T5 Lighting

[brickwood]

So here is one for everyone. I have asked a lot of people the same question. I am still undecided. T5 lighting. Should you be able to grow SPS? I have only recently gone up to T5's from PC's. 48" 4 bulb. I have noticed a huge difference in my softies. Has anyone had success with SPS under T5's?

[Keri]

Yup, you can keep some sps under the right kind of t5 lighting (how many bulbs? is it HO? what kind of reflectors? How deep is the tank?)

I was keeping quite a few montis, millis and acros under 8xt5HO before I recently switched to MH because I wanted to keep some of the higher-light demanding pieces

Monti's are a good starter sps, a little more forgiving than some. (particularily the digitatas)

some softies, like leather and zoas have been thought to inhibit the growth of sps, which is why some reefers don't do mixed reefs... I do, but I run carbon, and maybe my sps suffers for it but I like my softies so I keep 'em.

[lorenz0]

You can keep any type of SPS under t5's. BUT it all comes down to the fixture and your bulb choice. If your fixture is a cheaper t5ho one with a single reflector i would say no, but individual reflectors i would say yes. Than with bulbs you need to run a higher end bulb. cheaper bulbs don't give off the same light as a higher end bulb.

Thats a quick some up of the answer. you could literally write a book on T5 lighting and growing coral and how it compares to MH.

[Stones]

I rely soley on a T5 fixture to light my 90 gallon SPS reef. After switching from metal halides, I haven't noticed any adverse effects and most of my acros are improving in colour since I made the switch. Like the previous posts stated, so long as the fixture has individual reflectors you should be able to keep any type of SPS coral. Active cooling makes a big difference as well and improves light output and bulb longevity.

[fishytime]

Short answer....yes. 16 bulbs total mind you.:biggrin: Colors faded a bit when I switched from MH but are coming back now.
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o19/fishytime/SPS10.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o19/fishytime/SPS9.jpg
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o19/fishytime/SPS8.jpg

[digital-audiophile]

The T5 vs. MH debate brings me much pleasure :)

I run a 6 bulb tek on my 90 and have been more than happy with it. After using MH I just prefer the T5 and I would have a hard time going back to MH.

I have kept SPS under them just fine - growth and colour (allthough I am out of the SPS game, after my last tank crash) I have three clams that are very happy at the bottom of my tank.. and these are cretures that I had always read needed at least 250W of MH to thrive.

[Trigger Man]

I feel the same as others that have written on here, I've been running t5's for years now and I have kept everything from some of the most light demanding to the not so much light needing SPS with no problems. All my SPS has always been located in the mid to upper range in the tank, with my birdsnest in the lower 2/3rds of the tank and everything has shown growth with my 4x 54 watt 48 inch tek fixture. I have recently added 2 more t5's just to get some additional light at the back of the tank as the lighting holder makes my unit sit closer to the front of my tank then totally center.

[tang daddy]

I keep sps with t5 aswell 8 bulb with 24" deep tank most high requiring sps is kept 4in from the top the rest at mid level.

[reeferious]

switch to t5 and you wont regret it. recently switch from 2x250 mh to 6x4 and 4x4 t5 on my 90 and things are just blooming although i do stagger photoperiod 6 hrs with 10 bulb, 8 hrs with 8 bulbs and 10 hrs with 6 bulbs. no heat issues even during dog days of summer and coral colors are amazing. you really should experiment with different bulbs until you are satisfied with what you feel is the best combo for your tank.

[lobsterboy]

i found a major improvement in color in my sps using T-5.

[Red Coral Aquariums]

You can keep any type of SPS under t5's. BUT it all comes down to the fixture and your bulb choice. If your fixture is a cheaper t5ho one with a single reflector i would say no, but individual reflectors i would say yes. Than with bulbs you need to run a higher end bulb. cheaper bulbs don't give off the same light as a higher end bulb.

