Are your T-5 fixtures really growing Acro's???

krzyphsygy · 06/09/2007, 09:49 AM

I hear people saying it, but are they really growing the thick branched Acro's. I don't mean an inch every six months.....are they growing the same the Halides would??

george1098 · 06/09/2007, 10:12 AM

I have a 90 gal with 2 x 250 halides, and a 23 gal with 4 x 24 w t-5's. As soon as one of my acros gets big enouph to frag, i am going to try to compare. but untill then, check this out:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1120850

RichConley · 06/09/2007, 11:34 AM

why do people have such a hard time believing this? They put out more light per watt than most MH fixtures, and people are running about 2/3 the wattage....

george1098 · 06/09/2007, 11:41 AM

yea, after seeing some of the european sps tanks (particularely the italian tanks) that run off t-5's exlusively, i became a beleiver in t-5's.

krzyphsygy · 06/09/2007, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by george1098
yea, after seeing some of the european sps tanks (particularely the italian tanks) that run off t-5's exlusively, i became a beleiver in t-5's.

Yea but were those tanks solely grown on t-5 or were they running Halides for along period of time and then put the t-5 on??

Thats were the growth question comes from. ARE YOU REALLY GROWING ACROS' WITH T-5'S?

krzyphsygy · 06/09/2007, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RichConley
why do people have such a hard time believing this? They put out more light per watt than most MH fixtures, and people are running about 2/3 the wattage....

Are you running T-5's on a SPS tank?

cato · 06/09/2007, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by krzyphsygy

Thats were the growth question comes from. ARE YOU REALLY GROWING ACROS' WITH T-5'S?

YES, I am.

krzyphsygy · 06/09/2007, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by chirocato
YES, I am.

Care to elaborate???

What light have you used in the past?? How do you rate the t-5?? What brand bulb and fixture are you runninG??????????

cato · 06/09/2007, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by krzyphsygy
Care to elaborate???

What light have you used in the past?? How do you rate the t-5?? What brand bulb and fixture are you runninG??????????

Yaeh I will for ya. Gimme a few, got a crying 7 mos old that needs tending to.

cato · 06/09/2007, 02:56 PM

Display tank is 60 x 24 x 24. Set up is a retro 8 x 80 watt bulb unit. They are all over driven on Icecap ballasts with individual reflectors. Everything was bought at Reefgeek. One Icecap 430 runs 2 bulbs ( 1-Giesemann Pure actinic and 1- ATI Blue plus). Second ballast is a 660 that powers 3 ATI Blue plus bulbs. Third ballast is another 660 that powers 2 GE 6500k and 1 GE 3000k. I can't give you actual numbers but it's def a whole lot o light.

HERE's a few of my build pics.

And one from today...

I know, I know, I still need to clean up the wiring.

It's a new system that's been running since Feb/Mar this year. All my acros were started as frags and seem to be growing about 1/2" per month on avg. Some slower ,some faster depends on the species. Some are naturally just slow growers which I'm sure you know. I do know this, a lot of my frags came from friends tanks that were using halides. Originally the frags were in a holding tank with a normal output Current Nova T5 unit and had awesome color. When I moved them to my new setup with over driven bulbs I bleached some of them a bit due to the intensity increase with out adequate acclimation. My fault. You can click my lil red house to see a lot of my pics. I think the frags pics are taken during the month of Dec so skim fwd to them to see. There are also some updated pics at the end of the thread. Just go easy on me it's a young tank only a few months old.

Another note is don't be fooled into thinking that T5's are all that energy efficient. If you overdrive them you use significantly more energy then the 80w/bulb you'd think but par also increases a lot.

But still less than halides would. Although not much IMO.
The only thing I miss about halides is the shimmer effect but not enough to go back to halides simply for heat issues.

george1098 · 06/09/2007, 03:31 PM

very cool set up!

JER-Z · 06/09/2007, 03:36 PM

my T5s are growing acros....i've never had MH so i don't know what to compare growth rates to..

unbreakable · 06/09/2007, 03:53 PM

does anyone know if the t5 fixture would be just as good as the tek?

http://hellolights.com/index.asp?Pag...OD&ProdID=1413

tek

edit: sorry the t5 fixture from hello lights

Musho3210 · 06/09/2007, 04:30 PM

chirocato, you could probably get even more light by getting individual reflectors....

cato · 06/09/2007, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Musho3210
chirocato, you could probably get even more light by getting individual reflectors....

they are.

Freds · 06/09/2007, 06:06 PM

Wow that's a really sweet setup! Can you post a FTS? I'd love to see how your acros look under all that light.

