The T5 Q&a Thread

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by sidjam
Grim,
I'm installing a 80w 6 bulb icecap T5 retro with SLR reflectors into my 72"x24" canopy, run by 2 660 icecap ballast. Its lighting a 24" deep 180 gal. tank with LPS and zoos. I might want to keep clams in the future if possible and maybe sps. What 6 bulb combo would you go with? Would these blubs be over driven? and at what wattage?
thanks

The lamps run around 100 watts on IC ballasts. Should be fine for Clams and SPS just keep them off the bottom.

For lamps I would do this

front
Blue Plus
Pure Actinic
GE 3000K
Blue Plus
Aquablue
Blue Plus

You may need to diddle around with the lamp placement to get the look you like as in swaping the position of the 3&4th lamps.

[Dano999]

Grim

It looks as I may have got skipped. Can you provide your recommendation for the configuration below.

Thanks


[QUOTE]Originally posted by Dano999
[B]

Grim

I should be receiving the IceCap 6 bulb VHO retro tomorrow and would like your opinion and the bulb configuration. I will have mostly SPS and some clams in a 90g 48H X 18W X 24D.

Currently planning the configuration below.

UVL Super Actinic - Ballast 1
UVL Aquablue - Ballast 2
UVL Aquasun- Ballast 2
ATI Blue Plus- Ballast 2
UVL Aquablue- Ballast 2
ATI Blue Plus - Ballast 1

Thanks

[barjam]

What do the lower spectrum bulbs (3k, 6.5k, AquaSun) get you besides a bit more par over say a aquablue? In general par is par is it not?

I am going to give:

Blue Plus
Aqua Blue
Aqua Blue
Blue Plus

a shot, should be more par than say a:

Blue Plus
3k/6k/Aqua Sun
Actinic
Blue Plus

Right?

[The Grim Reefer]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Dano999
[B]Grim

It looks as I may have got skipped. Can you provide your recommendation for the configuration below.

Thanks

Originally posted by Dano999


Grim

I should be receiving the IceCap 6 bulb VHO retro tomorrow and would like your opinion and the bulb configuration. I will have mostly SPS and some clams in a 90g 48H X 18W X 24D.

Currently planning the configuration below.

UVL Super Actinic - Ballast 1
UVL Aquablue - Ballast 2
UVL Aquasun- Ballast 2
ATI Blue Plus- Ballast 2
UVL Aquablue- Ballast 2
ATI Blue Plus - Ballast 1

Thanks

Use one UVL Aquablue and one ATI or Geisemann Aquablue. The UVL lamp is actually more pink but mixed with a blue I kinda like them. The ATI and G-Mann lamps have the blue tint.

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by barjam
What do the lower spectrum bulbs (3k, 6.5k, AquaSun) get you besides a bit more par over say a aquablue? In general par is par is it not?

I am going to give:

Blue Plus
Aqua Blue
Aqua Blue
Blue Plus

a shot, should be more par than say a:

Blue Plus
3k/6k/Aqua Sun
Actinic
Blue Plus

Right?

Color rendering. As an example if you have a yellow coral in your tank it looks yellow because the coral reflectos most all yellow light while absorbing other colors. If your lamps have little or no output in the yellow range yellow colors will look dull and dirty. Lack of yellow will also make orange colors seem more red and reds purple. When you order lamps get a GE 6500K lamp as a spare and swap out one of your aquablues with it and you will see what I mean. Then you can decide if you prefer the deep water look better but in either case it is a good thing to have a spare lamp laying around and the GE's are cheap/

[tbone28]

Originally posted by The Grim Reefer
WAIT, I am lost here. I thought this was what I recoed you change. This mix will be much more blue than you want.

Grim, now I'm lost! Which combo is less blue? The one with (2) GE bulbs, or the one with (1) GE bulb?

Any difference in regards to coral growth and coloring?

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by SlavicSavage
I have the aquablue and the super actinic as the two actinic bulbs. One of my blue plus bulbs got broken and I was thinking of replacing it with a geissmann true actinic bulb. how do you think that would work/look

\]

That would be OK too

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by tbone28
Grim, now I'm lost! Which combo is less blue? The one with (2) GE bulbs, or the one with (1) GE bulb?

Any difference in regards to coral growth and coloring?

Front
Blue Plus
Super Actinic
GE 3000K
Blue Plus
GE 6500K
Aquablue
Super Actinic or blue plus
Blue Plus
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Thanks Grim. How does your recommendation compare to the following setup - pluses and minuses?

