work, I'll build a taller sand platform for it and move it up some, possibly a foot or so.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated, Thanks!

[our6pack]

Would an ATI 36" 8x39W work for a L 48.5 x W 18.5 x H 29 or is it two deep for T5? Thanks!

[SunnyX]

Hey Grim,

I have been looking at quite a few europeon tanks latly and it seems alot run only ATI Blue+ and ATI AquablueSpecial. If the colors in the pictures are true to the eye than that is what I would like to run in my new Constellation.

What do you think of this combo and placement:

Front
ATI Blue+
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue+
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue+
ATI Aquablue Special

Thanks again for you help!

[Primetime33]

I think I want to go with a 20k look now on my 150 (60x24x24).
Would this be a good bulb combo to achieve that look and still get a little growth out of it?

Also, Grim did you get a PAR reading on the new KZ new generation bulb yet?

Front to Back

ATI Blue+
UVL Super Actinic
KZ New Generation
ATI Blue +
Aquablue special or 75/25
ATI Blue+



Brock

[mcliffy2]

Originally posted by SunnyX
Hey Grim,

I have been looking at quite a few europeon tanks latly and it seems alot run only ATI Blue+ and ATI AquablueSpecial. If the colors in the pictures are true to the eye than that is what I would like to run in my new Constellation.

What do you think of this combo and placement:

Front
ATI Blue+
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue+
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue+
ATI Aquablue Special

Thanks again for you help!

SunnyX - I'm sure grim will be able to give you the definitive answer, but I'm guessing you'll find that to be much more white than you want. Usually I think its a 2:1 or even 3:1 of Blue+ to Special (you also might want to throw in 1 procolor bulb and/or 1 fiji purple).

[slowride]

I have a 24w x 4 Tek T5 over my 30g tall. I have 1 x ATI 12k, and 3 Actinic + bulbs, because I like it blue.

However I want to maximize PAR now, to get the best growth for my zoa's, Idaho grape, etc.

What would a good 4 bulb be for max par with a nice blue look?

[SunnyX]

I know Iwan runs them 1:1 and I also seen a really nice Italian tank that runs 7 Aquablue Special and 3 Blue+ and it looks great.
I want the lighting as close to "cool blue" as possible.

Edit: I have also seen a tank running 3 Aquablue special 3 Blue+ and 1 Fiji purple and it looked nice.

Originally posted by mcliffy2
SunnyX - I'm sure grim will be able to give you the definitive answer, but I'm guessing you'll find that to be much more white than you want. Usually I think its a 2:1 or even 3:1 of Blue+ to Special (you also might want to throw in 1 procolor bulb and/or 1 fiji purple).

[willewonka]

I recently purchased a Tek 4x39 off another reefer. When I turned the unit on the lights flicked on and then went out, like a flash. When I kept one of the switches on, a cap started smoking, which I then immediately turned off. I think I got a jolt. Is this from a bad ballast/ballasts or did something maybe come loose during shipping?

[mcliffy2]

Originally posted by SunnyX
I know Iwan runs them 1:1 and I also seen a really nice Italian tank that runs 7 Aquablue Special and 3 Blue+ and it looks great.
I want the lighting as close to "cool blue" as possible.

Edit: I have also seen a tank running 3 Aquablue special 3 Blue+ and 1 Fiji purple and it looked nice.

I ran my 12-bulb unit with 4 blue plus for a while, but it was much too yellow/white for my liking. I'm now running 6 blue plus, 2 fiji purple, 1 special, 1 duo, 1 aquasun, and 1 procolor. I think I'm going to replace 1 fiji puple and the aquasun w/ actinics b/c I'm having problems with bleaching of a few corals. I'll be tagging along to see what you come up with.

[SunnyX]

Well this is what he recomended earlier:

Front
Blue Plus
UVL 75/25
Aquablue
Blue Plus
Aquablue
Pro Color
Blue Plus

I just hope its not to yellow or warm. Im really looking for the 14-20K look.

Originally posted by mcliffy2
I ran my 12-bulb unit with 4 blue plus for a while, but it was much too yellow/white for my liking. I'm now running 6 blue plus, 2 fiji purple, 1 special, 1 duo, 1 aquasun, and 1 procolor. I think I'm going to replace 1 fiji puple and the aquasun w/ actinics b/c I'm having problems with bleaching of a few corals. I'll be tagging along to see what you come up with.

[SunnyX]

Well, I just put in my order. I couldn't decide on the bulbs so i got an extra bulb to test it out.

I got:

3 x ATI T5 54 Watt 48" Blue Plus
1 x Aquactinics T5 Constellation 48" Series
1 x Hanging Kit
4 x ATI T5 54 Watt 48" 12000K Aquablue Special
1 x ATI T5 54 Watt 48" Pro Color

Hopefully I will find a combo here I like

[mcliffy2]

Originally posted by SunnyX
Well, I just put in my order. I couldn't decide on the bulbs so i got an extra bulb to test it out.

I got:

3 x ATI T5 54 Watt 48" Blue Plus
1 x Aquactinics T5 Constellation 48" Series
1 x Hanging Kit
4 x ATI T5 54 Watt 48" 12000K Aquablue Special
1 x ATI T5 54 Watt 48" Pro Color

Hopefully I will find a combo here I like

You were actually pretty constrained, pat yourself on the back. I think I have about 30 bulbs now (for a 12 bulb unit)

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by aquaconnect
Grim,

You helped me out in the past with my 65 gallon, and now I have another question. I am a 1st grade teacher and had some equipment donated to set up in my classroom. I have a 40 gallon breeder, and have the choice of a 4 bulb or 6 bulb 36" tek light, which ever I wish to use. If I'm going to do a mixed reef with maybe carpet or rose anemone for the kids to have a 'nemo' or something like that, a couple of sps, lps and sofites (which I'm just going to donate out of my main system), which fixture would be best? Also, could you suggest bulbs and order for the configuration you think would be best for a 12-14K look? It'll be 3 sided viewable to section off my reading corner in my classroom. I don't know which fixture nor bulb sequence or combonation to chose since it's such a short tank and 3 sided viewable, and I'm not that up to speed with tek lights. It's going to be a pretty basic setup, so I don't want to have to mess with a skimmer, or chiller, so low heat will kind of be an issue. I always try to teach my kids so much about the ocean and it's conservation, and this is an awesome donation for my classroom.

