Adding retro t5 to led fixture

[bcheriyan]

I have a DIY led fixture but thinking of adding 2 t5 to this for better colors . My current led is heavy on the blue side . Is it good idea to add two t5 to this. If so what bulbs do u all suggest.
Thx u all

[Jewlover]

How many whites and how many blues do you have?

[bcheriyan]

I have 2:1. RB to w

[bcheriyan]

I have good coral growth , but I feel the colors are not there.. What u all think any one did a hybrids led t5

[zachts]

Plenty of people have, and several manufacurers offer hybrids in comercial reef lights now.

Blue Plus, Purple Plus, and Coral Plus seem to be the favorites of T5 lighting right now depending on what spectrum you want to supplement.

Purple Plus if your using cool whites would probably give you the most improvement.

[dunc101]

I would use 2 blue+ or 1 coral + and 1 blue+ and then modify your LED intensity to get the color you like. Either of those should fill in the rest of your spectrum fine. FWIW, I am running 2 20 inch 120 watt Maxspect Razors with 4 T5s supplements. I am running 3 blue+ and 1 purple+ and am satisfied. I will replace the purple+ with a coral+ once those T5's get old. My colors and growth have greatly increased since adding the T5's (90% SPS tank).

[bcheriyan]

Thank u all for your responses .. For sure my current ratios are as below. The more I look at my corals are missing the Red ..

18 RB
6 Blue
6 NW
6 CW
4 Violet

[jedimasterben]

I would use two Coral Plus (otherwise the tank will be unevenly lit by the fluorescents, the front will have one color and the back will have another, etc) and adjust intensities of the LEDs accordingly.

[bcheriyan]

Thank you for all your inputs , looks like two Coral Plus would be my best bet ..

I have another question .. What brand of retro would you recommend, also I can either add a 2 x 60 inch or 6 x 24 inch kits on my 72 inch tank. 60 inch would be nice in terms of wiring , do you all see any reasons to go with 24 inch ?

[bcheriyan]

Any one ?

[jedimasterben]

Whichever you get, do not get one with a crappy ballast like the Workhorse series. HEP ballasts, the ones that ATI specs their bulbs to, are cheap ($54 to drive two 60" bulbs) and are the same ones used in all ATI Powermodule and Sunpower models, so they are reliable.

[bcheriyan]

Thx for all the Info . Thx jedimasterbin .

[bcheriyan]

Ok I have decided to run 4 t5 to supplement my LED 60 inch t5, along with 36 x 3 LEDs tank size 72 x 27 x27 is that too much ?

[bcheriyan]

So if I am putting total of 4 t5 .. I will use 2 Coral Plus with 2 Blue Plus ? not sure what other bulbs will be best to supplement.. Leds will be in the middle. Thank you for all your inputs.

[jedimasterben]

Ok I have decided to run 4 t5 to supplement my LED 60 inch t5, along with 36 x 3 LEDs tank size 72 x 27 x27 is that too much ?
So if I am putting total of 4 t5 .. I will use 2 Coral Plus with 2 Blue Plus ? not sure what other bulbs will be best to supplement.. Leds will be in the middle. Thank you for all your inputs.
Well, do you want T5 with LED supplements or LED with T5 supplements? I think using four T5 bulbs is too much, at that point you're covering so much of the same spectra that you may as well only use blue and violet LEDs as 'actinic' supplement.

I just don't see why you'd want to use so much power for T5s when all they're needed for is to get light in the places that the LEDs can't. But, I digress. lol

Do you already have any of the LEDs or are you starting from scratch?

[bcheriyan]

Nice ,, I need supplement my led .. I have my led fixture DIYed last year.. I have 108 leds on my 72 inch tank and also added 12 violets .. The Coral growth is great .. but not the color .. As you all suggested said I will do is add 2 T5 That Should help . I didn't want to keep modifiying this again. That is the reason I was thinking 4 ..

[bcheriyan]

Thank you jedimasterben ..

[Fishtitious Per]

Fwiw, the one drawback of supplementing t5's is that you do end up washing out the glitter lines the led's provide. I added bulbs to my Radion and now lose the snorkeling underwater effect when the bulbs turn on. No biggie, but heads up.

