Adding actinics on a MH set up

Navyblue · 01/02/2007, 11:18 AM

My MH fixture is at the top of the hood, which is about 12" from the waterline. I am planning of adding some T5 actinic. How do you guys with similar set up mount the T5?

My tank is 48"x24"x24".

I can mount it lower in the middle of the hood, but that would block the MH light path.

If I push it to the sides, there isn't any corals near the glass.

What if I mount it near the glass at an angle pointing towards the corals? Would T5's reflector work well shining at an angle?

I can mount it beside the MH at 12" above water line, would it be too far off?

Existing light is 2x150W MH, I am thinking of adding 2 tubes, would that make a difference in look at all? As I can't squeeze too many tubes in there.

Thank you for reading.

lemadl · 01/02/2007, 04:03 PM

Navyblue,

I had the same problem with my 95 wave tank, with similar dimensions to yours.

It is a strange shape which limited my ability to place them in the "ideal" location without interfering with my halides.

To my surprise, when I installed them the light filled the entire tank, despite the "angle of attack". I know the MH bulbs have a more focussed beam, but I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the T5s. They will throw their light far and wide.

Navyblue · 01/02/2007, 04:13 PM

Thanks Dave.

So how did you actually fixed them? Just mount them near the front glass nearer to the water surface? Did you tilt the light so that they points to the centre of the tank?

supertech3 · 01/02/2007, 04:41 PM

i mounted mine on the underside of the wooden canopy and like lemadl stated they did have a good casting of light

jbplay · 01/02/2007, 04:43 PM

I had a similar issue in that my 75g is mounted in the wall under the stairs which left me very little room for lights. For a year I ran with two 150w MH Aquamedic pendants with Phoenix 14k bulbs and was relatively happy. I started to miss my dusk/dawn and wanted the colors to pop a little more. After contacting Reefgeek, I ordered a Tek T5 54w two bulb ready retrofit with an ATI Blue + and a UVL Super Actinic. I installed the retrofit toward the forward edge of the tank and angled the reflectors a little toward the back. The coverage is great and the colors are fantastic. As a bonus, my growth rates have improved.

jag1979 · 01/02/2007, 04:51 PM

I have a canopy w/ 14" of inside clearance, I have 3x250 mh's and 3x5' t5's. I just mounted the t5's at the top of the canopy: 2 in front of the mh's and 1 behind them, it works great

Navyblue · 01/02/2007, 05:11 PM

I guess it worked no matter how I mount it?

My most convenient way of mounting seems to be mounting it at the same level as the MH, may be 1 tube in front and another at the back, as it will not interfere me from putting my hands in the tank.

Any objection?

drstupid · 01/02/2007, 07:34 PM

please post how it turns out, i'm looking to do the same thing to a similar setup and have the same concerns.

jag1979 · 01/02/2007, 10:28 PM

not the best quality of picture but

jag1979 · 01/02/2007, 10:31 PM

tank w/ t5 actinics mounted at top of 14" (interior) high canopy

t5's only

Navyblue · 01/03/2007, 05:10 AM

Thanks Jag1979 for the pictures. What tubes are those that you are using?

I have problem getting actinic tubes here. I wonder if ATI's "Blue Plus" will do fine for fluorescent purpose? Also anyone has any information regarding "Aqualight Coral Blue" tubes? Those are the closest to actinic that I can find here.

Navyblue · 01/03/2007, 10:32 AM

Anyone else?

Navyblue · 01/04/2007, 12:04 PM

I wonder if anyone of you can help me save a couple of minutes.

I am pretty busy lately. I got myself 2 T5 tubes, ballast, reflectors and wiring. After an hour of hooking up, when firing up, the tube would only blink once and cease to light up. I haven't try the other tube. I could figure out what's wrong with it after an hour of fiddling or so but may be your experience could make my life a little easier.

Does it sounds like bad ballast? or wrong wiring?

Thanks a heap.

northbay-reefer · 01/04/2007, 12:16 PM

when that happen, usually that mean you have a bad ballast ... the same thing happen to me. But to be sure try other tubes, it could also be bad contact.

dc_909 · 01/04/2007, 12:25 PM

I would think it was bad wiring. Go over the wiring scheme to double check.

drstupid · 01/04/2007, 01:52 PM

what bulbs and reflectors and ballast did you end up getting, navyblue?

Navyblue · 01/04/2007, 04:27 PM

I got the Aqualight Coral Blue, Tridonic Atco ballast, and the so called "M" shaped reflector.

I guess I'll try the other tubes after I got more wiring, and contact the seller too. Will let you guys know again.

Thanks guys, btw this is the first time I am doing this sort of thing.

Navyblue · 01/05/2007, 01:08 PM

The answer was the ballast will only fire when both tubes are connected.

I'll post a picture of the tank and the set up after I finish hooking them up on the tank.