Thanks in advance!

Go for 6 lamps

Front
Blue Plus
UVL Aquasun
Super Actinic
Blue Plus
Aquasun
Blue Plus


Should look pretty even from all sides.

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by keith5
I'm probably going to pick up a Tek 4 bulb fixture for my 46 bow when my stimulus check comes. I'm thinking of doing this for my bulbs:

Giesemann Pure Actinic
Giesemann 11000K Aquablue Plus
Giesemann 11000K Aquablue Plus
Giesemann Actinic Plus

Will this look nice? I want more of a balanced look, not ridiculously blue.

Use one Midday in place of an Aquablue.

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by our6pack
Would an ATI 36" 8x39W work for a L 48.5 x W 18.5 x H 29 or is it two deep for T5? Thanks!

As long as you place high light critters up on the rock you will be fine

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by TulsaReefer
I have ordered a 30" tank; a 220G that is 6' long and plan to bring over my 4 tube 4' T5 setup using one of my Icecap 660s, and then use my other Icecap to drive 4 more 4' tubes as well. Then to fill in the gaps, I have ballasts and reflectors from my 29G that I'll be bringing over to add a 24" tube to each row. You have previously recommended 8 rows, so I'll give that a shot. I already have half the Icecap reflectors I need, so I'll probably just continue to use those, unless there is a significant difference with the Aquatinics, they are a little more expensive, but if they are worth it I'm open to trying them?

So I'll have 8 rows of tubes, and I'll alternate the 2 footer and 4 footer on each row, so that they won't fall together. It would be easier to just use 16 3' tubes, but I would then leave all the 4' and 2' reflectors that I already own and are in perfect shape. So I've read back over the thread, and you've recommended quite a few different 8 bulb combos. Considering the 72x24x30 (30 depth) tank, I'm leaning toward:

Front
ATI Blue+
UVL Super Actinic
UVL Aquasun
ATI Blue+
ATI Aquablue (already have these tubes and they are fairly new)
ATI Blue+
UVL Aquasun
ATI Blue+

What do you think? It's a lot of depth, but all the 48" tubes will be overdriven (the 24" won't be). Trying to keep the color a bit on the blue side, with good PAR, but not overly blue. Today I run a 6 tube combo over my 24" deep 110G:

Front
VHO Super Actinic (T12)
ATI Blue+
UVL Aquasun
ATI Blue+
ATI Aquablue
VHO Super Actinic (T12)

and like the look fairly well, so I'd like to stick close to the same color, if anything slightly more blue would be fine.

So do you think my mix is optimal for hitting the depths, and PAR in a 30" deep tank, and still getting a decent color? Anything you see that would enhance ability to get to depth? I have a large Derasa clam that I'd like to leave in the sand bed (which I plan to be from 2" to 4" depth). If it doesn't work, I'll build a taller sand platform for it and move it up some, possibly a foot or so.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated, Thanks!

I think you will be right where you want with that mix of lamps. You could order spare Aquablues and try them in place of the actinic just to see if you like the look any better. It would be a nice bump in PAR.

[P.Kelly]

Does the ATI fixture or comparable bulbs put out more, less or similar PAR than an IceCap overdriving a similar bulb configuration using SLRs? Ballpark answer is just fine.

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by SunnyX
Hey Grim,

I have been looking at quite a few europeon tanks latly and it seems alot run only ATI Blue+ and ATI AquablueSpecial. If the colors in the pictures are true to the eye than that is what I would like to run in my new Constellation.

What do you think of this combo and placement:

Front
ATI Blue+
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue+
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue+
ATI Aquablue Special

Thanks again for you help!

Front
Aquablue
Blue Plus
Aquablue
Blue Plus
Aquablue
Blue Plus
Aquablue

The order will make more sense once you see how the fixture is wired

If you are open to experimenting grab a UVL 75/25 and try it in place of one of the aquablues to see what you think it does for the color. It isn't a bad thing to have a spare lamp laying around anyway. I would try it in slot 3 (3rd from the front/

[TulsaReefer]

Thanks! Sounds like I'm about ready to make an order then. And what about the pair of aquasuns, too much, maybe swap with aquablue? Sounds like either way, might be good to get an extra aquablue to play around with. And what's your opinion on the Fiji Purple? Have a few folks here playing with them, not sure myself, would it be something useful to try?

Originally posted by The Grim Reefer
I think you will be right where you want with that mix of lamps. You could order spare Aquablues and try them in place of the actinic just to see if you like the look any better. It would be a nice bump in PAR.

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by Primetime33
I think I want to go with a 20k look now on my 150 (60x24x24).
Would this be a good bulb combo to achieve that look and still get a little growth out of it?

Also, Grim did you get a PAR reading on the new KZ new generation bulb yet?

Front to Back

ATI Blue+
UVL Super Actinic
KZ New Generation
ATI Blue +
Aquablue special or 75/25
ATI Blue+



Brock

The new generation had about 8% less output than the previous version.

I think the mix you listed using an Aquablue and the UVL 75/25 along with the blues and actinic should look sweet. You could use the Koral light in place of the Aquablue if you already have it.