[jedimasterben]

Nice ,, I need supplement my led .. I have my led fixture DIYed last year.. I have 108 leds on my 72 inch tank and also added 12 violets .. The Coral growth is great .. but not the color .. As you all suggested said I will do is add 2 T5 That Should help . I didn't want to keep modifiying this again. That is the reason I was thinking 4 ..
Can you give me the details of your setup? What LEDs are you using, what currents, lenses, etc?

[bcheriyan]

I have cree leds and three heat sinks each of the heat sink has the leds as below

Heat Sink 8.5 x 18 (x 3 for my 6feet 225 g tank)
18 RB
6 Blue
6 NW
6 CW
4 Violet

I can control blue and whites seperatly through my APex controller all with 60 degree optics

[bcheriyan]

All driven @ 950 mA

[jedimasterben]

I have cree leds and three heat sinks each of the heat sink has the leds as below

Heat Sink 8.5 x 18 (x 3 for my 6feet 225 g tank)
18 RB
6 Blue
6 NW
6 CW
4 Violet

I can control blue and whites seperatly through my APex controller all with 60 degree optics
Your array is ok, you'd definitely get better results if you swapped the cool white for warm white. What colors in your corals are you missing, specifically?

[bcheriyan]

More like red and corals looks dull .. If I swapout the cWs for WW you say I do not need the t5's ?

[jedimasterben]

Red corals looking dull can be a lack of cyan or farther red. Warm white would definitely help, as would cyan.

[zachts]

Which corals? In particular montipora and many acropora need the far red to look red. On the LPS side it is often more of a fluorescent red pigment needing the blue and cyan wavelengths to help out (but a little more red spectrum helps to some degree)

If you add cyans to the mix then replace the cool whites with a warm white rated for over 90 CRI (indicates further red needed for the missing spectrum) One or two cyans is all you'd want to add to each panel and center them along the length in between you violets to give even coverage.

On the other hand if you don't add cyans I'd replace the neutral whites with warm white (keeping the cool whites for their green end of the spectrum.

[zachts]

Water chemistry and feeding also has alot to do with coral coloration so if they are giving some of the color you expect it may not be a lack of spectrum in the lights but a lack of nutrition or micronutrients. Or some water quality issue.

[StaySalty]

Following along. I've been looking to add some t5 supps to my maxspect razor. Overall, I'm happy with it but I feel that no matter what LEDs I use, there's just spaces that don't get filled in as well and the coral coloration is not as good as it could be. My LFS uses the Ai sols with t5 retros and I'm sold on that being the look I want. Especially after I asked to see what the tank looks like with only the Sols on.

I was hoping to to build something like this. But I'm not sure how I would attach the retros to the razor.
http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac282/ReefLEDLights/144LED1.jpg

[zachts]

Following along. I've been looking to add some t5 supps to my maxspect razor. Overall, I'm happy with it but I feel that no matter what LEDs I use, there's just spaces that don't get filled in as well and the coral coloration is not as good as it could be. My LFS uses the Ai sols with t5 retros and I'm sold on that being the look I want. Especially after I asked to see what the tank looks like with only the Sols on.

I was hoping to to build something like this. But I'm not sure how I would attach the retros to the razor.
http://i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac282/ReefLEDLights/144LED1.jpg

Don't forget the reflectors for the t5. that light pictured is wasting half of the light and probably could have gotten away with half the number of bulbs for supplementation.

Just use some self tapping screws to mount the standoff to the underside of the housing on the edges of the razor on the solid parts between the areas of cooling fins. Or mount a bracket there, which ever works.

or attach a bar like in that pic to the spot where the hanging kit attaches, might need longer bolts or something to make that work?

http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i422/CoralVue/Maxspect%20Razor/DSC03324.jpg

[StaySalty]

Don't forget the reflectors for the t5. that light pictured is wasting half of the light and probably could have gotten away with half the number of bulbs for supplementation.

Just use some self tapping screws to mount the standoff to the underside of the housing on the edges of the razor on the solid parts between the areas of cooling fins. Or mount a bracket there, which ever works.

or attach a bar like in that pic to the spot where the hanging kit attaches, might need longer bolts or something to make that work?




Yeah I think the guy stated that he hadn't put the reflectors on yet but was going too.

As far as my setup goes, it'll probably be quite a challenge for me to figure out how im gonna add the t5s. I pretty much have almost zero DIY skills lol. If I did use something like the self tapping screws and screw into the body, wouldn't that void the warranty? is there any way I could add the supps without puncturing the body of the razor in any way?

