Is this T5 lighting too blue?

JCOLE

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Hello everyone!

A little background. I recently went through a crash on my SPS dominate tank. I dosed Vibrant, Fluconazole, Chemiclean, etc and during this I had heavy metals in my RODI and main water along with low Iodine and high Potassium. During this time I changed out my (4) Mars Aqua Black Boxes with upgraded diodes and (2) Blue+ T5's in November to a (6) bulb LET Retrofit kit with all ATI bulbs.

I originally went with the 50/50 Coral+/Blue+ combination. This combo was very white compared to what I was running before with the Black Box LED's and (2) Blue+ bulbs. My LED's were set around 90% Blues and 20% whites. This is purely anecdotal but I think that going from a blue spectrum to a much whiter spectrum during all of the issues I was currently having caused stress on the system.

I went from (3) Coral+ bulbs to 2, then to 1, and now as of last night none at all. On my (6) bulb setup I have (4) Blue+ and (2) Actinic bulbs. I really like the look of this combo and it resembles a little closer to what I was used to running with the Black Boxes, etc.

My question is, will this have a negative impact on my corals? It doesn't bother me and If it will still keep the SPS happy and growing then I will leave it for a little while to see how it does. Just want to make sure I am not going to have a negative impact on my Corals more than what they have already gone through.

Tank with Black Boxes and (2) ATI Blue+ bulbs. At this time tank was looking great

20201021_162620.jpg


This is after I changed lights out to all ATI T5's with (3) Coral+ and (3) Blue+. You can see how much whiter the tank looks

20201021_162426.jpg


This is last week. My setup was (1) Coral+, (4) Blue+, and (1) Actinic. You can see it still appears white

20201219_200036.jpg


This is yesterday after I removed the last Coral+. It is now (4) Blue+ and (2) Actinic.

20210127_150420.jpg
 

Midrats

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3 C+ 3 B+ is way too blue for me. I like 4 C+ 2 TA. Blue Plus grows corals, if you like it ultra blue/green go for it.
 

Oregon Grown Reef

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BRS has a pretty good t5 configuration recommendations. I have the 4 bulb T5 Hybrid fixture and use 2 blue plus, 1 actinic, and 1 corals plus. Tank looks awesome. Your tank isn't "too blue" for the corals. I know some reefers don't run any white on their tanks, and they grow coral just fine. For me, too blue doesn't bring out the purples/pinks like the white spectrums do. What's the point of all of that coraline if you can't really see it?
 

DMG Reef

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In my experience, changing to bulbs with a different spectrum can affect color but has never affected my acro's health. I changed out my T-5's a month ago and decided to try a few different bulbs. My Homewrecker lost its pink. But it's still healthy and growing well. I plan to give it some time before going back to the way I had it before.
 

Steve Erekson

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No I don't think it will necessarily have a negative impact on your corals. If you like a really deep actinic look this is kind of what you need to do. My only thought would be maybe swap one B+ or TA for a Purple Plus (or 2) and see if you like that better to bring out some more of the coralline pinks like what you saw with your LEDs.
 

MZReef120

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On my 120 gal I have the nova extremes 8x54w T5 fixture and I run 4-blue+,2-actinic,1- purple+, 1-coral+. This is a great look. It has a good amount of blue, purple, and whitish.
 

ryshark

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Hello everyone!

A little background. I recently went through a crash on my SPS dominate tank. I dosed Vibrant, Fluconazole, Chemiclean, etc and during this I had heavy metals in my RODI and main water along with low Iodine and high Potassium. During this time I changed out my (4) Mars Aqua Black Boxes with upgraded diodes and (2) Blue+ T5's in November to a (6) bulb LET Retrofit kit with all ATI bulbs.

I originally went with the 50/50 Coral+/Blue+ combination. This combo was very white compared to what I was running before with the Black Box LED's and (2) Blue+ bulbs. My LED's were set around 90% Blues and 20% whites. This is purely anecdotal but I think that going from a blue spectrum to a much whiter spectrum during all of the issues I was currently having caused stress on the system.

I went from (3) Coral+ bulbs to 2, then to 1, and now as of last night none at all. On my (6) bulb setup I have (4) Blue+ and (2) Actinic bulbs. I really like the look of this combo and it resembles a little closer to what I was used to running with the Black Boxes, etc.

My question is, will this have a negative impact on my corals? It doesn't bother me and If it will still keep the SPS happy and growing then I will leave it for a little while to see how it does. Just want to make sure I am not going to have a negative impact on my Corals more than what they have already gone through.

Tank with Black Boxes and (2) ATI Blue+ bulbs. At this time tank was looking great

20201021_162620.jpg


This is after I changed lights out to all ATI T5's with (3) Coral+ and (3) Blue+. You can see how much whiter the tank looks

20201021_162426.jpg


This is last week. My setup was (1) Coral+, (4) Blue+, and (1) Actinic. You can see it still appears white

20201219_200036.jpg


This is yesterday after I removed the last Coral+. It is now (4) Blue+ and (2) Actinic.

20210127_150420.jpg
I have this same bulb combo 4x blue plus and 2x actinic. But, I have the 8-bulb fixture so I threw in 2x aquablue specials in the 2-bulb channel and run those only midday for some daylight spectrum and to see my tank a different color. The majority of my photoperiod is the 4x blue plus and 2x actinic. I also think those 6 bulbs are enough to grow acros and make them look good too, but the tank looks a little dim to me. Essentially its just the 4x Blue Plus that is visible since the actinics are so dim. However, the actinics still offer a beneficial spectrum and pretty good par, so it is deceiving.
 