I agree with lorenz0 here and my answer would also be yes to your question. But in my opinion a combination of the two is the perfect choice giving you punch and color. One other observation I have noticed that when customers have T5 lighting and they are looking at large clams or acros I am constantly asked if their lighting will sustain these. Now on the other hand customers running MH 250 + that question never comes to mind.
Kevin

[FlamesFan]

T5 is becoming the dominate choice in SPS reef systems. One glance at any tank on the zeovit website (which is dominated by T5 reefs) will prove my comment.

The main thing that every agree's on, it's all dependent on your fixture. Some people figure they can save money by going T5 and still get the same results. This can be very untrue when you can spend just as much on a proper fixture to support SPS under T5's. This includes High output and overdriven fixtures with INDIVIDUAL reflectors.

Another big choice for people going T5 over MH is the color selections you can get from the variety of bulbs. The right selection of bulbs can make SPS look gorgeous.

[Stones]

I've noticed a few comments now that most people using T5s and keeping SPS seem to limit keeping their higher light corals within the top few inches of the tank. I'd just like to mention that I keep acros all the way from the top of the tank down to the sandbed and they all seem to do just fine. Growth rate may be slightly slower for the corals lower down but I'm finding that the corals lower down in the tank are often the ones to achieve better colouration than the corals located at a higher level in the tank. As previously posted too, most of the people on the zeovit forums run all T5s and you would be hard pressed to find a tank that kept all their SPS in the top portion of the tank.

[daddy01]

Hi,
Interesting thread..I have a chance to obtain 36" T5 housing and was curious bout t5's myself . So if you get T5 housing with individual relfectors and good quality bulbs they are as efficient as Halide? or am I misunderstanding something?
My tank is 36"X18"X18" and am running Coralife 36" 2X96W bulbs the T5 fixture would be better?
Jim

[alfredshouse]

I have a 155gallon that is 72x28x18 and I am running 4 VHO and one actinic all 48" long . I have some soft corals. I am headed for disaster? Do i have to have MH? Please advise as I am a newbie. Thanks:redface:

[BCOrchidGuy]

I went to visit a reefer in Surrey a few years ago, he had the most amazing tanks, SPS and all and it was beautiful. He kept it all with NO tubes, yep, home depot stuff plus some actinics. Now the thing is, his corals probably grew slower but it did grow. If I remember right, his Acros were close to the top.

Yes I agree with everyone else you can keep sps under T5, spend the money on a good fixture though, I used cheap fixtures and they ended up wet on the inside and only lasting about 6 months. They had open eneds etc... Someone said individual refelctors, I think it's a great idea. When my tank was new I had a 400 watt SE bulb over it (for a few days) but when I went to a good reflector and 250 watt DE HQI I beleive I noticed a big difference, the 250 was brighter, granted there was a different reflector, electronic ballast vs mag ballast and the new one being HQI it may be like comparing a kia to a maserati, I guess what I'm trying to say is, the more you try to improve the overall quality the better, not just the tubes themselves.

Douglas

[Stones]

Hi,
Interesting thread..I have a chance to obtain 36" T5 housing and was curious bout t5's myself . So if you get T5 housing with individual relfectors and good quality bulbs they are as efficient as Halide? or am I misunderstanding something?
My tank is 36"X18"X18" and am running Coralife 36" 2X96W bulbs the T5 fixture would be better?
Jim

Basically what it comes down to is whether or not T5s would be best suited to your aquarium system. There are many threads on RC with actual data comparing metal halide setups to T5 setups and most of the time PAR readings are fairly similar with metal halides typically producing slightly more PAR than T5s. Depending on the bulbs, ballasts, and reflectors used, either metal halide or T5s can produce more PAR so it really depends on the equipment used as well. With T5s, you do have a more customizable light spectrum though as there are many different bulbs you can choose from.

I'm sure that you would be more than happy after making the switch from PC to T5's. Just make sure the T5s are High Output (HO) and not normal output (NO). As you said, individual reflectors as well as high quality bulbs such as aquascience, ATI, KZ, giesmann, etc will make a huge difference in performance.