[zachts]

I would imagine you could attach them some where like where the hanging kit hooks in or where the tank mounts fit without doing any permanent modifications.

[StaySalty]

I would imagine you could attach them some where like where the hanging kit hooks in or where the tank mounts fit without doing any permanent modifications.

Yeah, I'd have to play around with it for sure. It's on a corner tank so that in itself makes this harder than usual.

one more question I have for you Zachts. I've never used anything but LED's since I've been in the hobby(2 years or so) so I'm not familiar with the technicalities of t5 technology. I was just going to buy a couple of the t5 retro kits shown in the picture I put up. I believe they are the coralvue retros. But after doing some searching, it seems like the Icecap 660 retro are very popular and loved by many. Are these the icecap 660's?

http://www.aquacave.com/VUE660-T5-VHO-Retro-Kits-C314.aspx

I just wasn't sure because these are called VUE660 but everyone seems to be refering to them as IceCap 660. Are these two the same thing?

[zachts]

Yeah, I'd have to play around with it for sure. It's on a corner tank so that in itself makes this harder than usual.

one more question I have for you Zachts. I've never used anything but LED's since I've been in the hobby(2 years or so) so I'm not familiar with the technicalities of t5 technology. I was just going to buy a couple of the t5 retro kits shown in the picture I put up. I believe they are the coralvue retros. But after doing some searching, it seems like the Icecap 660 retro are very popular and loved by many. Are these the icecap 660's?

http://www.aquacave.com/VUE660-T5-VHO-Retro-Kits-C314.aspx

I just wasn't sure because these are called VUE660 but everyone seems to be refering to them as IceCap 660. Are these two the same thing?

IceCap went out of business. Coral Vue is the equivelent of the 660 ballast but really designed for VHO. Get a T5 specific ballast with your retrofit kit. Ideally a ballast that matches the bulb length you're using. The "general" purpose ballasts are not as good as one made for the setup you're planing to run.

All you really need is end caps and stand offs for mounting plus wire, blubs, and the appropriat ballast. For supplemental lighting a two bulb ballast will be fine and it will come with a wiring diagram on it. Not too difficult. The biggest thing is to make sure tha ballast is wired safely as one side will be connected to 120v AC.

If in doubt find and consult a local reefer/electrician to help out with the wiring.

[jedimasterben]

I would not use the 660 ballast or any Workhorse ballasts. HEP (the ballast ATI fixtures all use) is the one to go to. They run the bulbs exactly at spec (so no overdriving like the VHO 660 ballast does) and have end of life protection (unlike the Workhorse ballasts), in addition to the proper start to the bulbs so that they strike correctly each time.

[StaySalty]

IceCap went out of business. Coral Vue is the equivelent of the 660 ballast but really designed for VHO. Get a T5 specific ballast with your retrofit kit. Ideally a ballast that matches the bulb length you're using. The "general" purpose ballasts are not as good as one made for the setup you're planing to run.

All you really need is end caps and stand offs for mounting plus wire, blubs, and the appropriat ballast. For supplemental lighting a two bulb ballast will be fine and it will come with a wiring diagram on it. Not too difficult. The biggest thing is to make sure tha ballast is wired safely as one side will be connected to 120v AC.

If in doubt find and consult a local reefer/electrician to help out with the wiring.

Ahh gotcha. Thanks for clearing up the confusion with IceCap.

I would not use the 660 ballast or any Workhorse ballasts. HEP (the ballast ATI fixtures all use) is the one to go to. They run the bulbs exactly at spec (so no overdriving like the VHO 660 ballast does) and have end of life protection (unlike the Workhorse ballasts), in addition to the proper start to the bulbs so that they strike correctly each time.

So would this kit from BRS have everything I need to set this up(besides any mounting rails and such). http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/3-ft-let-lighting-miro-4-t5-high-output-retrofit-kit-1.html I zoomed in and it seems to say HEP on the ballast, but it doesn't specifically say that it is an HEP ballast in the product description. It also mentions that it is specifically designed to run T5HO like you pointed out Zacht

[zachts]

Well from their pic I'd expect an HEP ballast and be very upset if it was anything else. Just ask them before purchasing to be sure.

[StaySalty]

Haha yeah that's true. I will ask just to make sure though. Btw I really appreicate all the insight you've given me on this. Thanks a lot!

