Question for T5 Users

[sammy33]

Originally posted by barjam
That is wild, so you basically have four bulbs over any given section? I have 4x bulbs using higher par bulbs three inches from the water and I can't color up certain corals (purple digi/some acros). Hahn said your par numbers are perfect? Mine would have to be higher.... On the acros that won't color up they just turn pale but still grow really fast. Purple tip varieties do not get purple tips.

Weird.

Results may vary. I always feel like my lighting levels are too low especially when I see another tank that is doing better than mine that is using metal halide. In most cases after closer inpection of the "entire reef system" I usually find that there is a lot more going on than just bright lights.

I think my SPS colors are fair. I have had some troubles with my tank and it is still young (only 7 months with corals now) so I don't expect super intense colors. I also only have your basic garden variety SPS like orange and purple digitata, blue and yellow millepora, purple tip acro etc. but nothing spectacular...yet.

I also have what I consider an underpowered skimmer. This limits my nutrient export capacity. Upgrading my skimmer to a higher powered unit will likely help improve my reef.

I do have a good amount of flow in my tank with two koralia 4' s and two nano 6055's on a mulicontroller. The Tunze's pulse and alternate so I have about 3900GPH going at any one time with a potential flow of 6240 GPH including my return pump.

I guess what I am trying to say is that the lights are only a portion of what is contributing to the success of my SPS and other corals.