T5 Users - need help!

[leheath]

I am setting up a 60g + 30g sump tank that will eventually be a mixed reef with some fish, softies, and maybe a few LPS. I am planning to buy 2 x 54W T5 now and add another 2 later on (when I can afford it and want more light demanding corals). The question is, which 2 bulbs do I go for? I am thinking of 1 10K Aquablue Special (60/40) and 1 Blue Plus or Actinic 03...how does this sound? What is the difference between Blue Plus and Actinic?

Thanks

[Jounior]

The blue + is a 60%blue 40% white bulb. The actinic is more of a blue. The actinic is more for coloring brining out colors of corals. Check out ReefGeek.com for more details. That is where I got my T-5's from. I am running 6 bulbs. I have 3 blue+ and 3 daylights. I plan on getting some actinics on down the road.

[leheath]

Thanks, but now I am slightly confused. I thought the aquablue special was 60/40....that is what it says on Reefgeek.com. So if that is true, how is the blue+ different?

[ddawson]

The Blue+ is a 450nm bulb not a 60/40.

I'd go with two AquaBlues first. Then when you add the other two you can mix and match.

I'd shoot for 2 AquaBlues 1 Sun and 1 Blue+

[leheath]

OK, just read the website some more....blue+ peaks at 450nm and actinic 03 peaks at 420nm...which is better for what application? I like a bluer look...would 2 aquablue specials work (60% blue, 40% white), or would it be better to get one sun (6K or 6.5K) and one blue+ or actinic 03?

Anyone else using T5s what to make a suggestion?

[ddawson]

I've tried both Actinic and Blue+ bulbs. The Actinic makes the corals fluorescence better but the Blue + is much brighter with a slight reduction in fluorescence.

I'm currently using 1 Sun, 3 Aquablues, and 1 Blue+

[rjwilson37]

The T5 AquaBlue is an 11k bulb, the T5 Sun is a 6.5k bulb and the Blue Plus and Actinic 03 are close but have a slightly different range as leheath mentioned above.

I have a Teklight Hood 4x24w and I run 1 Sun, 1 AquaBlue and 2 Blue pluses, where the Blue Pluses come on for 12 hours a day and the other 2 come on for 10 Hours a day to simulate dawn and dusk.

[Cearbhaill]

I switch my bulbs around so often that I have a huge collection of spares under my bed.

I am currently running in an 8 bulb fixture:
2 actinic
2 blue plus
1 aquablue special (11,000K)
3 Sun (6500K)

Initially I thought I wanted a crisper blue/white with several Aquablues, but found that after increasing the number of Suns that I liked the look much better. I have also heard anecdotal tales of the 6500K being better for shallow water corals, but don't really know if it matters.

[rjwilson37]

The Sun are a more yellow and can bring out coral growth much better, but not so much there color which is what your other suppliments are for. I think the 11k Aquablue's are closer to the Metal Halide 12k bulbs, but just don't have the penetration that MH do, but not the heat either.

[Jounior]

You guys are right I had the blue + mixed up with the aquablue. AHH well atleast I could give a site to get the correct info from.

[wasp9166]

actinic=very very light blue

actinic+=very dark blue

aquablue=real close to a normal flourescent bulb

6500k sun= flourescent with hint of yellow

i have 2 of each and thats how id describe it, you cant beat reefgeeks prices on the retro setup either, if it were me and i only could afford 2 id get the aquablues, then id add an actinic plus and a sun, however if you plan on curing rock dont do it with the aquablues, you may end up with more algae than youd like, i ran just actinics for the first 2 months........and i still had plenty of hair algae.............

[leheath]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I think I will go with two aquablue specials initially (on a restricted schedule to avoid excessive algal growth), and add a sun and an actinic or blue+ when I get the additional two bulbs.

[R33f3r]

After finally playing with different combos I like this one best for color, growth and less algae outbreaks (so far, so good on this one).

1 actinic
1 blue +
1 aquablue
1 aquablue
1 actinic
1 aquablue

The color is around 14K and looks perfect IMO. Ever since I got rid of the sun bulb, my corals have begun to show better color and the nuisance algae has begun to die. The sun bulb just didn't look that good either IMO. FYI all of these bulbs are at the one year mark and show no signs of spectrum shift.

