I Guess I Just Don't Like Blue Plus Bulbs.

Midrats

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I know that the Blue+ bulb is ATI's #1 bulb, and that people have had a lot of success with it, I just can't stand the way it looks. I was running 3 B+ and 3 C+ and didn't care for the look. I changed to 2 B+ and 4 C+ and while it was better, the B+ spectrum was still overpowering. The tank looks great with just the C+ running, I can see all the reflective and fluorescent colors on my fish, corals, and rock. When I switch on the B+, the colors get washed out with a greenish blue cast. I swapped out the two B+ with two True Actinics and I'm much happier with the look. The actinics don't wash out the C+ spectrum, they enhance it. All of the colors are still there, the fluorescent colors just get a little bump.

Is it just me or am I the only one who doesn't care for the B+ bulb?
 

Bpb

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It’s not my favorite aesthetically either. But it is about the most effective and efficient bulb out there. I used 6500k daylight bulbs to tame it and it worked real well
 

A. grandis

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The problem wasn't the Blue Plus bulbs, but using only Coral Plus bulbs trying to balance a 6 bulb combo.
Everything in a combo needs a balance that will depend on the limitation of number of bulbs in the fixture to achieve the results you want.
Everyone's preferences are different and others could actually like that many Coral Plus bulbs as you have tried, and it works for the corals.
Change the Coral Plus for GE 65K or a 10K bulb and you will see the difference!
In a 6 bulb combo, for example, you can have 3 Blue Plus, 1 True Actinic and 2 10K or 65K bulbs and your tank will look amazingly different than using Coral Plus. Even if you use 4 Blue Plus bulbs with 2 other white bulbs you would probably like it! Using one 65K and one 10K with the 3 Blue Plus and the True Actinic will quite change the looks again. They all work. You just have to find what pleases your eyes. We also should pay attention to the position of those bulbs. Just by changing slots one can achieve different visual results with the same combo.
Blue Plus is the core of T5s in a combo. One of the best bulbs ever invented IMO.
Coral Plus is a great bulb for the corals, but I don't like it much aesthetically either. If I would choose to have Coral Plus in a 6 bulb combo I would use only 1 bulb with 3 or more Blue Plus bulbs and other "white" bulb (s).
Good luck!
 
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I have a couple of Aquablue Specials, I know they are more of a 15K bulb, definitely more white than the C+, but wasn't really that thrilled with those with B+ either. Maybe I'll pick up some Tropics or GEs and see how I like that. Right now I'm liking the 4 C+ and 2 TAs. It just seems wrong that those B+ bulbs are back in their boxes. Do I really loose that much PAR taking up two slots in my rig with TAs? It's a Sunpower mounted 8" above the water line on a 16" deep tank so does it even matter if I do loose a little power?
 

A. grandis

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The more Blue Plus, the better. They should be the foundation.
GE 65K has also good PAR too.
Don't think too much about PAR alone, unless you choose to use too many True Actinic bulbs, but look to the response of the corals. Their health and colors are more important than any number you can think of. They will take months to show you what they can develop under any combo.
Choose what you like and leave it alone.
Try the KZ 10K or 14K (New Generation). The 14K is kinda blue. The 10K may fit more what you are looking for. Their PAR shouldn't be bad either. The GE 65K will show different colors. You just have to try them out. Enjoy!
 

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I run six blue, a purple, and an actinic. The purple really needs to be in there IMO to help with this, otherwise the tank is very cold looking. Running two corals instead of the purple wasn't quite enough either.
 

blasterman

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Balance them out with 10ks, or some of the red slanted bulbs like a fiji purple and you get a nice mix of color.

All of the cooler slanted T5 bulbs grow coral great and IMHO you should add actinic / blue to taste and not the other way around. Corals don't care. Just because BRS is obsessed with the darn things doesn't make them the pinnacle of reefing.
 

