What T5 bulbs to use as actinic supp in combo setup?

Froggy · 11/05/2009, 09:34 AM

Hi all,

I am looking to add 2 T5's to my 120 gallon tank to replace the 2 Actinic VHO's ( ballast went out). What T5 bulbs would work well as supp to halide lighting. I am using 2 175 watt Iwasaki 15 K's ( very white bulb ) and there are so many blue T5 choices as well as a lot of brands.

I was looking at the ATI blue plus and ATI true actinic 03. How about the UV ( formerly URI ) T5 actinics? Geisman ?

What do you think would work the best to supplement my halide lighting ? I was happy with the 110 watt URI actinic VHO's as far as the look. What T5 bulb would give me a similar look?

Thanks, Joe

nanojg · 11/05/2009, 09:51 AM

The UVL super actinic is a nice actinic bulb, I run the UVL super actinic and a UVL actinic white to supplement my 2 10K 175 halides.

Froggy · 11/05/2009, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nanojg

The UVL super actinic is a nice actinic bulb, I run the UVL super actinic and a UVL actinic white to supplement my 2 10K 175 halides.

Thanks for your input. Any others want to chime in with their opinion? What is a good actinic T5 ?

One vote for UVL so far.

donk228 · 11/06/2009, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Froggy

Hi all,

I am looking to add 2 T5's to my 120 gallon tank to replace the 2 Actinic VHO's ( ballast went out). What T5 bulbs would work well as supp to halide lighting. I am using 2 175 watt Iwasaki 15 K's ( very white bulb ) and there are so many blue T5 choices as well as a lot of brands.

I was looking at the ATI blue plus and ATI true actinic 03. How about the UV ( formerly URI ) T5 actinics? Geisman ?

What do you think would work the best to supplement my halide lighting ? I was happy with the 110 watt URI actinic VHO's as far as the look. What T5 bulb would give me a similar look?

Thanks, Joe

I just swapped out my actinic dawn/dusk lamps on my 6 bulb Tek (T5) lamp, and here's my experience:
-The UVL Super Actinic is likely going to match the UVL VHO closest.

-The ATI true actinic doesn't get many recommendations from what I've seen on GrimReefer's T5 Q&A mega thread.

-I tried the Geissman actinic, and it was dim and very purple/violet compared to the UVL. I just removed this bulb from my dawn/dusk setup because I wasn't getting the overall color and pop I wanted.

-The ATI Blue Plus has a strong blue color, of course, but also has good "pop", which was surprising. The Blue Plus also puts out fairly high PAR.

I now use an ATI Blue Plus together with a UVL Super Actinic for my dawn/dusk and I think this brings out colors beyond purple/violet while still maintaining good "pop". I'd recommend getting a few so you can mix and match until you find the right combination for your eyes.

Froggy · 11/06/2009, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donk228

I just swapped out my actinic dawn/dusk lamps on my 6 bulb Tek (T5) lamp, and here's my experience:
-The UVL Super Actinic is likely going to match the UVL VHO closest.

-The ATI true actinic doesn't get many recommendations from what I've seen on GrimReefer's T5 Q&A mega thread.

-I tried the Geissman actinic, and it was dim and very purple/violet compared to the UVL. I just removed this bulb from my dawn/dusk setup because I wasn't getting the overall color and pop I wanted.

-The ATI Blue Plus has a strong blue color, of course, but also has good "pop", which was surprising. The Blue Plus also puts out fairly high PAR.

I now use an ATI Blue Plus together with a UVL Super Actinic for my dawn/dusk and I think this brings out colors beyond purple/violet while still maintaining good "pop". I'd recommend getting a few so you can mix and match until you find the right combination for your eyes.

Thanks. That was good info. I think I may use one 54 watt ATI blue plus and one 54 watt UVL superactinic to supp the halides which are pretty white in color. From your explanation, I think I will be happiest with that combination and it will give me what I am looking for. I can always change the next time and experiment if I want to tinker. Thanks again

- Joe

maynardjames · 11/08/2009, 01:22 AM

blue plus superactinics didnt put out enough for me & didnt last long either. i am overdriving them though. could have shortend lifespan
i use 2 blue+ for dusk/dawn. i like the blue look, some don`t

11/05/2009, 09:34 AM	#1
Froggy Reef "Hobbyist"...right!? Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Canton, MI Posts: 2,160	What T5 bulbs to use as actinic supp in combo setup? Hi all, I am looking to add 2 T5's to my 120 gallon tank to replace the 2 Actinic VHO's ( ballast went out). What T5 bulbs would work well as supp to halide lighting. I am using 2 175 watt Iwasaki 15 K's ( very white bulb ) and there are so many blue T5 choices as well as a lot of brands. I was looking at the ATI blue plus and ATI true actinic 03. How about the UV ( formerly URI ) T5 actinics? Geisman ? What do you think would work the best to supplement my halide lighting ? I was happy with the 110 watt URI actinic VHO's as far as the look. What T5 bulb would give me a similar look? Thanks, Joe __________________ Hello, my name is Joe and I am a reef addict. ......Hi Joe.......... Current Tank Info: 120 gallon mixed reef with TBS live rock, 8 X 54 watt TEK T5's, Euroreef RS250 skimmer

11/05/2009, 09:51 AM	#2
nanojg Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Lubbock, Texas Posts: 2,174	The UVL super actinic is a nice actinic bulb, I run the UVL super actinic and a UVL actinic white to supplement my 2 10K 175 halides.

11/08/2009, 01:22 AM	#6
maynardjames Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: west tennessee Posts: 1,600	blue plus superactinics didnt put out enough for me & didnt last long either. i am overdriving them though. could have shortend lifespan i use 2 blue+ for dusk/dawn. i like the blue look, some don`t