Aquatic Life Debuts LED/T5HO Hybrid Mounting System Fixture Reef Hobbyists Have Been Waiting For!

[JBKReef]

If using Kessil with the hybrid fixture... do you leave the LED's on 0% color then buy bulbs you like the look of? Or buy all Blue+/Actinic and leave the LED's on 100% color? I'm curious where in between the two extremes do people fall?

 

[pelphrey]

I have three 160's with my color at 43% max currently. Running back to front Blue+, Actinic, Blue+, Actinic

Previously I ran Blue+, Actinic, Coral+, Blue+

This time I just wanted to try a new bulb combo.

 

[Kyl]

If using Kessil with the hybrid fixture... do you leave the LED's on 0% color then buy bulbs you like the look of? Or buy all Blue+/Actinic and leave the LED's on 100% color? I'm curious where in between the two extremes do people fall?

The A160's will get drowned out by the T5's, so the tank will never be as actinic blue as it is with the LED while the T5's are on. That said, I ramp mine from 20-40-20 % through the photo period. Zero white added. I can't speak to the A360's or AP700, those are 90W per puck fixtures vs the 40 of the A160.

 

[Travis Stewart]

If using Kessil with the hybrid fixture... do you leave the LED's on 0% color then buy bulbs you like the look of? Or buy all Blue+/Actinic and leave the LED's on 100% color? I'm curious where in between the two extremes do people fall?

I just don’t see a point at all for an LED if you’re not going to use the white spectrum

 

[ddrueckh]

Will the Orphek Atlantiks work with the Aquatic Life fixture? Thanks.

 

[AquaticLifeProducts]

Will the Orphek Atlantiks work with the Aquatic Life fixture? Thanks.

Depending on the width of the Orphek, the fixture can be made to expand and contract with the accessories. Take a look at the attached pdf. Let me know if you have any questions I can help with.

 

[ddrueckh]

Thank you for the .pdf link. It is very informative.

 

[madweazl]

If using Kessil with the hybrid fixture... do you leave the LED's on 0% color then buy bulbs you like the look of? Or buy all Blue+/Actinic and leave the LED's on 100% color? I'm curious where in between the two extremes do people fall?

I don't like blue looking tanks so I run the A360s at 60% color which is a pretty close match (visually a little bluer) to the 2x Blue+, ABS, Purple+ 10-14k look ATI posted in their thread (or on the last page). I would be interesting to see the differences in corals (say 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months later) between people that like the 18-20k look over that of somebody like me who likes it considerably "whiter" in appearance.

Anyways, I took some PAR measurements of the above setup this week. I'm using the 16" end plates to narrow the fixture up a bit and was fairly happy with the results.

 

[Carlon]

Has anyone tried mounting the fixture to the AI rail system?

 

[jd371]

I'm kicking around the idea of making a light box to place the fixture in and suspending that from the ceiling. I can install a power strip inside the box so the wires are tucked in the box and not hanging all over the sides. My only concern is the weight with the addition of the wood for the box and transformers for the lights and such adding more weight. Has anyone attempted this ?

 

[AquaticLifeProducts]

I'm kicking around the idea of making a light box to place the fixture in and suspending that from the ceiling. I can install a power strip inside the box so the wires are tucked in the box and not hanging all over the sides. My only concern is the weight with the addition of the wood for the box and transformers for the lights and such adding more weight. Has anyone attempted this ?

To be safe we have additional suspension kits available to help with the weight if you need. Each wires maximum weight is 20KG or 44 pounds each. I personally would not push them to the limits, maybe 60% of the maximum.

 

[Sobo's Reef]

Quick question, do both bulbs have to be installed in order for them to turn on? I was messing with it before work and I was gonna put 1 bulb on each side to kinda acclimate my tank but when I plugged it in nothing turned on.

 

[Kyl]

Yes, it's a safety feature of the ballast. Acclimate your tank via duration since you can't change the intensity. Start off very slow.

 

[Sobo's Reef]

Yes, it's a safety feature of the ballast. Acclimate your tank via duration since you can't change the intensity. Start off very slow.

I just put all the bulbs in and only turned on the one side.. gonna have it run for a few hours then turn it off. The other side is acting weird. I plugged it into a wall outlet(still looking for an extension cord so it’ll reach my apex) and the light came on then went back out. Not sure if it’s the outlet or what but I hope it’s not an issue

 

[AquaticLifeProducts]

It could be a lamp. The end of life protection on the ballast will fire or flash the lamps ON and if there is a problem it will shut them off. If it happens again, take the set of lamps that are firing and swap fixtures. See if the problem travels with the lamp or stays with the fixture.

Let me know what you find. If it stays with the fixture shoot me a PM and we can start the process on a replacement.

 

[Sobo's Reef]

It could be a lamp. The end of life protection on the ballast will fire or flash the lamps ON and if there is a problem it will shut them off. If it happens again, take the set of lamps that are firing and swap fixtures. See if the problem travels with the lamp or stays with the fixture.

Let me know what you find. If it stays with the fixture shoot me a PM and we can start the process on a replacement.

Okay I’ll try that tomorrow and get back with ya

 

[uclaray]

Hey All, I have a 50 gal cube, 24l x 24w x 20d. I just got a 24" t5 hybrid. I will be running it with a Kessil a360, 2 blue+, 1 purple+, 1 coral+, these are the ati bulbs that came with it. My tank is mixed sps/lps. Can anyone help me with the settings for the a360 and the photo period for the t5's. Anyone running a similar set-up? Thanks

 

[leepink23]

Hey All, I have a 50 gal cube, 24l x 24w x 20d. I just got a 24" t5 hybrid. I will be running it with a Kessil a360, 2 blue+, 1 purple+, 1 coral+, these are the ati bulbs that came with it. My tank is mixed sps/lps. Can anyone help me with the settings for the a360 and the photo period for the t5's. Anyone running a similar set-up? Thanks

I started my T5 at 2 hrs/day and increased by 1 hr/week until I got to 6 hours total. I use a different light so not sure on the kessil

 

[Kyl]

Always start slow. No sense shocking the heck out of your coral if it can be avoided.

 

[uclaray]

Thanks Guys I'll follow that advice. If there's anyone that's using the a360 that can help with intensity settings, I'd love to hear you advice. Thanks