A. grandis

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BRS publishes what they want/need to sell. Good marketing strategy! They invest money and time and make good videos! Don't take me wrong, they throw some great info also. I feel that their selection of lights now is to try to somehow shape the market. Many people think there is only BRS selling stuff. LOL!!! They say such and such is out of stock. You go check it out and only BRS is out of stock. Oh, well.. Their videos were made mainly for business purposes, and should be. I like many of them, but you need to filter their hypes on their videos. Their videos are great to convince you of what they want you to get at the moment they were made.
Personally I'm not a fan of purple bulbs, just like the Coral Plus.
I have tried them more than couple of times and just can't seem to like them at all. Seems like many reefers love them though.
One True Actinic is always part of my 6 or 8 bulb combos.
 
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With the C+ isn't it like I'm running B+, AB, and P+ already? I thought about just running one actinic but it seems like the spectrum wouldn't be as homogeneous with one bulb in the middle. Does anyone know what the spread is of the ATI reflector? Like at what angle does the light leave the reflector? Do the colors blend well with just one bulb? I don't want it to look funny from the side or something.
 

Potatohead

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With the C+ isn't it like I'm running B+, AB, and P+ already? I thought about just running one actinic but it seems like the spectrum wouldn't be as homogeneous with one bulb in the middle. Does anyone know what the spread is of the ATI reflector? Like at what angle does the light leave the reflector? Do the colors blend well with just one bulb? I don't want it to look funny from the side or something.

The C+ is something like 60% blue plus, 30% aquablue special, and 10% purple plus. However that seems there would be a lot of overlap there. But IME the purple plus is much warmer than the coral plus. Not even close.

If you put the "odd" bulbs in the middle of the fixture, it blends just fine. From front to back mine is:

Blue
Blue
Blue
Purple
Blue
Blue
Blue
Actinic

I put the actinic at the back because it is mostly over the overflow. But even looking from the side it looks like one blended color.
 

rtparty

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The Blue Plus by itself is beyond ugly. Always has been. It has too much green/cyan in it and not enough Royal. I talked to Oliver at ATI about this a decade ago. He explained why they couldn't just make it more royal. Wish I could find that email. It was super interesting learning all about the manufacturing of T5 bulbs.

Anyway, in the past I would always suggest 4 Blue Plus, 1 GE6500k and 1 Purple Plus. You have to add in the daylight bulb and some reds to balance out the blue. These days I have found a minimum 50/50 Blue Plus to Coral Plus is a decent start but I would run 4 Coral Plus and 2 Actinic in a heartbeat in a 6 bulb fixture. The ATI Actinic has good PAR after burn in so no worries there.

You can bring in plenty of Blue without using the Blue Plus. People just don't know that ;)
 
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I appreciate all the insight from everyone! Good to know that the colors will blend with one bulb. I do prefer a warmer look as I come from I time where I thought 10K halides were too blue when they came out. I'm definitely going to pick up a 65K and a P+ to try out in the mix. I thought I was going to get away with constant spectrum changes ditching the LEDs :D
 

A. grandis

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With he T5s you are mostly safe to change spectrum. Find what you like and stick with it so the corals can develop their glory under that stability.
 

rtparty

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I appreciate all the insight from everyone! Good to know that the colors will blend with one bulb. I do prefer a warmer look as I come from I time where I thought 10K halides were too blue when they came out. I'm definitely going to pick up a 65K and a P+ to try out in the mix. I thought I was going to get away with constant spectrum changes ditching the LEDs :D
Once you find the combo you like, you will be done. It does take a few switches to figure it out though.

Make sure you give it a day or two as well to grow on you. Walk out of the room, go outside, come back in, and then check it out.
 
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With he T5s you are mostly safe to change spectrum. Find what you like and stick with it so the corals can develop their glory under that stability.
Good to know, as I torched some stuff with LEDs.
 
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Once you find the combo you like, you will be done. It does take a few switches to figure it out though.

Make sure you give it a day or two as well to grow on you. Walk out of the room, go outside, come back in, and then check it out.
Haha, this is totally what I do. Leave the room, then walk back in. I even go outside and look at it from the street through the living room window. My wife thinks I'm crazy!
 

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