Help with T5 bulb selection

[cooper]

Hi everyone

I have a 2X150 HQI + 4X39 T5 light fixture. It is time to change the 4 T5 Bulbs and I wonder what combo I should go for. The 2X150 HQI bulbs are 14K Phoenix and I need some help choosing the right T5 bulbs that will make the corals look their best. I feel that the HQI bulbs are the main source of light for my tank and the T5s are just there to make the corals glow :-)

Here are some of the brands that I have been looking at.....

Korallen-Zucht
ATI
Aqua Science
Giesemann
URI
Coralife

Thanks in advance for all your help :biggrin:

[chris88]

if it just for color then i would do this

KZ SUPER BLUE
ATI BLUE PLUS
KZ FIJI PURPLE
URI SUPER ACTINIC

[kien]

Hi everyone

I have a 2X150 HQI + 4X39 T5 light fixture. It is time to change the 4 T5 Bulbs and I wonder what combo I should go for. The 2X150 HQI bulbs are 14K Phoenix and I need some help choosing the right T5 bulbs that will make the corals look their best. I feel that the HQI bulbs are the main source of light for my tank and the T5s are just there to make the corals glow :-)

Here are some of the brands that I have been looking at.....

Korallen-Zucht
ATI
Aqua Science
Giesemann
URI
Coralife

Thanks in advance for all your help :biggrin:

What's in your T5 sockets now and what don't you like about them? Do they come on at different intervals from your halides? Generally speaking, if you have a combo fixture it is true that you'd use the halides for growth and the T5s for colour supplementation (ie, that POP in colour). Usually that POP in colour comes from a very blue light like an Actinic bulb or a 22K bulb.

[cooper]

What's in your T5 sockets now and what don't you like about them? Do they come on at different intervals from your halides? Generally speaking, if you have a combo fixture it is true that you'd use the halides for growth and the T5s for colour supplementation (ie, that POP in colour). Usually that POP in colour comes from a very blue light like an Actinic bulb or a 22K bulb.


Hi there

Right now am using 2 Current Actinic and 2 Giesemann Pure Actinic. I like how my corals look under these bulbs but I wonder if there is anything better than what I currently use.

Oh, and one more question...these bulbs have been there for over 2 years. How often are these T5 bulbs suppose to be changed? There is nothing wrong with the corals or tank in general. Everything is thriving and looks healthy so I wonder if I should really change the bulbs or stick with what I have.

Thanks

[chris88]

2 years yikes. 9-12 months max is all they are really good for. The spectrum shifts over time and the par drops big time. there are much better options out there. you have 4 of the lowest par bulbs going there all peaking in the same spectrum. use the combo i suggested and you will get much higher par, better color, and it will fill in the blanks that your hallides leave out.

[kien]

Hi there

Right now am using 2 Current Actinic and 2 Giesemann Pure Actinic. I like how my corals look under these bulbs but I wonder if there is anything better than what I currently use.

Oh, and one more question...these bulbs have been there for over 2 years. How often are these T5 bulbs suppose to be changed? There is nothing wrong with the corals or tank in general. Everything is thriving and looks healthy so I wonder if I should really change the bulbs or stick with what I have.

Thanks

T5s are a funny thing. There are people out there who will change them out every 3 months while there are others who will swap them out when they burn out (after years of use). I've seen reef tanks with both approaches. So as to your question, "when are they supposed to be changed?" It all depends who you ask!

It sounds like there's nothing wrong with your setup now as everything is "thriving" and "looking good". It sounds like you just want to experiment a little, in which case look for that group of people who dump their bulbs after 3-6 months (you can usually get them for very cheap) and try their discarded bulbs out to see if you like them. Just because I like 22K T5s doesn't mean you will. I personally hate the fuji purples, but that doesn't mean that they are a terrible bulb or that you won't like them :-)

[Carrera75]

..............Never mind..........

[cooper]

2 years yikes. 9-12 months max is all they are really good for. The spectrum shifts over time and the par drops big time. there are much better options out there. you have 4 of the lowest par bulbs going there all peaking in the same spectrum. use the combo i suggested and you will get much higher par, better color, and it will fill in the blanks that your hallides leave out.


Well, all the T5 and HQI bulbs are over 2 years old. Everything is doing well and healthy. There is no algae on the rocks. I am thinking about getting new bulbs to see if I notice any difference in growth or overall health of my reef.