[bcheriyan]

That is. Really help me I will go for the same 2 t5.

[bcheriyan]

One Question I had since I have a 27 inch deep tank mounted 10 inch above the water level will the 2 T5 with reflectors be good ?

[zachts]

One Question I had since I have a 27 inch deep tank mounted 10 inch above the water level will the 2 T5 with reflectors be good ?

As supplemental lighting they will be plenty. If you don't have a canopy they will spill a bit of light out into the room but you could easily make a "skirt" to go around the setup as many have done to block some of the light spill if it is an issue for you.

[bcheriyan]

thank you zachts and all of you.

[bcheriyan]

I see a lot of people switch back to t5. I was thinking of switching to ATI Sunpower with 6 t5 and add leds as a supplement . How many have done that ?

Honestly I like the coral growth leds provide but not the color. Also my DIY fixture does not look got Above my tank .. I would like to do a proper enclose it in a proper box. I think the led is best with the with the RB . But T5 should supplement the other spectrum.

[jedimasterben]

Nanoboxreef.com

[Zoanut]

I see a lot of people switch back to t5. I was thinking of switching to ATI Sunpower with 6 t5 and add leds as a supplement . How many have done that ?

Honestly I like the coral growth leds provide but not the color. Also my DIY fixture does not look got Above my tank .. I would like to do a proper enclose it in a proper box. I think the led is best with the with the RB . But T5 should supplement the other spectrum.

I'm starting up a new tank and going back to T5HO's. I liked the colour of LEDs but always found that the T5HO's had better Actinic. I'm using a 4 T5HO retrofit with the HEP ballasts and going to use royal blue LEDs to supplement.

[jedimasterben]

I'm starting up a new tank and going back to T5HO's. I liked the colour of LEDs but always found that the T5HO's had better Actinic. I'm using a 4 T5HO retrofit with the HEP ballasts and going to use royal blue LEDs to supplement.

If T5HO is better with actinic light, then what is the need to supplement with royal blue LEDs?


;)

[Bo0sted_Rafi]

thats what im gonna do. I got a 40" DIY Fixture in a 75g with CREE leds from RapidLed in a SPS dominated tank (still frags) and i notice the shadows i get with the leds, now im gonna add 2 36" ATI bulbs to get better color in those areas on corals. The fixture its at 14" from water level, do i need to use 48" instead of 36"?

[jedimasterben]

thats what im gonna do. I got a 40" DIY Fixture in a 75g with CREE leds from RapidLed in a SPS dominated tank (still frags) and i notice the shadows i get with the leds, now im gonna add 2 36" ATI bulbs to get better color in those areas on corals. The fixture its at 14" from water level, do i need to use 48" instead of 36"?

Basically the same that I did. my tank is a 48x24x16 80g tank, and I've got two 36" bulbs that were about 12" above the tank, they alone fill the entire tank with light and gave about 70-75 PAR on my sandbed.

[Zoanut]

If T5HO is better with actinic light, then what is the need to supplement with royal blue LEDs?


;)

That's just my personal opinion but hey everyone is different. When I say actinic I mean in the 420 or so range.

[Bo0sted_Rafi]

Basically the same that I did. my tank is a 48x24x16 80g tank, and I've got two 36" bulbs that were about 12" above the tank, they alone fill the entire tank with light and gave about 70-75 PAR on my sandbed.

Adding t5 you notice difference? I make a PAR test with leds only and I get 150-175 in sandbed. Still get more to get from this LEDs because I'm running whites only at 50% but the shadows it's the problem in the sps.

Do you have pics?

[jedimasterben]

Adding t5 you notice difference? I make a PAR test with leds only and I get 150-175 in sandbed. Still get more to get from this LEDs because I'm running whites only at 50% but the shadows it's the problem in the sps.

Do you have pics?

A difference in PAR? Or just the look?

I do have some pics, tank is drained right now for a move (and a sorta reboot to deal with a dinoflagellate infestation, please NEVER get dinos!) or I'd have more.

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/323517-the-ledt5-hybrid-evil-cluster-diy-led-on-steroids/?p=4497149

[bcheriyan]

Nice pictures jedimasterben. How did you build the casing for the whole les and t5 is that wood . Do you have a build thread ?