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JCOLE

JCOLE

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I have this same bulb combo 4x blue plus and 2x actinic. But, I have the 8-bulb fixture so I threw in 2x aquablue specials in the 2-bulb channel and run those only midday for some daylight spectrum and to see my tank a different color. The majority of my photoperiod is the 4x blue plus and 2x actinic. I also think those 6 bulbs are enough to grow acros and make them look good too, but the tank looks a little dim to me. Essentially its just the 4x Blue Plus that is visible since the actinics are so dim. However, the actinics still offer a beneficial spectrum and pretty good par, so it is deceiving.

I agree. It is more bright than it looks in the photos though. I did some PAR testing last night and I am around 500+ at the tops and around 250+ near the bottom with all bulbs on.
 
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JCOLE

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No I don't think it will necessarily have a negative impact on your corals. If you like a really deep actinic look this is kind of what you need to do. My only thought would be maybe swap one B+ or TA for a Purple Plus (or 2) and see if you like that better to bring out some more of the coralline pinks like what you saw with your LEDs.

I think this is for the win here. I had a new Purple+ so I decided to try. I replaced one of the Actinics and I do like this combo a lot. Still seems a little bright but not as white with the Coral+. I don't mind it all. Just wanted to bring the spectrum back to what they were used to with the LEDs.

I really do like this combo though.

Blue+
Blue+
Actinic
Blue+
Purple+
Blue+

Don't mind the corals right now. Going through tank issues right now but hopefully on the upswing.

20210127_195237.jpg

20210127_195435.jpg
 

ryshark

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I agree. It is more bright than it looks in the photos though. I did some PAR testing last night and I am around 500+ at the tops and around 250+ near the bottom with all bulbs on.
Wow, that's plenty. I wonder what I'm at when I have those 2-additional ABS bulbs kick on.
 
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JCOLE

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Wow, that's plenty. I wonder what I'm at when I have those 2-additional ABS bulbs kick on.

Probably a good amount. I seen that the ABS have the most PAR out of the ATI line up.
 

ryshark

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I think this is for the win here. I had a new Purple+ so I decided to try. I replaced one of the Actinics and I do like this combo a lot. Still seems a little bright but not as white with the Coral+. I don't mind it all. Just wanted to bring the spectrum back to what they were used to with the LEDs.

I really do like this combo though.

Blue+
Blue+
Actinic
Blue+
Purple+
Blue+

Don't mind the corals right now. Going through tank issues right now but hopefully on the upswing.

20210127_195237.jpg

20210127_195435.jpg
That looks good. Just a thought, to even things out and let more of your corals in the middle/front take in some of the Purple+ daylight spectrum, maybe try:

Blue+
Blue+
Actinic
Purple+
Blue+
Blue+
 
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JCOLE

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That looks good. Just a thought, to even things out and let more of your corals in the middle/front take in some of the Purple+ daylight spectrum, maybe try:

Blue+
Blue+
Actinic
Purple+
Blue+
Blue+

I will change it around tomorrow and see what it looks like. I was going to put it in the middle originally but didn't because of how the circuits are wired. The middle two bulbs are on their own and I am using them for the blues that come on for an hour before and after the other 4 bulbs. See below for ballast layout.

1 - Blue+
2 - Blue+
3 - Actinic
3 - Purple+
1 - Blue+
2 - Blue+

What about this layout? If anything I could always just rewire the fixture as well. This is starting front to back.

1 - Blue+
2 - Blue+
3 - Purple+
3 - Blue+
1 - Actinic
2 - Blue+
 
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JCOLE

JCOLE

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Looks great, one purple plus can definitely go a long way.

Yes. I really do like how the Purple+ evens out the Blue+ bulbs. I will more than likely run with this for a couple of months. Once the tank improves and if the corals seem to respond well to the new lights then I will probably add another Purple+ in the mix.
 

ryshark

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I will change it around tomorrow and see what it looks like. I was going to put it in the middle originally but didn't because of how the circuits are wired. The middle two bulbs are on their own and I am using them for the blues that come on for an hour before and after the other 4 bulbs. See below for ballast layout.

1 - Blue+
2 - Blue+
3 - Actinic
3 - Purple+
1 - Blue+
2 - Blue+

What about this layout? If anything I could always just rewire the fixture as well. This is starting front to back.

1 - Blue+
2 - Blue+
3 - Purple+
3 - Blue+
1 - Actinic
2 - Blue+
I think if you only had on 1x blue+ and 1x purple+ for your dusk/dawn then the tank will look pink.
With all 6-bulbs on with the Purple+ and one less actinic did it brighten up a little?
 
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JCOLE

JCOLE

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I think if you only had on 1x blue+ and 1x purple+ for your dusk/dawn then the tank will look pink.
With all 6-bulbs on with the Purple+ and one less actinic did it brighten up a little?

The bulbs with the 1 in front of them would be my dusk/dawn bulbs. It would be a Blue+ and an Actinic bulb.

Yes, the Purple+ did brighten the tank up and made the Blue+ bulbs look good. It didn't overpower the blue bulbs. Just made it a little whiter and blended well. I think I might actually add another Purple+ down the road in a couple of months.
 

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