PDA

View Full Version : New t5 bulbs

iceman79
10/21/2009, 04:46 PM
Do new t5 bulb have a break in time . Does it take them a day or two to put out there full wattage
nikon187
10/21/2009, 09:28 PM
no, but it does take a few hours before they are fully hot and running at their max. Checked with a par meter on day one, fair par 10min in/ high par 3 hour later. But by no means a scientific test. We just popped new ATI bulbs in, grabbed the par meter and then checked again later. ( 6 bulb ATI PM 54w, 20" tank)
iceman79
10/21/2009, 09:37 PM
Ok thanks got some uvl actinics and they are more pink than blue didnt expect that just seem dull to me compared to my stock actinics which are a deep blue
The Grim Reefer
10/21/2009, 09:50 PM
Ok thanks got some uvl actinics and they are more pink than blue didnt expect that just seem dull to me compared to my stock actinics which are a deep blue

Which actinics? The super actinic shouldn't look pink. Maybe you got the actinic white or 75/25 by mistake?
nikon187
10/21/2009, 10:25 PM
Yeah if it is an actinc white than it is a pink bulb, more of a daylight bulb but pops the reds and purples. The 454 and super actinic bulbs by uvl are blue and purple respectively as grim said.
iceman79
10/22/2009, 10:19 AM
The box says super actinic but the bulb is pink guess they packaged it wrong o well its not a loss cause its still a new bulb and more than likely its much better than the slimpaqs that came with this fixture so i should count this bulb as a new day light bulb than an actinic? Whats the best bulb to get greens and yellow to pop
nikon187
10/22/2009, 11:19 AM
It should say right on the bulb itself what kind it is, don't trust the box. If it is a super actinic then no it isn't a daylight bulb at all, it is probably just a bad bulb and just needs to be replaced.
The Grim Reefer
10/22/2009, 01:02 PM
What color are the endcaps? If it's a Super Actinic they should be gold
iceman79
10/22/2009, 02:35 PM
There gold it says super actinic on the bulb and its a purple color now that i look at them. I turned the bulb a little more in the end cap and the bulb looks more purple than pink
The Grim Reefer
10/22/2009, 06:12 PM
There gold it says super actinic on the bulb and its a purple color now that i look at them. I turned the bulb a little more in the end cap and the bulb looks more purple than pink

Should look violet. Some people perceive it as purple but purple would have more of a pink hue to it.
iceman79
10/22/2009, 06:48 PM
Ok thanks
iceman79
10/23/2009, 09:13 PM
So the bulb is violet and it looks awesome i think im gonna get some more UVL bulbs for my fixture . Thanks grim for chiming in you are the T5 guru on reefcentral