Navyblue · 01/06/2007, 05:47 AM

Here it goes. In the end, I mounted the T5s on top of the canopy with the MH, one in front and another behind.

Here are how the tank looks like. All the pictures below has identical exposure and white balance (6500K) for comparison purpose. Please pardon me for the diatoms.

2 x 150W DE MH (10000K BLV at the left and 7000K Astralux) only

2 x 150W DE MH (10000K BLV at the left and 7000K Astralux) + 2 x 54W Aqualight Coral Blue

2 x 54W Aqualight Coral Blue only

jag1979 · 01/06/2007, 06:37 AM

"Thanks Jag1979 for the pictures. What tubes are those that you are using?

I have problem getting actinic tubes here. I wonder if ATI's "Blue Plus" will do fine for fluorescent purpose? Also anyone has any information regarding "Aqualight Coral Blue" tubes? Those are the closest to actinic that I can find here."

I use 2 ati blue plus and 1 aquablue

Navyblue · 01/06/2007, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jag1979
"Thanks Jag1979 for the pictures. What tubes are those that you are using?

I have problem getting actinic tubes here. I wonder if ATI's "Blue Plus" will do fine for fluorescent purpose? Also anyone has any information regarding "Aqualight Coral Blue" tubes? Those are the closest to actinic that I can find here."

I use 2 ati blue plus and 1 aquablue

Thanks.

01/02/2007, 11:18 AM	#1
Navyblue Low maintenance first Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,790	Adding actinics on a MH set up My MH fixture is at the top of the hood, which is about 12" from the waterline. I am planning of adding some T5 actinic. How do you guys with similar set up mount the T5? My tank is 48"x24"x24". I can mount it lower in the middle of the hood, but that would block the MH light path. If I push it to the sides, there isn't any corals near the glass. What if I mount it near the glass at an angle pointing towards the corals? Would T5's reflector work well shining at an angle? I can mount it beside the MH at 12" above water line, would it be too far off? Existing light is 2x150W MH, I am thinking of adding 2 tubes, would that make a difference in look at all? As I can't squeeze too many tubes in there. Thank you for reading.

01/02/2007, 04:03 PM	#2
lemadl Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Costa Rica Posts: 39	Navyblue, I had the same problem with my 95 wave tank, with similar dimensions to yours. It is a strange shape which limited my ability to place them in the "ideal" location without interfering with my halides. To my surprise, when I installed them the light filled the entire tank, despite the "angle of attack". I know the MH bulbs have a more focussed beam, but I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the T5s. They will throw their light far and wide. __________________ surfer dave Current Tank Info: 280 gallon reef. 95 gallon Wave Tank, Fish, live rock.

01/02/2007, 04:51 PM	#6
jag1979 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 982	I have a canopy w/ 14" of inside clearance, I have 3x250 mh's and 3x5' t5's. I just mounted the t5's at the top of the canopy: 2 in front of the mh's and 1 behind them, it works great __________________ clowns, bi-color pseudo, coral beauty, yellow tang GBTA, crocea clam xenia, various polyps/zoa's, candy cane, tree leather, frogspawn, torch, various mushrooms, green/red plate, birdsnest Current Tank Info: 180 AGA, tunze 6100, 6025 and 6060, 3 x 250 mh's, 3 x 80 t5's, ASM G4+

01/02/2007, 07:34 PM	#8
drstupid Aquarist emeritus Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Narberth, PA Posts: 760	please post how it turns out, i'm looking to do the same thing to a similar setup and have the same concerns. __________________ i'm not a real doctor, i just play one on tv. Current Tank Info: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2429266

01/02/2007, 10:28 PM	#9
jag1979 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 982	not the best quality of picture but __________________ clowns, bi-color pseudo, coral beauty, yellow tang GBTA, crocea clam xenia, various polyps/zoa's, candy cane, tree leather, frogspawn, torch, various mushrooms, green/red plate, birdsnest Current Tank Info: 180 AGA, tunze 6100, 6025 and 6060, 3 x 250 mh's, 3 x 80 t5's, ASM G4+

01/02/2007, 04:13 PM	#3
Navyblue Low maintenance first Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,790	Thanks Dave. So how did you actually fixed them? Just mount them near the front glass nearer to the water surface? Did you tilt the light so that they points to the centre of the tank?

01/02/2007, 04:41 PM	#4
supertech3 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: El Paso Posts: 1,206	i mounted mine on the underside of the wooden canopy and like lemadl stated they did have a good casting of light

01/02/2007, 04:43 PM	#5
jbplay Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Savage, MN Posts: 71	I had a similar issue in that my 75g is mounted in the wall under the stairs which left me very little room for lights. For a year I ran with two 150w MH Aquamedic pendants with Phoenix 14k bulbs and was relatively happy. I started to miss my dusk/dawn and wanted the colors to pop a little more. After contacting Reefgeek, I ordered a Tek T5 54w two bulb ready retrofit with an ATI Blue + and a UVL Super Actinic. I installed the retrofit toward the forward edge of the tank and angled the reflectors a little toward the back. The coverage is great and the colors are fantastic. As a bonus, my growth rates have improved.

