Examining the Aquatic Life T5 Hybrid fixture | BRStv Investigates

[Newb73]

That used to be so for the average hobbiest. If kessil made that statement they probably did before technology improved. Either way that's no longer the case.

Don't most apogee meters bottom out st just below 400nm?

 

[Scott.h]

Don't most apogee meters bottom out st just below 400nm?

Until the 500 came about, more so. But I don't see why this wouldn't get you really close.

 

[Newb73]

Until the 500 came about, more so. But I don't see why this wouldn't get you really close.

Okay I am going to propose my own sciientific ......but no where near perfect "Newb73 investigates".

Here is what I propose.

In going to take my PMK and measure my 6bulb T5 as a baseline.

I will then turn my Kessil A360 to the highest...which I think is 50% spectrum 100% intensity and take Reading.

Now my Hydra 52 is 135watts while a Kessil is 90watts....so to do an apples to apples comparison I'll run my 52s at 66% with all spectrums at 100% and take a reading.

Then I will model my 52 settings as close to the Radion AB program and take another reading and compare it to a Kessil set to 25% to 30% spectrum full intensity.

Same water, same spot same tank.

Since I am almost sure a pmk doesn't read much below 389, I'll even add a 0.5% correction boost to the Kessil readings.

I don't want to leave anything wide open all day but I can do 10 minutes and watch closely for an average of each.

That's about as scientific as I can get to do a comparison of my own.

Thoughts???

Just for fun, I'll test the A150 and H350s & H80s I have.

I'll also take a reading with the 52s wide open.

IF anyone wants to send me a radion...

 

[DSC reef]

I'm not going to argue/debate here with you in respect to BRS!
I'm not in a position to be the focus of this thread!
I'm sorry.
Grandis.

You started the argument like you do in every thread. This has nothing to do with halides and your nonsense is getting old very fast and I'm a halide guy.

 

[DSC reef]

This would be a great solution to run 1 AP700 with 4 T5 bulbs to cover our 75 gallon reef instead of 4 A360we.

 

[Scott.h]

Okay I am going to propose my own sciientific ......but no where near perfect "Newb73 investigates".

Here is what I propose.

In going to take my PMK and measure my 6bulb T5 as a baseline.

I will then turn my Kessil A360 to the highest...which I think is 50% spectrum 100% intensity and take Reading.

Now my Hydra 52 is 135watts while a Kessil is 90watts....so to do an apples to apples comparison I'll run my 52s at 66% with all spectrums at 100% and take a reading.

Then I will model my 52 settings as close to the Radion AB program and take another reading and compare it to a Kessil set to 25% to 30% spectrum full intensity.

Same water, same spot same tank.

Since I am almost sure a pmk doesn't read much below 389, I'll even add a 0.5% correction boost to the Kessil readings.

I don't want to leave anything wide open all day but I can do 10 minutes and watch closely for an average of each.

That's about as scientific as I can get to do a comparison of my own.

Thoughts???

Just for fun, I'll test the A150 and H350s & H80s I have.

I'll also take a reading with the 52s wide open.

IF anyone wants to send me a radion...

Ok, but why? Ultimately it really doesn't matter. Despite what the numbers read, if the corals look healthy and are growing, to me, despite what others tanks are reading that's the important thing.

For example, I head jason fox claim to run all attinic bulbs supplemented by reef brite strips. Ati suggests attinic bulbs are to be supplemental bulbs. His par numbers are very low to others standards, but who can argue? You know what I mean? Maybe it's spectrum, maybe its meter error, maybe something else we can't test for. I bought an mq 500 when it first came out. I quit using it for the most part. Despite having a fixture that is full coverage capable of putting out 600 par under water, my numbers read embarrassing low.

 

[DSC reef]

You can acclimate zoas and lps to high light. The few that I have in my tank get 250+par at the bottom of the tank.

I agree, I've never been able to dim the light on any fixture I've owned.

 

[rtparty]

Ok, but why? Ultimately it really doesn't matter. Despite what the numbers read, if the corals look healthy and are growing, to me, despite what others tanks are reading that's the important thing.

