The T5 Q&a Thread

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by Tyrenlds
I just purchased a 4x24w fixture and picked up:
2 ATI Blue+
1 UVL Superactinic
1 UVL 75/25

what kind of Kelvin temp. would this combo be comparable too?
edit: in what order would you suggest I install the bulbs?

Blue Plus
super Actinic
75/25
Blue Plus

Should look like a more blue version of a 14K halide

[Tyrenlds]

thanks!

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by ReefEnabler
Grim I like the way you think. Reverse my existing fans... drill some holes in the side of my canopy.... and I like the duct idea... I was able to get 5 80mm fans each doing ~30cfm for about 2.50 each. I think theres alot of options of how to create the 'ducts'. But the idea of using small pipe outlets right at the lamp near the endcap sounds great.

I could go ultra slick and make a duct out of acrylic that is perfectly fit to all 5 fans and then expands to the width of the bulbs, but very vertically narrow.... so it would be putting out a nice wide thin stream aimed UP slightly from just under the endcaps

Another Q... I think at once point you mentioned using an IR thermometer to measure the bulb temp... aren't IR thermometers pretty innacurate when measuring anything shiny or emissive?? I read a suggestion that to measure the temp of shiny metal with an IR sensor you should put some masking tape over it. Is that what you did with the bulbs? It might be worth my money to buy a decent $30 IR thermometer so theres no doubt about bulb temps on a icecap 660.

Measuring glass might throw off a IR thermometer but the metal shouldn't. For setting temp with moisture resistant endcaps a conventional thermometer would be better. You need to get the temp at the metal cap at 113 degrees and then measure out on the lamp to see what the area beyond the endcap cover so you know what temp they should be running at.

[ReefEnabler]

what kind of thermometer works well just touching to the metal?

also, wouldn't the metal at the end of the bulb be much cooler with the endcap unscrewed (which you need to do in order to acces the metal to measure it), since it would be exposed to more air movement? I guess if you unscrew it right before taking the temp it wont matter...... I just dont know what kind of thermometer you're talking about.

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by ReefEnabler
what kind of thermometer works well just touching to the metal?

also, wouldn't the metal at the end of the bulb be much cooler with the endcap unscrewed (which you need to do in order to acces the metal to measure it), since it would be exposed to more air movement? I guess if you unscrew it right before taking the temp it wont matter...... I just dont know what kind of thermometer you're talking about.

Have no idea about which temp sensor would be best, just that it needs to be one that reads based on contact, not a laser.

What you need to do is remove the screw on portion of the endcap and take a reading on the metal endcap. Hit it with enough air to get it down to 113 degrees. Then take a temp reading on the glass tube just beyond where the lamp would protrude from the endcap fully assembled. Now you have a reference point you can use with the endcaps fully assembled. Trouble is I am not sure how close you can get a overdriven system to the 113 degrees. I wish I could dig up a 4x54 IC retro locally to experiment on.

[kaserpick]

Grim, I'm sorry to bother you again. I keep wanting to do halides on my new 3'x3'x18" tank (cause it's what I'm use to), but my logic can't ignore the many advantages. I want to go with a 3' 8x39w ATI fixture, but I would like to orient it to line up with the tanks diagonal (I should point out it is the diagonal not including the overflow box, since the box won't be needing the light).

Here are my questions:
1. Would this lighting provide adequate covering of the footprint? (I know the two corners would be shorted)
2. Knowing that I want a bluer look, to bring out the colors, with plenty of growth, what bulb combination would you recommend?

Thanks for your advice in the past, present and future.

[The Grim Reefer]

It came out about like I figured. The internal reflected lamps do slightly better than the non reflected lamp and get spanked when you add reflectors to the lamps. If you have a fixture with a flat reflector it will benefit from using the internally reflected lamps.



UVL Lamp test

Lamps fired in a Fauna Marin Ultra Solaris fixture with cooling duct on left side. Flat gloss black metal surface behind lamps.

ATI Blue Plus with about 2 months use on it.

UVL lamps burned in for about 100 hours. R designates internal reflector.

All lamps ran over 4 hours before readings

Readings at the lamp with sensor about 1 ½� from lamp

L (5� from left endcap –label end of lamp
C taken at center of lamp
R taken at right side of lamp 5� from endcap.