[cooper]

T5s are a funny thing. There are people out there who will change them out every 3 months while there are others who will swap them out when they burn out (after years of use). I've seen reef tanks with both approaches. So as to your question, "when are they supposed to be changed?" It all depends who you ask!

It sounds like there's nothing wrong with your setup now as everything is "thriving" and "looking good". It sounds like you just want to experiment a little, in which case look for that group of people who dump their bulbs after 3-6 months (you can usually get them for very cheap) and try their discarded bulbs out to see if you like them. Just because I like 22K T5s doesn't mean you will. I personally hate the fuji purples, but that doesn't mean that they are a terrible bulb or that you won't like them :-)

There is nothing wrong with my reef tank. You are right, I just want to experiment a bit and get new bulbs to see if I notice any changes. After all, these bulbs are over 2 years old. Why don't you like the Fiji Purple bulbs?

:-)

[chris88]

Just because there is nothign wrong with your reef doesnt mean it cant be improved. It is a known fact the par drops after a certain amount of bulb use and the spectrum can shift. It can only help your reef by changing your bulbs out. The fiji bulb is designed to hit the blue and red spectrum which is proven to be where corals have the highest rates of photsynthesis. the only reason anyone wouldnt like it is becuase it can make your tank look a bit pink/purple.

[fishytime]

The red spectrum encourages algae growth too:wink:

[albert_dao]

The red spectrum encourages algae growth too:wink:

Yeah, if your water quality sux...

[chris88]

Yeah, if your water quality sux...

Great point, you are only going to grow algae if there is an excess of nutrients. Any aquarium light will grow algae. corals have algae in thier tissue so obviously the same light can grow algae in a tank if there is an excess of nutrients, the red spectrum isn't going to be the culprit.

[fishytime]

Yeah, if your water quality sux...

yup.....most peeps running ULNS systems have great success with those bulbs and some systems simply cant handle running them..... Just trying to help the guy make an informed decision:wink:

[albert_dao]

yup.....most peeps running ULNS systems have great success with those bulbs and some systems simply cant handle running them..... Just trying to help the guy make an informed decision:wink:

No, no, that's not what I'm trying to imply. I'm saying that your water quality has to be outright ATROCIOUS for the one Fiji Purple bulb to cause problems. At which point, the educated and informed decision is not to ask "what bulbs should I be using?" but "how do I fix my #@$!'d up tank?"

[kien]

Why don't you like the Fiji Purple bulbs?

:-)

I don't like the pink cast.

[fishytime]

Just because there is nothign wrong with your reef doesnt mean it cant be improved. It is a known fact the par drops after a certain amount of bulb use and the spectrum can shift. It can only help your reef by changing your bulbs out. The fiji bulb is designed to hit the blue and red spectrum which is proven to be where corals have the highest rates of photsynthesis. the only reason anyone wouldnt like it is becuase it can make your tank look a bit pink/purple.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2008/12/aafeature1

[albert_dao]

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2008/12/aafeature1

I hate being the troll, but counter argument to Mr. Riddle's article under the context of this topic:

http://www.korallenzucht.de/files/schaubecken3_11_08_007_07.jpg

From here:

http://zeovit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14695

http://www.zeovit.com/DTOTQ/tony/02.jpg

From here: http://zeovit.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=88

http://www.zeovit.com/DTOTQ/andrzej/04.jpg

From here: http://zeovit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19071

http://www.zeovit.com/DTOTQ/dawid/015.jpg

From here: http://zeovit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17270

... etc, etc, etc...

[fishytime]

All ULNSs......what about systems not running ZEO?.....I could post pictures of really nice tanks not running FPs.....what would that prove?

[albert_dao]

Edit: Nevermind

[chris88]

I think his counter argument was that red light clearly wasn’t detrimental to any of those tanks that are run using KZ lamps as shown in the picture. It wasn’t that they were using zeo products but that they use a large amount of red light from the KZ bulbs which are run with a the zeo tanks in Germany. I can tell you for a fact that since I added the fiji purple it hasn’t caused any algae growth and colors seem better. I am not a spokes person for any company, but i have seen just about every t5 bulb you can think of in action and will give my honest opinion about them. In the end its personal preference so no one is truly right.