T5s Q&A

Sorry for the slow response that would be high light.

 

Just ordered 4 blue plus 1 purple plus and 1 aqua blue special to get a bluer look per recommendation of Greg over at reefgeek.

 

I would suggest getting another aquablue if you don't like how blue the tank looks. A spare is good to have anyway. That will be quite blue, I suspect you will find some of your colors washed out by the blue. Hope it is the color you are looking for. Trial and error is our friend in this case.

 

I love tanks more on the blue side. I feel it makes the color in the fish and coral really pop. How would I wash out color?

 

The blue can make lighter color shades look flat and off. Bright yellows can look dull and dirty for instance.

 

I have a ballast and end caps that I plan on using to run 24" t5ho with the icecap reflectors. Over the same tank. If I used glass or lexan/plexi as a cover would this affect the 'rating' much? What cover material would be best? I have cats and want to keep them out as much as possible. I can get another ballast for free if I need to add more light my plan is to start out with soft 'beginner' corals and some day if all goes well try sps.
Thanks brian

 

Glass can remove about 20%, the plexi/lexan will remove about 7% to 10% depending on the thickness.

 

Would 2 ati blue plus and 2 true actinics be sufficient for a mixed reef tank?

 

You should add an Aquablue Special for white light for SPS coral or you will have virtually no growth although you will most likely have awesome color.

 

Ah okay, I guess I'm going to have to order an Aquablue Special bulb then because I already ordered two Blue +. :/ Would it hurt my SPS if I were to run the Blue + for a week or two without the aqua blue special?