[wasp9166]

your saying your corals grew better with no sun bulbs? this contradicts all the research i did b4 i bought the setup......mmmmmm even greg at reefgeek suggested i have some suns in there, as did moonpod and many other t5 users

[frankdreistein]

what ddawson is a very good choice:

Take two aquablue and add later one sun and one blue.

The actinic got more into the purple spectrum which corals can´t use that well. The blue ones are perfect.

What is said about that a sun brings more light energy than a blue bulb isn´t correct.
It just brings more light we can see, and blue light has much more energy.
Best is still to mix it.

I got the same mix and excellent growth and colours.

[R33f3r]

I am just saying Iam seeing better results in my tank with no sun bulb..

[wasp9166]

well i have an 8 bulb setup, you think i should ditch the 2 suns for aquablues?anyone else have an opinion on this?

[frankdreistein]

R33f3r is right

Oliver Pritzel the owner of ATI wrote here in a german forum:
http://www.meeresaquaristik.de/foren...ilightuser=212

just the most important points:
-the theoretical Kelvin number of the aquablue special is 27.500 Kelvin and so has the highest Kelvin number of all mixed bulbs on the market
- no big diffenrence in PUR radiation compared to a blue bulb
- the usable radiation band which can be used by corals is much less in normal daylight, artinic or blue bulbs
- then he says that when corals got enough light for maximal photosynthesis the mixed spectrum of a aquablue even can bring out some special colours better then monochrome blue light.

[migston]

I have one of each light. Even the aquablue looks sort of yellow if it's in the back of the tank. My 4 bulbs are arranged like this from front to back:

Actinic
Sun
Blue Plus
Aquablue

I get nice color definition this way without any obvious blue or yellow spots. As for growth, I'll let ya'll know in a few months. Just got my first real corals this week.

[Cearbhaill]

Oliver Pritzel the owner of ATI wrote here in a german forum:
http://www.meeresaquaristik.de/fore...hilightuser=212

So the recommended "line up" for an eight bulb fixture would be...

[R33f3r]

From what I gathered on the German forum, the ATI person said a 50/50 mixture of blue pluses and aquablues based on par and energy consumed for coral pigmentation. I don't know the scientific aspects of all this however. I just know that my corals responded better when I took out the sun. I am going to do some more reading on that forum. Thanks frankdreistein for the info!

[Cearbhaill]

4 Blue plus and 4 Aquablue.
I will try that look the next time I have the hood off.

Is that forum accessible in English?

[R33f3r]

I used google's translator


http://www.meeresaquaristik.de/foren...ilightuser=212

http://www.meeresaquaristik.de/foren...ilightuser=212

I started with this thread and just skimmed down the entire lighting forum.

"Hello yokes,

first once blue light is not equal to blue light. If you have from Acardia more drueber, this with your violet-blue radiation with a maximum with 421nm(genau like our Actinic blue), as pure blue light of e.g. a Osram 67 or ATI blue has not a so high "photo-synthetic priority" plus with a maximum with 450nm.

If one looks at oneself the Absoptionsspektrum of the Zooxanthellen, it becomes also fast clear that these particularly use the range of 430-480nm for photosynthesis. Thus nearly only the pure blue light. Violet radiation 390-420nm is not so starkt absorbed and/or used for photosynthesis.

Actually one could confirm also in attempts that one can produce the same Photosytheserate with pure blue lighting, as with daylight of same intensity.

Blue light is thus very important for photosynthesis and thus also for growth.

The statement the blue light not necessarily is to be let grow by korallen, is so not completely correct thus.

With the tube choice you should thus try such tubes use, the as much as possible photosynthtisch usable radiation produce and tubes with a daylight character by the color reproduction increase. The Verhaelnis blue light (and thus I mean pure blue light and not blue actinic) worked to daylight tubes in the ratio 1:1 very much.

By the exchange of a blue tube to a daylight tube the usable radiation is not increased. Only we feel the radiation as higher, since we notice you more brightly.

Viele Grüße
Oliver "

There are the owners words on that. There is alot more though...

[CherryCat]

just tagging along ...

thanks, this is very intersting reading ...

[frankdreistein]

If I can help with translation, just say