For example, I head jason fox claim to run all attinic bulbs supplemented by reef brite strips. Ati suggests attinic bulbs are to be supplemental bulbs. His par numbers are very low to others standards, but who can argue? You know what I mean? Maybe it's spectrum, maybe its meter error, maybe something else we can't test for. I bought an mq 500 when it first came out. I quit using it for the most part. Despite having a fixture that is full coverage capable of putting out 600 par under water, my numbers read embarrassing low.

It's been clarified that he does NOT run true Actinic bulbs. He runs blue Actinic which is what Giesemann calls their blue bulb. ATI calls it the Blue Plus.

If I can be honest, someone at Jason's level should know the common lingo when it comes to lighting. Some poor hobbyist is going to watch his videos and go buy all Actinic bulbs and then wonder why the tank looks like crap.

 

[Greaps]

T5's are king. Great spread out of 4 T5's especially when they have that space between them.

 

[Velcro]

Ok, but why? Ultimately it really doesn't matter. Despite what the numbers read, if the corals look healthy and are growing, to me, despite what others tanks are reading that's the important thing.

For example, I head jason fox claim to run all attinic bulbs supplemented by reef brite strips. Ati suggests attinic bulbs are to be supplemental bulbs. His par numbers are very low to others standards, but who can argue? You know what I mean? Maybe it's spectrum, maybe its meter error, maybe something else we can't test for. I bought an mq 500 when it first came out. I quit using it for the most part. Despite having a fixture that is full coverage capable of putting out 600 par under water, my numbers read embarrassing low.

Jason uses the "actinic" term loosely to cover both blue+ and pure actinic. He is not running JUST pure actinic bulbs with reefbrites.

 

[Ryanbrs]

Until the 500 came about, more so. But I don't see why this wouldn't get you really close.

This meter does allow you measure lower but one of the things I don't think gets enough attention is how the lower cost PAR meters over report everything over 460nm which can potentially balance out pretty well with the underreporting below that point. The higher end versions actually over report almost everything over 425.

In the end, measuring a specific LED with each meter will produce different results. However, when you measure a fuller spectrum offering typical to a reef tank the balance of inaccuracies actually put them fairly close. While one is absolutely more expensive, I am not sure I would say one is more accurate at measuring the blended spectrum than another. At least not in a way that is going to produce a measurable difference in our tanks.

I personally wouldn't shell out the dollars for a higher end sensor for home use. The goal here is only to get close. 10% one way or the other is close to meaningless for this application. Corals are not going to behave appreciably different in 200 vs 220 par and we can't make the entire tank 200 even if they did : )

 

[A. grandis]

Ok, but why? Ultimately it really doesn't matter. Despite what the numbers read, if the corals look healthy and are growing, to me, despite what others tanks are reading that's the important thing.

For example, I head jason fox claim to run all attinic bulbs supplemented by reef brite strips. Ati suggests attinic bulbs are to be supplemental bulbs. His par numbers are very low to others standards, but who can argue? You know what I mean? Maybe it's spectrum, maybe its meter error, maybe something else we can't test for. I bought an mq 500 when it first came out. I quit using it for the most part. Despite having a fixture that is full coverage capable of putting out 600 par under water, my numbers read embarrassing low.

Jason Fox doesn't run "actinic" per say (as ATI True Actinic), but "actinic blue". Some actually think that he has ATI Blue Plus bulbs. I assume he has Giesemann actinic blue bulbs.
Grandis.

 

[oreo54]

I personally wouldn't shell out the dollars for a higher end sensor for home use. The goal here is only to get close. 10% one way or the other is close to meaningless for this application. Corals are not going to behave appreciable different in 200 vs 220 par and we can't make the entire tank 200 even if they did : )

Apogee 520 is $345
Seneye about $200

Seneye does more.. Apogee is a one trick pony..
Sure not cheap.. but not Li-Cor expensive....
Cheaper arguably work better w/ sources other than LED..

As long as one knows the limitations.. any will be "close enough" for most....

Those that run salt and fw under LED would DEF benefit from the 500...

in the right hands a $30 LUX meter is "good enough"...

