New addition to my setup

[firsthesitation]

haha. so i leave this thread only to find this one.

http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f2...ta-125216.html

[Jrmass]

Wish you wouldn't have even posted that lol... D*mn the luck...

Jason

[Jrmass]

Btw... my system is all linked together... And my display upstairs is very getting very heavily SPS loaded... That is the reasoning behind the CA+ reactor not so much for the LPS (which does use calcium as well just not as much due to slower bone structure growth patterns).

And yes it seems like this thread has gone a different route than I figured it would (funny... just different) lol.

Actually, the bigger tank is a every week thing... She just finds a different way to say no each week to keep me thinking of different ways to ask lol. =)

Jason

[D.J.]

Originally Posted by Jrmass

Actually, the bigger tank is a every week thing... She just finds a different way to say no each week to keep me thinking of different ways to ask lol. =)

Jason

lol.....

so whens the new lights gona be in? i just want to see pics of the setup!!!

[Jrmass]

He is supposed to be shipping it either today, tomorrow, or Friday. I told him I wasn't in a huge hurry thus he agreed to the offer I gave him (He wanted $325+shipping+paypal expenses) I offered him $325 FLAT. But, I told him that I wasn't in a hurry so if he had a chance in the next week or sometime that it would be fine. So, I will for sure be here next week. But, not before then. But, the fixture new is $347+shipping and the bulb package is over $125+shipping. So, it's a good deal for an 18 month old fixture with 2 month old bulbs =).

Jas

[D.J.]

ya thats a good deal......ill give you 100 FLAT for it!!! LOL......worked for you so i figured id try it!!! LOL

[Jrmass]

Seeing I was looking for it today and was unable to remember what I actually had for a Bulb setup it is.. 2x Super Actinics, 1x Blue Plus, 2x Aquablue Special, 1 x Fiji Purple.


So,

Super Actinic, Aquablue Special, Fiji Purple, Blue Plus, Aquablue Special, Super Actinic in that order from end to end.

Jason

[ReefLuvR]

This may be a dumb question, but I'm completely clueless when it comes to T5 lighting. I've noticed that almost every bulb name has "blue" or actinic in it. Do these names correspond with the "K" ratings? Are they really all blue? Why?

Sorry if I'm hijacking your thread Jason. But seeing that you just bought them, you probably did hours of research and have answers!

[schneijt]

Originally Posted by ReefLuvR

This may be a dumb question, but I'm completely clueless when it comes to T5 lighting. I've noticed that almost every bulb name has "blue" or actinic in it. Do these names correspond with the "K" ratings? Are they really all blue? Why?

Sorry if I'm hijacking your thread Jason. But seeing that you just bought them, you probably did hours of research and have answers!

While several T5 bulbs have "blue" somewhere in the bulb's name, there are a LOT of choices for T5 bulbs to make your tank look pretty much any color. Also, not all bulbs that have "blue" in their name are blue. For instance, I use Blue Plus and Aquablue Special bulbs from ATI. The Blue Plus is very blue, like a 20K metal halide bulb. The Aquablue Special, though, is more like a 12K--white with a subtle blue hint.

I also use an ATI Pro Color bulb mixed in with my other bulbs, and it is a reddish-pink color that helps bring out other colors from my sps that blue and white bulbs don't bring out. Other "non-blue" bulbs would be Aquasun or Midday Sun.

So, you can get bulbs of pretty much any color when it comes to T5's. Names are usually pretty helpful in determining the color a bulb puts out, but always go by a bulb's Kelvin rating and spectral output to be sure. I order all of my T5 bulbs from Reef Geek (www.reefgeek.com) and they show a spectral output for all of their bulbs.

-Joe

[ReefLuvR]

Thanks Joe! That took care of my "color" question perfectly!

[hansmatt]

Couldn't have said it much better myself Joe...I have a 6 bulb ATI powermodule and run 3 blue+, 2blue special, and a procolor. I might change one of the blue specials to a fiji purple though, as I really like the 20K look the blue+ bulbs give and the pop of the colors from the procolor.
I don't miss the "shimmer" of mh, as I've never had them in my tank, but love the pop and glow, plus the lower electricity and cool running of the T5's. ReefGeek does incredible shipping...3 boxes, 2 layers of foam...nothing short of a direct jump could break the bulbs.
Matt

[schneijt]

Originally Posted by hansmatt

Couldn't have said it much better myself Joe...I have a 6 bulb ATI powermodule and run 3 blue+, 2blue special, and a procolor. I might change one of the blue specials to a fiji purple though, as I really like the 20K look the blue+ bulbs give and the pop of the colors from the procolor.
I don't miss the "shimmer" of mh, as I've never had them in my tank, but love the pop and glow, plus the lower electricity and cool running of the T5's. ReefGeek does incredible shipping...3 boxes, 2 layers of foam...nothing short of a direct jump could break the bulbs.
Matt

Matt, I ran 2x Blue Plus, 1x Pro Color, and 3x Aquablue Special. It's a nice crisp white with a bit of blue in it (12K-ish), but I wouldn't mind a bit more blue. I've thought about swapping out a Blue Special for a Blue Plus or something else that's really blue with good PAR. How do you like the look of your current setup?

Thanks,
Joe

[hansmatt]

Well I run the 3 b+ and procolor for about 7 hours before the aquablues come on, and it's really blue...and I like it. It seems a tiny bit washed out with the two aquablues, but I think that's cuz I like the 20K look. I might swap one AB for another b+, or for the KZ just to see how it looks. I'm not too worried about the par...as I've got active cooling and great individual reflectors...PM=par-monster!

[schneijt]

Originally Posted by hansmatt

Well I run the 3 b+ and procolor for about 7 hours before the aquablues come on, and it's really blue...and I like it. It seems a tiny bit washed out with the two aquablues, but I think that's cuz I like the 20K look. I might swap one AB for another b+, or for the KZ just to see how it looks. I'm not too worried about the par...as I've got active cooling and great individual reflectors...PM=par-monster!

I've actually been thinking about trying this out:
4x Blue Plus
1x Pro Color
1x GE 65K

I like the Blue Special bulbs, but they just don't do a lot as far as the way my tank looked with them. Hopefully doubling the number of Blue Plus bulbs would make the tank a little bit more blue, and the addition of the 65K would help to "pop" some of the colors like the Pro Color does. And, it'd have even more PAR than my current setup.

I've got the 6-bulb TEK fixture, and I didn't have an acrylic shield on it, so my reflectors have been damaged by salt spray. I'm going to add the acrylic shield and add two 4" fans on the end of the fixture that blow air into the fixture and cool the ends of the bulbs. Then the air will exit through the top. Active cooling should help keep the fixture from getting too hot and hurting the PAR and bulb life and such. Finally, I'm going to get 48" Aquactinics reflectors that clip onto the bulbs. Though the TEK has individual reflectors, they're not the best and the Aquactinics will give me a lot more output from the bulbs since they're a better design and more reflective material.

-Joe

[hansmatt]

Lemme know if you order bulbs...might want to try a 6500 too