[RuGlu6]

I go tT5 Tek 6 lamps fixture SPS color and growth is good
i got pink and green SPS growing.
The key thing is the reflectors though.

[lorenz0]

I am actually planning on purchasing a par meter just to measure everything. Another big thing with t5's is what you are using to cool them. The cooler the bulbs are, the higher output your going to get.

What some people have to remember is there are fixtures out there that do amazing jobs. For instance, Nova extreme pro's. If you change the bulbs with a better bulb you would be suprised with what they can grow. Tek's are great but the down fall to them is that they don't have fan's. If they came with fan's they would be competing with the ATI fixture imo.

For me, i am running aqua science bulbs right now but would like to try out KZ next.

Bulb selection is a huge factor. some people go for looks but will get minium growth and than curse that their sps is not growing when in reality if they changed out a few of your bulbs things can change dramatically.

[Red Coral Aquariums]

I have a submersible light meter at the shop if anyone wants to borrow it.
Kevin

[Canadian]

I am actually planning on purchasing a par meter just to measure everything. Another big thing with t5's is what you are using to cool them. The cooler the bulbs are, the higher output your going to get.


This isn't true. If you cool a T5 lamp too much you drastically drop the output. Therefore attempting to add active cooling to a lower end T5 fixture is more complex than just blowing air over the lamps. Some lamps have cold spots at one end of the lamp and others don't - this changes the position where the air flow should be directed. The optimal operating temperature is somewhere around 115F (45 degrees C - see this reference: http://www.lighting.com/content.cfm?id=2071&page=/). Above or below that and you see degradation in lamp output and changes in ballast wattage draw --> poorer efficiency.

The biggest problem with respect to gaining even greater wide spread use of T5 lamps in reefkeeping is the general ignorance regarding output and optimizing color and PAR by changing numerous variables (reflector design, lamp choice, ballast choice, active cooling, etc.). MH tends to be the default because it has been around a long time (with good reason) and its application is fairly well understood. In North America we still don't have a good handle on what constitutes an ideal setup (hence seeing Sunlight Supply Tek lights being recommended over and over again despite their poor reflector design and lack of active cooling). And then there's that shimmer issue . . .

[lorenz0]

I will be there tomorrow. can post some numbers comparing a MH set-up and a T5 set up. lol jdigitals 2x250watt vs my 6x54watt t5HO. thats if its ok with him...

[brickwood]

I will be there tomorrow. can post some numbers comparing a MH set-up and a T5 set up. lol jdigitals 2x250watt vs my 6x54watt t5HO. thats if its ok with him...

Can't wait to see the results.:lol:

[lorenz0]

K talked to him. shall get some numbers tomorrow. only difference is his tank is 20" tall and mine is 16" i believe.

When i was refering to cooler bulbs i was mostly thing of using a fan to blow across the bulbs. But like i have mentioned before, cheaper fixtures (TEK, NEP) can produce great results. Sure the ATI is an amazing fixture but for me, a bit out of my price range and for your average reefer they don't want to spend more than $500-700 on a fixture. Its not just the fact that I am running a TEK but alot of people look down on them.

[digital-audiophile]

I think the TEK is great, I had way more issues with heat from MH lights. (I have a nice burn scar to prove it)

I see a lot of set ups where people add a bank of fans to their TEKs perhaps something I will try down the road.

[lorenz0]

K guys so here are some numbers from my T5HO TEK (bulbs are 10,000k; fiji purple; 10,000k; fiji purple; 10,000k; reef blue. all bulbs are aqua science. I measured first at my sand bed, than top of the rocks (which is mid tank) than surface reading. Measure used was a milwaukee smark luxmeter sm700 on the 20000/50000 x 100lux setting. Tank is 16" deep and the light is 3-4 inches away from the surface.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0010-4.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0011-3.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0012-4.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0009-3.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0008-2.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0007-6.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0004-5.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0003-4.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0001-3.jpg



Also for fun, my 20" NEP using stock current bulbs (3 10,000k; 3 aticnic's). One reading at surface and the other is the sand bed.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0014-2.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0015-3.jpg

[lorenz0]

K so now comparing against 2x250watt MH using luxmax 3 with 14,000k ushio bulbs. I didn't go all the way down but this is just to show. still started at surface reading, than about 8 inches down, than 16 inches down... about. Same settings and both tanks have had the lights on for over an hour and a half.

