Looking for suggestions... T5 bulb Combos

[paddyob]

I am getting my first T5 fixture.... I know there are a lot of bulb options out there... and combinations.

I will have a 48" T5... 6 bulb.


Suggestions wanted on... which brand and which spectrums. 3 White/3 Actinic... 2 white/2 actinic/2 fiji purple... etc.

Looking for good combinations for optimum color and growth.


Thanks

[Rbacchiega]

http://home.comcast.net/~stevelarsen...55241857aa7f39

great little site I stumbled upon through RC earlier today

[daniella3d]

I would go with 4 actinic, 1 fiji purple and one white.

Originally Posted by paddyob

I am getting my first T5 fixture.... I know there are a lot of bulb options out there... and combinations.

I will have a 48" T5... 6 bulb.


Suggestions wanted on... which brand and which spectrums. 3 White/3 Actinic... 2 white/2 actinic/2 fiji purple... etc.

Looking for good combinations for optimum color and growth.


Thanks

[paddyob]

Originally Posted by daniella3d

I would go with 4 actinic, 1 fiji purple and one white.

Would that be very blue? I have a 75G so not sure if that make a world of difference.

[Myka]

For a really blue look:

UVL Super Actinic or UVL 454 or ATI BluePlus
KZ Coral Light II (15,000K)
UVL Super Actinic or UVL 454 or ATI BluePlus
UVL Super Actinic or UVL 454 or ATI BluePlus
KZ Coral Light II (15,000K)
UVL Super Actinic or UVL 454 or ATI BluePlus

OR

This combo would be fairly blue:

UVL Super Actinic or UVL 454 or ATI BluePlus
KZ Coral Light II (15,000K)
KZ Fiji Purple
KZ Coral Light I or UVL Aquasun (both are 10,000K)
KZ Coral Light II (15,000K)
UVL Super Actinic or UVL 454 or ATI BluePlus

You could switch the outside two and have the Coral Light II on the outside.

OR

This will be fairly white, but have a nice blue tint:

KZ Coral Light I or UVL Aquasun (10,000K)
UVL Super Actinic or UVL 454 or ATI BluePlus
KZ Coral Light II (15,000K)
KZ Coral Light II (15,000K)
UVL Super Actinic or UVL 454 or ATI BluePlus
KZ Coral Light I or UVL Aquasun (10,000K)



All of my suggested combos will give you good growth, and good PAR. These are all my favourite bulbs.

I find some tanks can't handle Fiji Purple bulbs since there is a lot of red spectrum in them they may promote algae growth. I find their use better on established tanks over a year old without any algae issues. Some people LOVE the look of Fiji Purple others HATE the look. They are purple-red.

The ATI BluePlus and the UVL 454 have a very similar look. The ATI is more expensive and can be difficult to locate, although it has slightly higher PAR. The UVL Super Actinic has low PAR, but high PUR so it is indeed a good bulb. It is more blue-purple than the 454 and the BluePlus which are more of a true blue.

KZ Coral Light I has higher PAR than UVL Aquasun, but is more expensive.

FYI, in general actinic bulbs are mainly aesthetic as they have low PAR and there is no scientific proof that corals or fish require the actinic spectrum. They shouldn't make up the majority of your bulbs. The UVL Super Actinic is an exception as described above.

[chris88]

With a 6 bulb fixture i would not run an actinic bulb. The par is to low and you willnot notice the added blue when it is all mixed in anyways. Instead run the following listed below.

ATI BLUE PLUS OR KZ SUPERBLUE
ATI AQUA BLUE OR KZ CORAL LIGHT
ATI BLUE PLUS OR KZ SUPERBLUE
KZ FIJI PURPLE OR ATI PURPLE PLUS
ATI BLUE PLUS OR KZ SUPERBLUE
KZ NEW GEN

Every bulb listed has a par over 300 and are know to be the brightess and the best.

[lorenz0]

Everyone has there own choice of what they like.

imo all of your guys choices are super blue. Run at least 3 14,000k bulbs (eg. KZ New Gen)than 2 22,000k bulbs (eg. KZ superblue). These 5 bulbs are a must. The forth I would go with a fiji purple. This is my set up, great growth and I love the colors I am getting out of the combo. Took about 5 combos to finalize with this

[Myka]

^ Your combo will be bluer than my third combo.

[lorenz0]

Originally Posted by Myka

^ Your combo will be bluer than my third combo.

ha ha touche. I love the New gen's, they are like the phoenix of t5's

[fencer]

+ on any of Myka's
++ on UVL(URI)