Musho3210 · 06/09/2007, 06:10 PM

oh it looked like it was all under one reflector, sorry about that

reeladdictive · 06/09/2007, 09:44 PM

i have a 172 bow front that im setting up what should i use t5 or halides it is 72''long ????????? sps

RobbyG · 06/09/2007, 11:13 PM

I am only using 4 x T5's (54W) my Acro is about 8" from the surface and has grown out about 1/4" in the last month. I have no idea how that rates with MH but I am only using 208W and I am happy with that small growth so long as the coral looks good and is healthy. The one thing I have that lets me get away with such low wattage is that I spent a long time making sure that as much light as possible is reflected into the tank and almost none escapes.

HBtank · 06/10/2007, 12:12 AM

My new acro frags are growing at an awesome rate. As fast as my caps.

my new stag, just a few weeks ago, just added:

Now it is braching everywhere and the base has spread totally off the plug and onto the rock.

I am a newbie acro keeper, but I don't see any reason why this will stop.

hahnmeister · 06/10/2007, 12:48 AM

My T5 lit 40B, 6x39wattT5s, surpasses my halide lit 40B, lit with a 250wattDE bulb. The corals grow faster (even with my bulbs at 18 months old), and with more color.

newmoon · 06/10/2007, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by hahnmeister
My T5 lit 40B, 6x39wattT5s, surpasses my halide lit 40B, lit with a 250wattDE bulb. The corals grow faster (even with my bulbs at 18 months old), and with more color.

Do you have any pictures to show of both set ups?

krzyphsygy · 06/10/2007, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by hahnmeister
My T5 lit 40B, 6x39wattT5s, surpasses my halide lit 40B, lit with a 250wattDE bulb. The corals grow faster (even with my bulbs at 18 months old), and with more color.

Soooo T-5 users.......what lamp do you recomend for a 48in 75gl tank. What fixture and what bulbs and all that...

Well let me put it this way, if you could purchase any t-5 fixture you wanted and were trying to grow thick branched tabletop acro's.......which one would you buy?

Freds · 06/10/2007, 01:43 PM

No offense guys but in my local club there are hundreds of "I great GREAT colors and results doing ***** " posts, but when I actually see these tanks in person they look like total crap. In my local club I even changed my signature to:

"DO NOT take advise from someone who cannot show you a FULL TANK SHOT!"

Does anyone have proof of their great color under T5s? (With an AMERICAN tank?)

Freds · 06/10/2007, 01:47 PM

I'm really not trying to be a jerk but I find it really suspect when in a thread about how your corals react to certain lights, people post several pics of their lights but none of their tank.

Am I crazy?

06/09/2007, 09:49 AM	#1
krzyphsygy Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 2,148	Are your T-5 fixtures really growing Acro's??? I hear people saying it, but are they really growing the thick branched Acro's. I don't mean an inch every six months.....are they growing the same the Halides would??

06/09/2007, 10:12 AM	#2
george1098 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Halifax NS Canada Posts: 1,336	I have a 90 gal with 2 x 250 halides, and a 23 gal with 4 x 24 w t-5's. As soon as one of my acros gets big enouph to frag, i am going to try to compare. but untill then, check this out: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1120850 __________________ I'm not as think as you stupid i am Current Tank Info: None at the moment

06/09/2007, 11:34 AM	#3
RichConley Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bostonian in Chicago going to DC Posts: 9,908	why do people have such a hard time believing this? They put out more light per watt than most MH fixtures, and people are running about 2/3 the wattage.... __________________ NO TANKS!!!

06/09/2007, 11:41 AM	#4
george1098 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Halifax NS Canada Posts: 1,336	yea, after seeing some of the european sps tanks (particularely the italian tanks) that run off t-5's exlusively, i became a beleiver in t-5's. __________________ I'm not as think as you stupid i am Current Tank Info: None at the moment

06/09/2007, 02:56 PM	#10
cato New England Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: CT Posts: 5,450	Display tank is 60 x 24 x 24. Set up is a retro 8 x 80 watt bulb unit. They are all over driven on Icecap ballasts with individual reflectors. Everything was bought at Reefgeek. One Icecap 430 runs 2 bulbs ( 1-Giesemann Pure actinic and 1- ATI Blue plus). Second ballast is a 660 that powers 3 ATI Blue plus bulbs. Third ballast is another 660 that powers 2 GE 6500k and 1 GE 3000k. I can't give you actual numbers but it's def a whole lot o light. HERE's a few of my build pics. And one from today... I know, I know, I still need to clean up the wiring. It's a new system that's been running since Feb/Mar this year. All my acros were started as frags and seem to be growing about 1/2" per month on avg. Some slower ,some faster depends on the species. Some are naturally just slow growers which I'm sure you know. I do know this, a lot of my frags came from friends tanks that were using halides. Originally the frags were in a holding tank with a normal output Current Nova T5 unit and had awesome color. When I moved them to my new setup with over driven bulbs I bleached some of them a bit due to the intensity increase with out adequate acclimation. My fault. You can click my lil red house to see a lot of my pics. I think the frags pics are taken during the month of Dec so skim fwd to them to see. There are also some updated pics at the end of the thread. Just go easy on me it's a young tank only a few months old. Another note is don't be fooled into thinking that T5's are all that energy efficient. If you overdrive them you use significantly more energy then the 80w/bulb you'd think but par also increases a lot. But still less than halides would. Although not much IMO. The only thing I miss about halides is the shimmer effect but not enough to go back to halides simply for heat issues. __________________ -Cato I swear it's an illness... Current Tank Info: On Hiatus