Surface readings

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0002-5.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0003-5.jpg

8 inches down readings

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0005-6.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0006-5.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0007-7.jpg

16 inches down readings

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0008-3.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0009-4.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0010-5.jpg

Now the whole point to me doing this test was not to compare which was better but everyone knows that a good 250watt MH set up will be able to grow SPS easily. Now this shows that a good T5 set up does compare to it with close numbers. Sadly i wish t5's had the shimmer

[FlamesFan]

The end result is that both MH and T5 are great and are equal options for reefers. Some major differences between the two are heat output, color options, price of unit/bulbs, and power usage. Depending on the options that are more important to you, will decide which route to go

[Trigger Man]

How close to the glass was the meter? We found that the light reflects off of the glass and hence the center of the tank lower down actually had a lower reading when we tested a while back.

K so now comparing against 2x250watt MH using luxmax 3 with 14,000k ushio bulbs. I didn't go all the way down but this is just to show. still started at surface reading, than about 8 inches down, than 16 inches down... about. Same settings and both tanks have had the lights on for over an hour and a half.

Surface readings

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0002-5.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0003-5.jpg

8 inches down readings

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0005-6.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0006-5.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0007-7.jpg

16 inches down readings

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0008-3.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0009-4.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e69/lorenz000/IMG_0010-5.jpg

Now the whole point to me doing this test was not to compare which was better but everyone knows that a good 250watt MH set up will be able to grow SPS easily. Now this shows that a good T5 set up does compare to it with close numbers. Sadly i wish t5's had the shimmer

[lorenz0]

those lower tests were done about 1/3 the width of the tank for the lower tests

I can see what your talking about though

[digital-audiophile]

Its so nice to see those pictures. A little vindication for us T5 guys that take so much flak.

[Powertec]

Could the reflectors in the tek fixture be changed out to higher output individual reflectors that clip on?

[JDigital]

Could the reflectors in the tek fixture be changed out to higher output individual reflectors that clip on?

The reflectors in Tek's are individual reflectors.

[Canadian]

The reflectors in Tek's are individual reflectors.

The reflectors in Tek lights aren't individual - they're a sheet of aluminum bent to form individual-like reflectors.

And I think what Powertec was asking is if the sheet of reflectors could be removed and the fixture retrofitted with higher quality individual clip-on reflectors like those made by IC or the smaller Aquactinics ones. I don't know how feasible it would be to fit another brand of reflector in a Tek light because each bent reflector is quite narrow compared to the individual reflectors sold by IC, Aquactinics, etc. Also, I don't know how much space there is above the lamps in the Tek light and the depth of various retrofit individual reflectors might be greater than that of those in the Tek fixtures.

[sphelps]

From my experience you can't beat the T5 and MH combo. Both have there advantages but combining them gives the best of both. I've tried all T5 and all Halide on my tank and in the end settled on both for best results. I was not a fan of the all T5 lighting on my larger tank however it works well for my smaller tank so I think the size and design of the tank is key to choosing optimal lighting.

I would also like to add that choosing lighting based on pictures is a bad idea. T5 tanks will always produce better pictures because of the softer more even light. In addition a camera has the ability to adjust WB and exposure which could alter the color, brightness and contrast.

[lastlight]

I would also like to add that choosing lighting based on pictures is a bad idea. T5 tanks will always produce better pictures because of the softer more even light. In addition a camera has the ability to adjust WB and exposure which could alter the color, brightness and contrast.

Not to mention nearly everyone here is viewing the pictures on non-calibrated monitors/screens. It's unreal how 'off' most of our screens truly are.