T5 users: is 6500K needed?
 

I am running one sunlight bulb out of 6 of them color temp 6500K.

It would be a good bulb for a room like reading a book but seem to cast a yellow tint on the whole tank and I think this bulb is the cultprit?

The question is does the SPS need this to grow well, or should I swap it with something more white and blue, some numbers I got says the sunlight bulb is around 340 PAR and ATI blue plus is like 310 or so. Or maybe swap this out for a red bulb ATI pro color but much weaker PAR.

There will be some PAR lost but why not go with ATI Aquablue Special. It is white (not yellow white) and has high PAR value.

what other bulbs are you running?

3 AquaZ oceanpro (a 10k kind of bulb similar to ATI Aquablue in color and PAR)
and 2 blue bulbs about 420 nm, 1 is AquaZ 1 is Marine GLO but they are very similar color.

I'd say since you don't like how your tank looks just take it out. You likely don't "need" it. I'd switch for a 10kK to a 14kK.

You might have the same problem with that ATI red bulb...but maybe not. I tried it and it was way to purple, but I only have a 4 bulb fixture.

i would put two ati blueplus bulbs in, one uv actinic, take out two of the oceanpro and the ge.

I removed a 6500k bulb from my 4 bulb T5 configuration not quite a year ago because I didn't want the yellow tint. I have not had any problems and my corals are still growing well.

FYI I am running 2-aquablue +, 1 aquablue special, and 1 pure actinic

Hello Twon8 is the UV Actinic a real deep blue? is it wise to change out 2 "blue" tubes for the actinics? (lI believe osing some par but I bet the fluorecent colors are better).. what happens to the actinics when overdriven?

So far I swapped out the 6500K and a white bulb and replaced with a AquaBlue and Pro Color, the color is more like MH, but not too red on my 6 bulb setup.