Front

Blue Plus
Super Actinic
UVL Aquasun
Aquablue
GE 3000K
UVL Super Actinic
Aquablue
Blue Plus

OK we be on the same page now

The second mix will be more white and give better growth. Color wise it would kinda depend but usually LPS look better with more blue.

[engine]

double post

[engine]

Grim, thanks for all your work. Ive followed several of your threads, which have been very helpful, in this sometimes very confusing hobby.
I have a 75 gallon tank which I want to keep lps with a few sps near the top and a couple clams. I have a IC 660 with 2 vho's and 2 T5's with SLR reflectors about 8" above the water.
What bulb selection would you suggest? thanks

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by engine
Grim, thanks for all your work. Ive followed several of your threads, which have been very helpful, in this sometimes very confusing hobby.
I have a 75 gallon tank which I want to keep lps with a few sps near the top and a couple clams. I have a IC 660 with 2 vho's and 2 T5's with SLR reflectors about 8" above the water.
What bulb selection would you suggest? thanks

I would use the VHO for Super Actinics and use a GE 6500K and Blue Plus for the T5's. I would actually run 1 VHO and 3 T5's. Run a VHO Actinic, and add an Aquablue to the 2 T5 I suggested

[Chibils]

Grim--I'll ask here since I've never had any luck in this forum. Also, my question pertains to T5 lighting.

For a measly $5 more, I can either get 2x48" Nova Extreme X2 (108W) instead of 1x48" Nova Extreme X4 (54W). My question is: for someone who has no understanding of lighting other than the fact that I've decided on the novas, how much does the double wattage of the 2X fixture mean in comparison to the 4X fixture?

[The Grim Reefer]

Half as much intensity

[Chibils]

So which is "better"? One two-bulb, 108W fixture, or one four-bulb, 54W fixture?

Logically they seem equal. But the two-bulb is half the price, so I want input from someone who knows what they're talking about.

Thanks.

[Chibils]

ttt

The tank will be FOWL at first, then move to easier-to-keep corals, and finally to any corals I can keep without a calcium reactor, if that helps you decide.

[The Grim Reefer]

A 4 x 54 watt fixture will be more intense thus better. I think you are getting lost in the discriptions. a 4x54 watt unit is 216 watts, not 54.

[Chibils]

But if I understand the descriptions correctly, the 2x108W fixture is also 216W. That's why I ask--does the 2x mean it's 108W total? It wasn't worded that way.

[The Grim Reefer]

What is 54x2? 108

It's all just the way it's worded. 2x54 watts means the fixture has 2 54 watt lamps for 108 watts total.

4x54 will be 216 watts total.

[ChiiBear]

Hi Grim,

One Switch controls 2, 5 for dawn/dusk, the other 1, 3, 4, 6

What is best order for the following combo?


UVL Super Actinic
GE 3000K
ATI Aquablue
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Blue Plus


Thanks

[Chibils]

Originally posted by The Grim Reefer
What is 54x2? 108

It's all just the way it's worded. 2x54 watts means the fixture has 2 54 watt lamps for 108 watts total.

4x54 will be 216 watts total.

I got it. I looked back at the page and you're right. I was just confused because they misworded something earlier in the item description.

Thanks for the help!

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by ChiiBear
Hi Grim,

One Switch controls 2, 5 for dawn/dusk, the other 1, 3, 4, 6

What is best order for the following combo?



Thanks

Front

ATI Blue Plus
UVL Super Actinic
ATI Aquablue
GE 3000K
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Blue Plus

[barjam]

Don't forget to run carbon! I was running 10k/blue plus on my setup and it was starting to look pink/yellow. Five hours with good carbon and it was back to ice blue!

I had already ordered new bulbs Oh well.

[poppin_fresh]

Hey guys, I'm building a canopy for my 180 (standard 72 x 24 x 24) that I plan to incorporate the 8 x 54w T5s I've got. I've got a mix of Blueplus, 6500K and Actinic + bulbs.

How high off the surface should I put these? Right now I'm only keeping softies and a couple LPS, but I plan to add a couple SPS and a clam at some point.

[Badgerman]

Hey Grim,

I was looking at a T5 fixture called 'New wave', and am interested. It's designed for hydroponic systems, but I was wondering if it could be used on an aquarium. The ballast is an un-identified solid state and the reflectors are individual to each bulb but not porabolic. Would you suggest retrofitting tek or slr reflectors on this fixture?

Great thread

[danlu_gt]

Anyone tried the new T4 HO bulbs? 48" T5 HO is 85watts instead of 54watts. How many of these bulb can a Workhorse 7 drive?