06/09/2007, 03:31 PM	#11
george1098 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Halifax NS Canada Posts: 1,336	very cool set up! __________________ I'm not as think as you stupid i am Current Tank Info: None at the moment

06/09/2007, 03:36 PM	#12
JER-Z Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 877	my T5s are growing acros....i've never had MH so i don't know what to compare growth rates to..

06/09/2007, 03:53 PM	#13
unbreakable D: Join Date: May 2007 Location: ? Posts: 2,868	does anyone know if the t5 fixture would be just as good as the tek? http://hellolights.com/index.asp?Pag...OD&ProdID=1413 tek edit: sorry the t5 fixture from hello lights

06/09/2007, 04:30 PM	#14
Musho3210 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Evanston IL (near chicago) Posts: 1,899	chirocato, you could probably get even more light by getting individual reflectors.... __________________ Ryan

06/09/2007, 06:06 PM	#16
Freds Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 229	Wow that's a really sweet setup! Can you post a FTS? I'd love to see how your acros look under all that light.

06/09/2007, 06:10 PM	#17
Musho3210 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Evanston IL (near chicago) Posts: 1,899	oh it looked like it was all under one reflector, sorry about that __________________ Ryan

06/09/2007, 09:44 PM	#18
reeladdictive Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: kissimmee fl Posts: 32	i have a 172 bow front that im setting up what should i use t5 or halides it is 72''long ????????? sps

06/09/2007, 11:13 PM	#19
RobbyG Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: 600 Ft From the Reef Posts: 2,099	I am only using 4 x T5's (54W) my Acro is about 8" from the surface and has grown out about 1/4" in the last month. I have no idea how that rates with MH but I am only using 208W and I am happy with that small growth so long as the coral looks good and is healthy. The one thing I have that lets me get away with such low wattage is that I spent a long time making sure that as much light as possible is reflected into the tank and almost none escapes. __________________ The Optimist says the glass is half full, the Pessimist says it’s half empty, an engineer only see's a glass that’s twice as big as it needs to be! Current Tank Info: Insanely Automated Low Power Consumption 90 Gal Oceanic Bow System/Aquatronica Touch Controller/AQ Dosing Pump/AQT LEDS/AQ SMS/Seq Dart Pump/ASM G3/Ozotech Ozonizer/Koralin 1502/Chiller/Typhoon3 Ro/S.Squirt /Phos React/Rmt DSB

06/10/2007, 12:12 AM	#20
HBtank Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Huntington Beach, CA Posts: 2,957	My new acro frags are growing at an awesome rate. As fast as my caps. my new stag, just a few weeks ago, just added: Now it is braching everywhere and the base has spread totally off the plug and onto the rock. I am a newbie acro keeper, but I don't see any reason why this will stop. __________________ 80g Aiptasia dominated reef tank.. with fish and now a bunch of berghia! Current Tank Info: 80g tank, re-starting a reef after a zoanthid nudibranch plauge, followed by months of steady and unstoppable STN/RTN, crashed; stayed FOWLR for a couple years, currently an aiptasia dominated reef tank with fishies and BERGHIA Last edited by HBtank; 06/10/2007 at 12:35 AM.

06/10/2007, 12:48 AM	#21
hahnmeister Moved On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Brew City, WI Posts: 10,156	My T5 lit 40B, 6x39wattT5s, surpasses my halide lit 40B, lit with a 250wattDE bulb. The corals grow faster (even with my bulbs at 18 months old), and with more color.

06/10/2007, 01:43 PM	#24
Freds Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 229	No offense guys but in my local club there are hundreds of "I great GREAT colors and results doing *** " posts, but when I actually see these tanks in person they look like total crap. In my local club I even changed my signature to: "DO NOT take advise from someone who cannot show you a FULL TANK SHOT!" Does anyone have proof of their great color under T5s? (With an AMERICAN tank?)**

06/10/2007, 01:47 PM	#25
Freds Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 229	I'm really not trying to be a jerk but I find it really suspect when in a thread about how your corals react to certain lights, people post several pics of their lights but none of their tank. Am I crazy?