T5s Q&A

It was pretty white, but I think I was used to the crazy blues VHO's can throw into a tank.

The T5's have been up and running for almost 2 weeks now and i am having some algae issues. Could it be that I have too much red spectrum with both the pro color and the fiji purple over the tank? Or is this a normal thing after upgrading from vho's and PC's?

the lighting scheme I ended up with is

blue plus
fiji purple
blue plus
aqua blue
pro color
blue plus

I have an ATI actinic and an ATI aqua blue special for spare bulbs.

~Will.

 

First off, how do you like the look of the Pro Color and Fiji Purple in there?

As far as algal issues are concerned.... I've said it once and will say it again, lamps don't cause algae nutrients do.. I have seen awfully blue tanks that are gross with algae and have seen coral farms that are running Iwasaki 6000k MH lamps with little to no algae.. I would assume that there is some nutrient issues at hand more so than the spectrum of the lamps... That also goes for upgrading, you probably had the same algae issues just with more light the algae can grow faster.

I would do some water changes and address the nutrient levels before blaming the lamps, then see where that takes you.

 

Okay that was alot of help thanks Dr. i have found most of my stuff online at diy reef.com I have to make sure I have everything though I have power cords, refelectors, endcaps, T-5 lamp holders, 2 workhorse ballast #7, and bulbs... which brings me to my next question since I will have six bulbs I am going to be doing the dawn and dusk affect so what should I use for antics wise there are so many variations and what size white lights should I use like 10k 14k or 18k? If there is a way you can give me a quick rundown to make it easier for me to choose.

thanks again

 

Personally I would opt with a blue lamp over an ACTINIC one, actinics are more violet or in UVLs case pink, and put out little PAR and are not very bright. Blue on the otherhand typically has good PAR values, is the color most are familar with when thinking "actinic" and more more true to life....

Whites, man, I would say the most popular hands down is the Aquablue by either Giesemann or ATI, listed as a 14,000k lamp though in my eyes its not that blue, it has a crisp look to it and good PAR output...

How blue do you want the overall look of the tank?

 

What I had on it before was two antic pc and two 10ks looked good I ended up getting a current extreme pro 6 x 54w fixture the retroes were costing to much I got a good deal on this set up though 340 shipped with bulbs included I will just have to drill my canopy to allow for venting to keep the heat down. I will use the stuff it has in it to start but will prolly change to the aquablue 14ks you mentioned if I dont like the set up.

Thanks for the info.

Now I just have to get a skimmer and build my sump then I will be a real aquarist no more hang off the back stuff.

Scott

 

Hey frag I have recently gotten a good deal on a 125 gallon tank and I have done tons of reading on lighting systems since lights are so important to this hobby. Anyway, I made a list of the light sets that you had recommended in one of the many posts I have read but what I noticed is not all those systems carry 72 inch sets.

This may be a stupid question but I am jumping from small tank sizes to the biggest tank I have ever owned so I want to do it right the first time instead of buying this or that just to upgrade them later. My tank is 72 inches but sme of the light systems only go to 60 and smaller so does this mean I am limited to certain systems? I mean 60 inches thats a good 6 inches a side that wouldnt have light directed in that area. Am I missing something? Maybe only certain places carry the bigger sizes or I need to special order them?

I have seen your tank pics and its a beautiful tank and in one of the pics I seen the end of your lights which I believe you said was a retro kit so I was hoping you could give me an idea. The Nova Extreme Pro does come in 72 but from what I have been reading you dont seem to like that system much. I have looked at the TX5 and Solar Flare but havent seen anything over 60 inches.

Maybe I am just reading too much but one thing for sure I am dead set on the T5's and will not put any other type on the 125 so really trying to find me a nice fixture that wont kill me money wise but if I have to I will give a retro kit a try, just not sure if I wanna go that route.

Thanks in advance.

 

Quick question - I am currently running 8x54W T5 on my 90g. Using 4 actinics (Marineland bulbs), and 1 Fiji purple, 1 10000K, 1 12000K (UVL), and 1 14000K (UVL).

Would there be any advantage to me swapping the actinics for blue bulbs? I know the PAR is higher, but I don't know if the blue produces the same eye-popping effects on corals? If you do recommend blue bulbs, what brand? I can't get ATI where I live, but could get Geissenman or UVL. Please let me know your opinion

 

Couple things you could do... Retro. Cheapest solution and gives you the ability to "customize" your unit. I was on my build looking to get the most bang for my buck per se and investigated many options. For me retro was the way to go. For others it might be out of the question, maybe no hood to hide it, lack of time to build it or not feeling comfortable wiring the endcaps. The first two I can't help you with but the third, wiring issue is not as scary as many people initially think. Mainly plugging leads into an encap.

So for fixture you can go with a 72" Constellation by Aquactinics.
Aquactinics LLC | Marine Aquarium Lighting Specialists

It is a sleek fixture that would work on your tank. Nice feautures to highlight would be the quality of construction and components such as the Miro IV aluminum. It wall has three plugs to really be able to ramp lights up to full power, kind of like an advanced dawn/dusk feature.

The reason why I personally passed on the Unit is because I didn't want to fool with 14 lamps. Granted I would have full coverage instead of the 6" on both ends that aren't covered... I just didn't want to mess with that many lamps. Lots of people do, I have seen some nice tanks with this unit and have heard from the owners that they love them.

Other than that you have the NEP in a 72"... I would definetly go with the Constellation.

Many companies do 60"ers simply for the fact that 60" lamps are the biggest T5s out there. Honestly though, even just using my tank for example 80watters (60"ers) would work fine on your tank. Heck, If you got an ATI 60" unit you will surely be happy.

I personally like 60"ers as I can get same wattage(roughly) and have far less lamps... I would need 16 3"ers to my 8 60"ers...

As far as the 6" on both sides... I barely notice it, plus I personally don't have rock all the way to the glass so didn't feel that is was necessary to have my lamps go all the way to the ends of the tank. My corals that are off the lamps are doing fine.. If I had to do it again I wouldn't change.

If you have any other questions let me know!
Good luck!

 

Most likely the Marineland lamps are a blue anyways no? Many brands call lamps actinic but they are nothing more than blue lamps... Actinic is more of a violet color. True actinics aren't all that bright and do not put out much PAR. I don't personally use actinics on my tank. I run blue lamps, and daylights and so on.

If you wanted to swap out the Marineland(which I personally would) go with Giesemann Actinic+.

 

Hmm.. interesting to know that the 60's would work. That is one reason I figured I would ask about it because I wasnt sure how the extra 6 inches on either side would look. So if I were to go with the ATI Sunpower then it would be more than enough?

I really like the design of the sunpower and it seems to give good bang for the buck; have you ever seen any in use?