T5 bulb combination - my head is spinning...

I hate buying new bulbs. I get so confused. BUT, it's that time again. I have a T5 6-bulb fixture and I have 2 extra bulbs on hand now - a Giesemann Pure Actinic and an ATI Blue Plus. I want a blue look, but not an extreme blue look. What bulbs should I put with the two I already have on hand and in what order? Any ideas would be appreciated!

 

Hey Triplemom

I would go with at least 1 more ATI blue plus - as I have been reading that the ATI lamps offer slightly more PAR than the Geisseman blue plus

with a 6 lamp fixture
I would be tempted to go 3 x ATI Blue plus and 3 x Actinic (a 1 - 1 ratio is often recomended as ideal)

if thats too blue - 4 x ATI blue plus and 1 x Actinic and 1 x Powerchrome by Geisseman which is a 22K actinic lamp and this helps compensate for the white colour of the 4 x aquablue lamps

that way you will have maximised your PAR potential , but at same time achieve a nice blue/ but not overly blue looking reef tank


Steve

 

Will the blue plus and actinics be enough for her corals? I thought that the blue plus bulbs were only recomended if combined with a full spectrum bulb like the aqua blue specials.

 

First, answer the question, do you like the way your tank looks now? If yes, then get the same bulbs. If you are unhappy with how it look, then consider getting a new combination. Many people want a blue look, but how blue is completely based on personal preference. In a six bulb fixture, I've found the average person will like half blue/actinic bulbs and half/daylight bulbs. If you think you like a bluer look than that, I would use 4 blue/actinic and 2 daylight. I've tried 1 daylight and 5 blue/actinic but didn't like that, it looked too washed out. It's also good to have a few extra bulbs on hand so you can experiment. I would buy six new bulbs, a mix of blue and daylight and just experiment. 1 bulb can make a pretty big difference in the visual effect of the tank.

 

I suggest getting a total of 3 blue, 2 aquablue specials and one ATI purple plus. The purple plus will make reds, pinks and purples stand out.

 

Over the years I've experimented with quite a few different lighting systems, from PC to MH, most recent years T5s and now some LEDs. On my main tank I currently run a 6x54w T5 setup, over the last 2.5 yrs I've tried lots of different T5 bulb combination, I use to use giesemann but I like ATI bulbs better. I like a bit more than 14k but not all the way to 20k look, it also depends on the corals you have too...

Sounds like you might like something similar, here's my suggestion...

From front to back:
ATI Blue+
ATI Aqua Blue (or KZ Fiji Purple for a more pastel look...I really like this bulb, the reds and pinks pop more)
Gieseman actinic (since you already have this bulb...I run a UVL SA)
ATI Blue+
ATI Aqua Blue
ATI Blue +

 

The blue plus lamps are not actually blue - they are white light
I believe ATI Blue plus are 12k lamps
I know Geisseman Blue plus are 14k lamps

many people believed you needed 10k lamps mixed with actinics in order to generate the PAR required and thus enough white light for growth
but as with MH, many people have found that you can get decent growth (comparable in many cases) by using a combo of 14k and 20k Plus lamps

if you use 14k lamps then a 2- 1 ratio with actinic is good IMO
If you use 10k lamps then a 1- 1 ratio with actinic is good IMO

You basically arrive at a similar overall colour temperature but using a different combination of lamps to achieve it


Steve

 

i have a stupid question. can i actually inter change another manufactors t5 bulbs while using the ballast in my fixture. i was given the deep blue t5 4x39 fixture. big upgrade from pc. but i also want to know how can i achieve the light spectrum like the pic in map95003 avatar.

 

Steve the ATI Blue Plus are blue the Aquablue Special are white.

 

You can use any manufacturers T5HO bulb in any T5HO fixture.