[jedimasterben]

Yep, just some 1x2s and I think 1/4" plywood cut to fit, with a little bit of trim around the top. Shot them together with a nail gun and then painted everything. No build thread on that particular piece. Just a basic rectangle frame, open top and bottom.

Here is a pic of it, before I decided I wanted the top open.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/jedimasterben/Aminals/Fishies/60g%20frag%20tank%20reef/2012-06-11_19-08-20_539.jpg


Found another pic of it, right after adding the sides.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/jedimasterben/Aminals/Fishies/60g%20frag%20tank%20reef/2012-06-10_19-40-55_130.jpg

And the trim. Just basic stuff from Home Depot.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/jedimasterben/Aminals/Fishies/60g%20frag%20tank%20reef/2012-06-11_19-08-34_788.jpg

And it all done and hung.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/jedimasterben/Aminals/Fishies/60g%20frag%20tank%20reef/IMAGE00008.jpg

[bcheriyan]

Nice one I like it ,, I will be redoing my mine too with the height you have,, with the heatsink mine is a bit heavy and the. I am not able to hide all the drivers in there . I need more space . Also adding t5s , I need to make a new casing. Also with the wood casing will it be safe ? Is open top better for air circulation ?

[jedimasterben]

Wood is non conductive so it is fine. The open top is a lot better for airflow, don't want the T5 bulbs getting hotter than they need to.

[bcheriyan]

thx jedimasterben . great help

[screamingibis]

I see a lot of people switch back to t5. I was thinking of switching to ATI Sunpower with 6 t5 and add leds as a supplement . How many have done that ?

Honestly I like the coral growth leds provide but not the color. Also my DIY fixture does not look got Above my tank .. I would like to do a proper enclose it in a proper box. I think the led is best with the with the RB . But T5 should supplement the other spectrum.



LOL, You sound just like me a couple years ago. I started out with all LED's and then added T-5's to supplement. Now I use a Hamilton Cebu and couldn't be happier. I was worried about the heat, but that really hasn't been a problem.

Got the 14k halide and two purple plus and two coral plus T-5's

[bcheriyan]

Thx screamingibis I might follow u but for now I am going to try t5 supplement.

[mattgreene22]

Digging this thread up while getting ideas for my 90g (48x18x24) build. I'd like to keep acros on the sandbed the way I can on my existing 36x~14x21-deep bowfront tank that combines 4xt5 and a reefbrite strip.

Question - on the 90g, what do those here (ahem, jedimasterben...cough cough) think about runnng either:
A - two Ocean Revive S026 with 2 (most likely) or 4 bulb T5? ...or,
B - 6xt5 rig and supplementing with one or two of RapidLeds' dimmable 18-led 36" actinic strips

I like my T5 on my current tank, but would rather not deal with replacing so many bulbs so often between the two tanks. That said, I'd also like to not lose color on my corals due to limited spectrums...which I don't have to worry about on my current T5 tank. My current 39w T5 rig on my current tank is (front to back): Reefbrite Tech 36", P+, B+, C+, B+. My favorite viewing time is when the Reefbrite is on up front and the back two bulbs are on...C+, B+.

I also have a 2x3-foot VHO rig in the closet I could put in play.

Your experience and help is appreciated! Thanks!!

[orly20]

Digging this thread up while getting ideas for my 90g (48x18x24) build. I'd like to keep acros on the sandbed the way I can on my existing 36x~14x21-deep bowfront tank that combines 4xt5 and a reefbrite strip.

Question - on the 90g, what do those here (ahem, jedimasterben...cough cough) think about runnng either:
A - two Ocean Revive S026 with 2 (most likely) or 4 bulb T5? ...or,
B - 6xt5 rig and supplementing with one or two of RapidLeds' dimmable 18-led 36" actinic strips

I like my T5 on my current tank, but would rather not deal with replacing so many bulbs so often between the two tanks. That said, I'd also like to not lose color on my corals due to limited spectrums...which I don't have to worry about on my current T5 tank. My current 39w T5 rig on my current tank is (front to back): Reefbrite Tech 36", P+, B+, C+, B+. My favorite viewing time is when the Reefbrite is on up front and the back two bulbs are on...C+, B+.

I also have a 2x3-foot VHO rig in the closet I could put in play.

Your experience and help is appreciated! Thanks!!


Hey
What did you finally choose to go with?

[hobbzz]

...