Blue Plus L 460 C 473 R 517

454-R L 597 C 500 R 468

454 L 383 C 398 R 396

Aquasun-R L 825 C 721 R 641

Aquasun L 456 C 561 R 493

75/25-R L 750 C 625 R 599

Didn’t take at lamp readings for the 75/25

Reflector readings taken with the sensor in air 17 ¾ inches below the lamp

ATI Blue Plus

No Reflector 13
Aquactinics 48
Ice Cap 46

UVL 454-R

No reflector 15
Aquactinics 27
Ice Cap 24


UVL 454

No Reflector 12
Aquactinics 38
Ice Cap 37

UVL Aquasun-R

No Reflector 19
Aquactinics 43

UVL Aquasun

No reflector 13
Aquactinics 47

UVL 75/25-R

No Reflector 17
Aquactinics 33

UVL 75/25

No reflector 13
Aquactinics 39


As far as the look of the 454 I can't see a difference between it and a Blue Plus.

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by kaserpick
Grim, I'm sorry to bother you again. I keep wanting to do halides on my new 3'x3'x18" tank (cause it's what I'm use to), but my logic can't ignore the many advantages. I want to go with a 3' 8x39w ATI fixture, but I would like to orient it to line up with the tanks diagonal (I should point out it is the diagonal not including the overflow box, since the box won't be needing the light).

Here are my questions:
1. Would this lighting provide adequate covering of the footprint? (I know the two corners would be shorted)
2. Knowing that I want a bluer look, to bring out the colors, with plenty of growth, what bulb combination would you recommend?

Thanks for your advice in the past, present and future.

The 8 lamp fixture will work. Just make sure you have the high light critters under the lamp array.

[GKE1026]

I have a 100 (same as a 75, but a little deeper-front to back) gallon reef with two NOVA SLR fixtures. That makes 8x54W ho t5s. I ran the sunpaq's for about 6 mos, and now I am ready to upgrade my bulbs. Yesterday I accidentally dropped a fixture and shattered two of the 460s. I ran to the store and got 2 of the new UV 454s. Anyway here is what I am going with, tell me what you think.

front
aquabue
UV 454
UV actinic white
blueplus

aquasun
blueplus
aquablue
UV 454

I am going for a crisp white with a decently blue cast, and want to keep PAR high. The actinic white is to help my pink litophyton pop. I just bought the 454 and thought I would stick with them. Do you have any info on these bulbs? Do they have a decent PAR? I like the way they look. I believe they are supposed to be 85% 460 and 15% actinic at 420. I feel like maybe a made a mistake, and should switch the aquasun for another blueplus.

Thanks,
JJ

[Tommy Tang]

Hey Grim
what is your sugestion for sps. Like the natural blue colore.
6 bulbs fixture?
Thank you

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by GKE1026
I have a 100 (same as a 75, but a little deeper-front to back) gallon reef with two NOVA SLR fixtures. That makes 8x54W ho t5s. I ran the sunpaq's for about 6 mos, and now I am ready to upgrade my bulbs. Yesterday I accidentally dropped a fixture and shattered two of the 460s. I ran to the store and got 2 of the new UV 454s. Anyway here is what I am going with, tell me what you think.

front
aquabue
UV 454
UV actinic white
blueplus

aquasun
blueplus
aquablue
UV 454

I am going for a crisp white with a decently blue cast, and want to keep PAR high. The actinic white is to help my pink litophyton pop. I just bought the 454 and thought I would stick with them. Do you have any info on these bulbs? Do they have a decent PAR? I like the way they look. I believe they are supposed to be 85% 460 and 15% actinic at 420. I feel like maybe a made a mistake, and should switch the aquasun for another blueplus.

Thanks,
JJ

I think what you laid out is fine. I really can't see any difference between the Blue Plus and 454 other than the blue plus has more output.

[james3370]

29g tank (30L x 12.5W x 17T)

have (2) icecap 2-bulb 24" retrofit kits from reefgeek. one is a standard ballast & 1 is an icecap 430 ballast that i plan to drive the day bulbs. new bulbs i bought for a different build are:

(2) giesemann 6k midday
(2) giesemann pure actinic

i'm thinking about going to the giesemann 11k, so would you recommend....

a) keep the setup i have to stimulate growth during cycle
b) use (2) pure actinic & (2) 11k & ditch the (2) 6k bulbs
c) use (2) pure actinic, (1) 6k & (1) 11k

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by james3370
29g tank (30L x 12.5W x 17T)

have (2) icecap 2-bulb 24" retrofit kits from reefgeek. new bulbs i bought for a different build are:

(2) giesemann 6k midday
(2) giesemann pure actinic

i'm thinking about going to the giesemann 11k, so would you recommend....

a) keep the setup i have to stimulate growth during cycle
b) use (2) pure actinic & (2) 11k & ditch the (2) 6k bulbs
c) use (2) pure actinic, (1) 6k & (1) 11k

D) Use 1 Pure Actinic, 1 Midday, 1 Actinic Plus and 1 Aquablue. It will look better than just runnung the Pure Actinics for Blue light.

