T5s Q&A

I just read the last post. I have a question about my open brains. I have both of them on the same level that I grow my SPS on. The tips of my acros and pink birds nest are about 2 inches under the surface of the water and show good steady growth, will this be ok? Also my Open brains are sitting at about 5" and 6" respectively. Will they need to be moved to the the bottom of the tank.. there are only two places I can put them, Bottom and Top.. My tank is 14 inches deep and I am running 4x 39w T5HO from aquatic life with 2 10K and 2 460/420.. thanks

 

Hay Dr just wondering something. i just saw that their is a Tek 6 ELITE. im not sure if it just came out or what not but was wondering if it was maybe better for my breeder? The only thing i see diff between the Elite and regular Tek 6 units is that the elite has a fan, and is 12" W and the regular tek 6 has no fan and is 16" W. know im thinking that extra 4 inches would be better for my tank. assuming that it would give me better light coverage (front to back), correct or wrong? the fan on the elite would be nice as well though. So if the 16" is better i was kinda wondering if i would be able to maybe add a small fan or 2 to the reg Tek 6 or is adding a fan a bad idea? thanks.

 

Running the fan is definitely better, it will give you 20% more PAR on your fixture. It extends the useful life of each bulb. If you use the older Tek make sure and aim the fan across the label end of the bulbs. I don't think the Elite is coming out until late next month.

 

Bama I read that LPS can be affected by T5 lighting so you might want to move them to the sand.

 

If you have had the brains in that location for a while and they are doing fine than keep them where they are... I see most people put them on the sand but that isn't the only way to keep them..When I refer to the fact that many brains do not take well to T5 I am usually referring to the deeper water ones, and to the red ones in particular... If there will be an issue with the brain and the light, you will notice it shortly after adding it... Most of the times they will not open all the way and will lose their color...

 

The Elite should be shipping in the next 4-6 weeks according to SLS but from what I have seen in the past with them is that they are not always the most prompt with product release. Either way the fans will help the Tek perform better no doubt. Lamps will stay cooler allowing them longer life, and more PAR production, the ballasts will stay cooler also allowing them to perform better and longer, and their will be less potential heat transfer to tank... Granted the amount is small to begin, it will just be smaller with the fans.I believe the specs should be the same, and if the Elite is thinner, front to back, its probably because they shortened the "wings" that jut out the Tek where the ballasts are located. If it is thinner, the SLRs will still cover the same area as the Tek SLRs are 2" in the fixtures. Only thing a thinner fixture would do is provide you more room to access the tank.If you have the cash and the patience for the Elite I would go that route over the original.... BUT I have seen quite a few people that modded the originals to have fans... According to a few sources, a local reefer by the name of Hahnmeister's original Tek mod was one of the "inspirations" for SLS to add the fans, and the way they were positioned.

 

I have a 110 gallon glass tank with a 8 inch high hood. The dimensions of the tank itself are 60'' x 18'' x 24''. I was wondering... how many T5's my tank would require to keep both sps and lps?

 

Sweet thanks for the info Dr. Being that i'm in no rush I might just wait for the new elite setup. I like the fans and like you said. It would give me more room to get into my tank. Thanks for the help. I will let you know how it works out. It will be awhile though. Once again thanks

 

8 lamps would be a great start. Nice thing is you can use 60"ers perfectly. Obviously you have retro as an option but now that SLS is releasing the 60" Tek, you won't be limited to just ATI as a main fixture source.I would still get the lamps as close to the water as possible, by that I mean don't have them the 8" away from the water surface..

 

I shot Chris an email and he told me essentially its the same as the original Tek, but it has better SLRs, a different powder coated finish, fans and comes WITH the acrylic shield. It will cost on average about $100 more that the Tek originals. SLS wants to compete with ATI on this fixture, we will see how that works out for them.