01/02/2007, 05:11 PM	#7
Navyblue Low maintenance first Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,790	I guess it worked no matter how I mount it? My most convenient way of mounting seems to be mounting it at the same level as the MH, may be 1 tube in front and another at the back, as it will not interfere me from putting my hands in the tank. Any objection?

01/02/2007, 10:31 PM	#10
jag1979 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 982	tank w/ t5 actinics mounted at top of 14" (interior) high canopy t5's only __________________ clowns, bi-color pseudo, coral beauty, yellow tang GBTA, crocea clam xenia, various polyps/zoa's, candy cane, tree leather, frogspawn, torch, various mushrooms, green/red plate, birdsnest Current Tank Info: 180 AGA, tunze 6100, 6025 and 6060, 3 x 250 mh's, 3 x 80 t5's, ASM G4+

01/03/2007, 05:10 AM	#11
Navyblue Low maintenance first Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,790	Thanks Jag1979 for the pictures. What tubes are those that you are using? I have problem getting actinic tubes here. I wonder if ATI's "Blue Plus" will do fine for fluorescent purpose? Also anyone has any information regarding "Aqualight Coral Blue" tubes? Those are the closest to actinic that I can find here.

01/03/2007, 10:32 AM	#12
Navyblue Low maintenance first Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,790	Anyone else?

01/04/2007, 12:04 PM	#13
Navyblue Low maintenance first Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,790	I wonder if anyone of you can help me save a couple of minutes. I am pretty busy lately. I got myself 2 T5 tubes, ballast, reflectors and wiring. After an hour of hooking up, when firing up, the tube would only blink once and cease to light up. I haven't try the other tube. I could figure out what's wrong with it after an hour of fiddling or so but may be your experience could make my life a little easier. Does it sounds like bad ballast? or wrong wiring? Thanks a heap.

01/04/2007, 12:16 PM	#14
northbay-reefer Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Wine country Posts: 4,831	when that happen, usually that mean you have a bad ballast ... the same thing happen to me. But to be sure try other tubes, it could also be bad contact. __________________ go BIG or go home Current Tank Info: Tankless :D

01/04/2007, 12:25 PM	#15
dc_909 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Murrieta, CA Posts: 3,260	I would think it was bad wiring. Go over the wiring scheme to double check.

01/04/2007, 01:52 PM	#16
drstupid Aquarist emeritus Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Narberth, PA Posts: 760	what bulbs and reflectors and ballast did you end up getting, navyblue? __________________ i'm not a real doctor, i just play one on tv. Current Tank Info: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2429266

01/04/2007, 04:27 PM	#17
Navyblue Low maintenance first Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,790	I got the Aqualight Coral Blue, Tridonic Atco ballast, and the so called "M" shaped reflector. I guess I'll try the other tubes after I got more wiring, and contact the seller too. Will let you guys know again. Thanks guys, btw this is the first time I am doing this sort of thing.

01/05/2007, 01:08 PM	#18
Navyblue Low maintenance first Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,790	The answer was the ballast will only fire when both tubes are connected. I'll post a picture of the tank and the set up after I finish hooking them up on the tank.

01/06/2007, 05:47 AM	#19
Navyblue Low maintenance first Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 2,790	Here it goes. In the end, I mounted the T5s on top of the canopy with the MH, one in front and another behind. Here are how the tank looks like. All the pictures below has identical exposure and white balance (6500K) for comparison purpose. Please pardon me for the diatoms. 2 x 150W DE MH (10000K BLV at the left and 7000K Astralux) only 2 x 150W DE MH (10000K BLV at the left and 7000K Astralux) + 2 x 54W Aqualight Coral Blue 2 x 54W Aqualight Coral Blue only

01/06/2007, 06:37 AM	#20
jag1979 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 982	"Thanks Jag1979 for the pictures. What tubes are those that you are using? I have problem getting actinic tubes here. I wonder if ATI's "Blue Plus" will do fine for fluorescent purpose? Also anyone has any information regarding "Aqualight Coral Blue" tubes? Those are the closest to actinic that I can find here." I use 2 ati blue plus and 1 aquablue __________________ clowns, bi-color pseudo, coral beauty, yellow tang GBTA, crocea clam xenia, various polyps/zoa's, candy cane, tree leather, frogspawn, torch, various mushrooms, green/red plate, birdsnest Current Tank Info: 180 AGA, tunze 6100, 6025 and 6060, 3 x 250 mh's, 3 x 80 t5's, ASM G4+