[GKE1026]

Couple more quick questions for Grim. Would you consider the 454 and upgrade over the sunpaq 460s? Also, is there a significant difference in the output between the 454 and blueplus, are they atleast in the same ballpark??

Thanks,

JJ

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by GKE1026
Couple more quick questions for Grim. Would you consider the 454 and upgrade over the sunpaq 460s? Also, is there a significant difference in the output between the 454 and blueplus, are they atleast in the same ballpark??

Thanks,

JJ

454 is an upgrade over the actinic 460's. Blue plus has a pretty good advantage in PAR over the 454's.

[james3370]

Originally posted by The Grim Reefer
D) Use 1 Pure Actinic, 1 Midday, 1 Actinic Plus and 1 Aquablue. It will look better than just runnung the Pure Actinics for Blue light.

followup.....

when you say aquablue, you mean the ATI or Giesemann bulb??

what order front to rear??

which bulbs on the 430 ballast?

[Tommy Tang]

hay grim any sugestion for me?

[kudora]

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by kudora
just bought an entire set up with a custom 60x18x18 tank(84 gallons) with a 3" sand bed lighted by 2 65w pc.
it came with a frog spawn, leather and some shrooms, would like to get the reef geek slr 4x54 retro HO

1. what bulbs would you recommend on this set up?
2. what range of coral could i keep with this set up?
3. what set up would you use if you had this tank







first post!!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



With 4 lamps over an 18" tall tank you will be able to keep anything

Standard 4 lamp setup

Blue Plus
Super Actinic
Aquasun
Blue Plus


my first post and your response a little over a year ago grim and i
will order new bulbs in the next month or so, do you recommend the same bulb combo?

FTS from a couple of weeks ago.

[tonym10]

I have a 6 bulb 80 watt ATI Powermodule on my 60x24x24 tank
The bulbs are ATI Aquablue , ATI Blue Plus, Korallien Fiji Purple, GE HO 6500, ATI Blue Plus, ATI Actnic.
What is the benefit of the Fiji Purple, would I be better off replacing this with something else?

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by james3370
followup.....

when you say aquablue, you mean the ATI or Giesemann bulb??

what order front to rear??

which bulbs on the 430 ballast?

Put the Aquablue and 6500K Daylight on the 430. I would use the ATI Aquablue but the Gisemann is fine too.

Front
Pure Actinic
Aquablue
GE Daylight
Blue Plus

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by Tommy Tang
hay grim any sugestion for me?

You may have to tweak the positions depending on how the dusk/dawn is wired

Front
ATI Blue Plus
UVL Actinic White
ATI Blue Plus
GE 6500K Daylight
ATI Aquablue
ATI Blue Plus

If you want a really blue look use a 4th Blue Plus instead of the Aquablue.

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by kudora

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by kudora
just bought an entire set up with a custom 60x18x18 tank(84 gallons) with a 3" sand bed lighted by 2 65w pc.
it came with a frog spawn, leather and some shrooms, would like to get the reef geek slr 4x54 retro HO

1. what bulbs would you recommend on this set up?
2. what range of coral could i keep with this set up?
3. what set up would you use if you had this tank







first post!!!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



With 4 lamps over an 18" tall tank you will be able to keep anything

Standard 4 lamp setup

Blue Plus
Super Actinic
Aquasun
Blue Plus


my first post and your response a little over a year ago grim and i
will order new bulbs in the next month or so, do you recommend the same bulb combo?

FTS from a couple of weeks ago.

Front
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue
UVL Actinic White
ATI Blue Plus

May have to tweak the lamps so you get the blues for dusk/dawn. Should give you more PAR and as much pop.

[The Grim Reefer]

Originally posted by tonym10
I have a 6 bulb 80 watt ATI Powermodule on my 60x24x24 tank
The bulbs are ATI Aquablue , ATI Blue Plus, Korallien Fiji Purple, GE HO 6500, ATI Blue Plus, ATI Actnic.
What is the benefit of the Fiji Purple, would I be better off replacing this with something else?

The Fiji gives you a little red so pink and purple colors come out better when you use those lamps. I don't see any reason to change it. Tank looks pretty damn skipity Doo cool to me. If you want more blue you could slide a blue plus in where the Actinic is.

[tonym10]

Thanks Grim

[james3370]

Originally posted by The Grim Reefer
Put the Aquablue and 6500K Daylight on the 430. I would use the ATI Aquablue but the Gisemann is fine too.

Front
Pure Actinic
Aquablue
GE Daylight
Blue Plus

thanks

....guess it's time to make a reefgeek order