Anyone have advice on T5 bulbs?

[Smite]

You got some solid advice here. I'll add I really like the aquablue coral t5 lamp @ 15k. I mention it because I feel it really makes the fish pop in my tank not being overly blue. If you feel you'll be going with just fish for some time before you upgrade/add lamps I would consider adding that in the mix, possibly in place of a blue plus. I feel blue plus is great for coral growth and pop and you'll for sure want it when the time comes to add coral but it tends to wash out fish IME.

I think doing a second retro when finances allow is a great idea. After that if you feel you really want some pop and are still on a budget, look at the LED bars on eBay. They are basically orphek construction but with just 1 wavelength of blue. I used them to add all blue pop to my mh/t5 fixture and they worked amazingly well. Hard to beat for $50-80 pending length.

 

[kdx7214]

Thanks to @Thrashed I have a 6-bulb T5 setup coming. Now, should I use 3 each of the blue+ and coral+, or should I make room for a true actinic or two (20k)?

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Thanks to @Thrashed I have a 6-bulb T5 setup coming. Now, should I use 3 each of the blue+ and coral+, or should I make room for a true actinic or two (20k)?

Check out this link. It shows some options based on look. All combos will grow corals just fine.

For straight growth, but still good color, I would go 3x3 for B+ and C+, that is my preference though.

https://www.atinorthamerica.com/blog/combos-6-bulb-fixtures/

 

[nereefpat]

Thanks to @Thrashed I have a 6-bulb T5 setup coming. Now, should I use 3 each of the blue+ and coral+, or should I make room for a true actinic or two (20k)?

If you can swing it, it would be a good idea to start with 3 & 3 and buy an extra B+ and an actinic. That way you can experiment. You'll use the bulbs eventually anyway.

The actinic will be shorter wavelength than 20k. Like 400-420 nm. Supplemental for fluorescence.