The T5 Q&a Thread - Page 5

Zoos · #**101** 10/22/2005, 12:08 AM

so grim, what about the coralife or the nova t5s, are they any good?

kau_cinta_ku · #**102** 10/22/2005, 12:18 AM

ok well i may as well ask this. i have asked about T5's for my 75 gal tank and most ppl say the 4 bulb sunlight supply setup would be plenty for the things i want. and not to overpower them(lights) however i was looking at the icecap 4 lamp system for my tank and from what i understand is that icecap overpowers their lamps. so does that mean if i get the icecap 4 lamp system it would produce as much light at the sunlight supply 6 lamp system that isn't over powered? i want to keep lps, anemone and a clam. what would be my best option? and what about the bulbs i should get with it. as i like a blue look?

thanks for all the help.

old salty · #**103** 10/22/2005, 02:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by cmomo0128
Thanks for all the great input. I have yet another question for the lighting pros out there. I am wanting to upgrade from my 55 to a 125 gal tank. I found a site that sells a T5 hood that long but dont know much about them besides the first post in this thread. The tank is 72x18x22 and I was thinking of going w/ T5's from here http://www.aquauniverse.com/ . I was wondering if this would be a good light setup, and if so, should I go with the 6 bulb or the 8 bulb setup. I am wanting to keep lps sps & a few clams. Thanks.

I just finished setting up the T5's on my 125. I ordered two 36" 6 bulb TEK fixtures, and it lights up the tank just fine. I did this after getting advice from Grim. The nice part about the 6 bulb configuration is that the light doesn't hit you in the eyes when viewing the tank. I will be going to PA to get my live rock, so I will also pick up the shielding to protect the lights from the water. The dimensions of the 6 bulb units will allow me to build my own canopy without having to worry if the lights will fit inside.

6 bulbs is PLENTY of light. My entire living room glows from the setup. Here is my bulb configuration, though I will most likely remove 1 of the sunlight bulbs and replace it with a 11K bulb

Front

Actinic Plus
BluePlus
Daylight
BluePlus
Daylight
Actinic Plus

Rear

Hope that helps you a bit.

blind · #**104** 10/22/2005, 05:37 PM

will the tek lights fit in a finnex fixture?

The Grim Reefer · #**105** 10/22/2005, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cmomo0128
Thanks for all the great input. I have yet another question for the lighting pros out there. I am wanting to upgrade from my 55 to a 125 gal tank. I found a site that sells a T5 hood that long but dont know much about them besides the first post in this thread. The tank is 72x18x22 and I was thinking of going w/ T5's from here http://www.aquauniverse.com/ . I was wondering if this would be a good light setup, and if so, should I go with the 6 bulb or the 8 bulb setup. I am wanting to keep lps sps & a few clams. Thanks.

Don't waste your time on those T5 systems. No individual reflectors. If you lived in driving distance of western montana I could make you a deal on T5 retros in an oak canopy.\\

I would go with halides or 2 36 inch Tek T5's side by side.

cmomo0128 · #**106** 10/23/2005, 07:45 PM

cost is a big factor. If i were to go with t5 do you recommend 2 36" 6 bulb hoods or 2 4 bulb hoods? Would there be any other means, maybe vho 4x160 watt bulbs. I am at a awe w/ the whole thing. I dont want to spend a fortune on electricity much less on the fixture, but i do want to do it right the first time rather than lose a fortune in the investment i have already made.

roader247 · #**107** 10/23/2005, 08:18 PM

I will be using T5's on my 90 gallon tank I have a Icecap 660 ballast will 4 bulbs be enough for clams and SPS or will another need to get anther ballast

poon415 · #**108** 10/23/2005, 11:44 PM

I have 4 x250 w/DE SS RO III pendants running phoenix 14k on a 6 foot tank. I want to run some VHO or T5's as actinic. Do they even make a 72" bulb for t-5?

sanfranreefer · #**109** 10/23/2005, 11:59 PM

They have a 60'' bulb that is 80 watts. I guess you can stagger the bulbs evenly to make them fit over a 72''

The Grim Reefer · #**110** 10/24/2005, 01:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by cmomo0128
cost is a big factor. If i were to go with t5 do you recommend 2 36" 6 bulb hoods or 2 4 bulb hoods? Would there be any other means, maybe vho 4x160 watt bulbs. I am at a awe w/ the whole thing. I dont want to spend a fortune on electricity much less on the fixture, but i do want to do it right the first time rather than lose a fortune in the investment i have already made.