 

[siggy]

Alrighty then.......My Lfs is using T8's LED bulbs with good success. With this New revolution Kicking off why not just use a fluorescent fixture and taylor to your preference. BYW didn't the @ATI North America with the ATI POWER module See this coming.
Someone needs to produce t5 led bulbs

 

[rtparty]

Alrighty then.......My Lfs is using T8's LED bulbs with good success. With this New revolution Kicking off why not just use a fluorescent fixture and taylor to your preference. BYW didn't the @ATI North America with the ATI POWER module See this coming.
Someone needs to produce t5 led bulbs

Companies do create T5 LED bulbs. They just haven't been all that great so far and there have been a lot of issues with many popular T5 fixtures not running the bulbs properly

 

[NavySquid]

I think many reefers have realized the benefits of a t5/LED hybrid and taken matters into their own hands. Oddly enough the fixture I used was an Aquatic Life t5/mh. Removing the MH pendants and replacing with Hydra52s was easy enough but a purpose built retro such as this is so much nicer.

Are there any plans for a 72" fixture? Its a popular tank size so I cant be the only one wondering. Even a 5' fixture would work using the 80watt T5s. Stacking three 24" fixtures end to end is just too cumbersome and expensive to make it a viable option.

Additionally I would like to see a "universal spacer kit" available for purchase separately. Something that had extra long arms that could be cut to fit any brand or orientation of LED.

Awesome tank!

 

[Scott.h]

Alrighty then.......My Lfs is using T8's LED bulbs with good success. With this New revolution Kicking off why not just use a fluorescent fixture and taylor to your preference. BYW didn't the @ATI North America with the ATI POWER module See this coming.
Someone needs to produce t5 led bulbs

they did it and it's great. But it's over 1500 bucks for a 4 bulb ;Wideyed

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/ati-48-led-t5-powermodule-hybrid.html

 

[Potatohead]

Ok, but why? Ultimately it really doesn't matter. Despite what the numbers read, if the corals look healthy and are growing, to me, despite what others tanks are reading that's the important thing.

For example, I head jason fox claim to run all attinic bulbs supplemented by reef brite strips. Ati suggests attinic bulbs are to be supplemental bulbs. His par numbers are very low to others standards, but who can argue? You know what I mean? Maybe it's spectrum, maybe its meter error, maybe something else we can't test for. I bought an mq 500 when it first came out. I quit using it for the most part. Despite having a fixture that is full coverage capable of putting out 600 par under water, my numbers read embarrassing low.

JF uses blue+. If you look at the color of them in the recent reefbuilders video it's pretty obvious, I'm not sure why he calls them actinic. Maybe confusion because Geisemann calls that spectrum bulb "actinic blue" while the actual actinic is "actinic plus."

Edit - Sorry I see this was already touched on earlier

 

[ATI North America]

Alrighty then.......My Lfs is using T8's LED bulbs with good success. With this New revolution Kicking off why not just use a fluorescent fixture and taylor to your preference. BYW didn't the @ATI North America with the ATI POWER module See this coming.
Someone needs to produce t5 led bulbs

Companies do create T5 LED bulbs. They just haven't been all that great so far and there have been a lot of issues with many popular T5 fixtures not running the bulbs properly

Thus far there is no method to get comparable output in LED vs T5 within a tube. And like rtparty stated the previous popular brand had inconsistent behavior on dimmable HEP ballasts used in dimmable ATI Fixtures (as well as it was only about 75% of the output).

 

[Greybeard]

An upgradable reef light? Awesome.

So... a new reefer could start with a 75g tank, this 4' light all by itself, and grow all the softies and lower light corals he wants. When he's ready, upgrade to larger 4' tank, or even a 5' tank, add a pair of 360s, and grow just about _anything_ he might want to grow. I'm running a 4', 8 bulb T5 over my 5' tank, and it works just fine. BRS's own 6' tank uses a 5' light, right?

If they'd make a narrow set of cross pieces, you could even put it over a 40 long or standard 55 for new budget conscience reefers. Too wide as is, but I can't imagine it'll be too long in coming.