Depending on the size of the tank 6 or 8 lamp units. If you can do a canopy put together a 80 watt lamp retrofit system and stagger the lamps a few inches end to end for an even light. You could get 2 Ice Cap 660 ballasts which will overdrive 6 of the 80 watt lamps. If your tank is 24 inches front to back you can save some $$$ getting www.aqualuxlighting.com "computer designed" reflectors. They are almost as good as Ice Caps and a little cheaper. They are just over 3" wide so they take up a little more room than the others.

Putting T5's on a 6 foot tank is expensive. Halides have a lower upfront cost (assuming you can use retros).

The Grim Reefer · #**111** 10/24/2005, 01:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by poon415
I have 4 x250 w/DE SS RO III pendants running phoenix 14k on a 6 foot tank. I want to run some VHO or T5's as actinic. Do they even make a 72" bulb for t-5?

Helios has some of the T5 strip lights in 72" lamps. They have a lamp called a superblue that looks great but I am not sure if it is out in a 72" lamp yet. They have a actinic 03 that is a nice blue light but doesn't have a great actinic effect. I combined the 03 with an actinic combo lamp which is sorta purple and got a nice look but it still isn't as good as the superblue. You might find a local store around there that sells their products so you can see them.

szesteve · #**112** 10/24/2005, 04:55 PM

Well, I've decided to "jump ship" and order a SLS Tek light...however, i need to know if the brackets will make the light fit a 30 gallon oceanic? Does anyone know?

Hanging is not an option btw...

Breaker4show · #**113** 10/24/2005, 10:02 PM

Im planning to build either a 75 gallon ( 36 X 24 X 20 ) or a 90 gallon ( 36 X 24 X 24 ) LWH! I was curious as to whether T5 would fit my needs! this tank will be mostly softies,lps, and maybe a couple maxima clams! do you think a 36" 6 X 39 watt setup would be enough light without being to much light? Should I go with 8 X 39 watt if I go with the 24 W and 24 H or will 6 X 39 watt work for that setup as well as the 24 W and 20 H setup? Sorry if this sounds confusing ! Also what bulb setup would you go with? I was thinking

6 bulb

Front

Blueplus
Aquablue
Blueplus
Daylight
Aquablue
Blueplus

or maybe

Front

Blueplus
Daylight
Aquablue
Aquablue
Daylight
Blueplus

Thanks,
Nick

The Grim Reefer · #**114** 10/24/2005, 10:50 PM

Maximas on the sand in a 90 I would go 8 lamps. For 6 lamps I would go with the first mix of lamps.

leaffish75 · #**115** 10/25/2005, 10:20 AM

I have a ice cap 430 which will run 2 T-5s. Im planning on getting a work horse 7 to run the other 4 bulbs. Im keeping clams, LPS, softies, and maybe some sps. My question is should i run the 65K GE with the ice cap so they are overdriven for the clam? or just run another group of bulbs with it? Im wanting to do a dawn and dusck effect but i can for go that if overdriving the 65K or somthing else with the ice cap.

The Grim Reefer · #**116** 10/25/2005, 12:10 PM

Get 2 WH5 ballasts. Run 2 blueplus on one WH, 1 Blueplus and an Aquablue on the other and the GE(s) or a GE and Aquablue on the Ice Cap. You could get a cool ramp up using 3 timers. 2 blues, then the 3rd blue and aquablue and then the white lamps.

landragon · #**117** 10/25/2005, 12:56 PM

i too need help with a 90 gallon question. i am about to upgrade to a 90 bow oceanic (29tx48wx18d as listed on site) from a 46 bow softie. and a twenty high LPS . does anyone know what the dimensions of the side panels are so i can figure out how many slr reflectors i can fit? i am hoping 6 and was gonna do something like this:
f to b
Blue+
aqua-blue
Blue+
GE sun
GE sun
Blue+

this will hopefully provide a nice dimmer bluer area up front for my existing softies and leathers. and let me put some of my LPS in caves and corners, and maybe (PLEASE!) let me try a couple SPS up top near back.
i was able to get a great deal on universal accustart ballasts for driving 2 54t5ho bulbs, so i went with 4. (6 bucks a piece brand new) in case i needed 8 bulbs. also should i shell out for an icecap440 to drive the two sun bulbs os will the sps be ok under universal's? thanks anyone who respond. p.s. my 46 bow tank is currently under home-rigged over driven 39watt t5ho w reflectors , ati 03 actinic, ati aquablue, coralvue actinicblue. things thrive. nothing is in top third of tank.

allen00se · #**118** 10/25/2005, 01:05 PM

Hey Grim or any other Experienced reefer,
I currently have a 46 bowfront oceanic. Until now it has just been a FOWLR with the stock single 36" 30 watt 50/50

However I am planning on upgrading to different assorted corals in the future and I know that I will need different lighting. Here is a link to what I was thinking. It's a 4x 39watt t-5, with dual switches so you can simulate different lighting conditions, and it also has a separate unit built in for moonlight.

Any input would be appreciated, and keep in mind that I will not be attempting to grow any expert level corals.

oops forgot the link
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merch...ode=Current-T5

leaffish75 · #**119** 10/25/2005, 02:08 PM

Im looking at cutting cost so will running 2 workhorse cost more than running 1 workhorse ballast?

ahill · #**120** 10/25/2005, 02:38 PM

I spoke to the guy at reefgeek and he said he would not recommend the Fulham workhorse ballasts for T5s. His exact words were something like" I wont even sell that one to you if your doing T5s" SOmething about burning out something... So just thought I would throw that out there since you are talking about it.

SMS76 · #**121** 10/25/2005, 02:42 PM

Do 4x 54Watt T5 retro needs cooling? Do they get hot or increase the tank temperature?

Also assuming bulbs are on for 8 hours everyday, how long do they normally last before they need to be replaced due to wrong specturm etc....?

What is the spectrum for Aquablue and sun bulbs?
For four 54 Watt T5's (2 Aquablue and 2 Sun) what sequence should i use from front to back? I will also have two 21 watt Actinic in the front side of the tank.

00nothing · #**122** 10/25/2005, 03:18 PM

glad to see this thread is doing so well it always feel good to post something useful

as i mentioned in the very first post in this thread i opted for the cheap way out and ordered the aquauniverse/catalina aquariums t5 setups from ebay

here are a few pics of that setup these are the 2x39watt retro run by a wh5 ballasts as i have said previously these may not be the nicest of setups but for the coin they are a viable cheap alternative

full shot

the ends and a better view of the individual reflectors not teks by any means but better than no reflector or a single reflector covering all bulbs

shot of the bulbs turned on

a lot of people dont liek t5 actinics i am more than pleased with them they give of lots of blue however they do seem a little bright to use as strictly a nightime viewing lamp which it seems a lot of people use there actinics for that i am going to add a computer cold cathode bulb to the hood

just in case this question is posed these are being run on a 40 gallon breeder i run the 2 10k to the rear in order to supply my light lovers with lots of it and with dual actinics in the front a get a nice blue hue thru the front pane however when side viewing there is a distinct diffrence that can be seen from front to back, also i find that the spill over from the daylight bulbs to the front of the tank provides plenty of light for all the other corals that i didnt want to place directly under the daylight bulbs such as my shrooms

tranz · #**123** 10/25/2005, 04:39 PM

I want to build my own T-5 setup slowly....i got 2 t-5 ho from aquatraders.com and planning to switch DIY it with tek reflectors. will this work? i will eventually have 6 light set-up.

00nothing · #**124** 10/25/2005, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tranz
I want to build my own T-5 setup slowly....i got 2 t-5 ho from aquatraders.com and planning to switch DIY it with tek reflectors. will this work? i will eventually have 6 light set-up.

my hope is to eventually switch to tek reflectors also but i am not sure there would be enuff clearence between the bubl and the housing for them but to fix this u could swtich to waterproof endcaps these will make the bulbs stand out further

00nothing · #**125** 10/25/2005, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tranz
I want to build my own T-5 setup slowly....i got 2 t-5 ho from aquatraders.com and planning to switch DIY it with tek reflectors. will this work? i will eventually have 6 light set-up.

my hope is to eventually switch to tek reflectors also but i am not sure there would be enuff clearence between the bulb and the housing for them but to fix this u could swtich to waterproof endcaps these will make the bulbs stand out further

EDIT sorry just realized u said aquatraders i jsut read it as aquauniverse

i think to do it with the aquatraders one u would have to remove all internal components and rewire everything also but u could def use tek reflectors if u get the right endcaps

You may be better served by selling these units all together and going with something a little better off the start

what kind of ballasts do they use in the aquatraders t5 ??