Just picked me up an T5 ATI 4 bulb dimmable fixture today!!!

Asbury030 · Jul 25, 2017

Well... I'm pretty excited about my most recent purchase! I have a few Questions for you guys, but first off I will fill you guys in on what it is going over and then the questions next. It is going over a 90 gallon Bow that I am mainly wanting to do mainly lps, Soft corals, Mushrooms and some zoos. So my few questions I got for you guys are.
1. I really don't want to hang it from the ceiling but from the wall and have it overhang over the tank... or have you guys post some pics of your lighting setups.
2. What is a good bulb combo for this setup? I prefer a more bluer look, but nothing to overkill, and I also plan on going with a reefbrite or 2 in the future.
3. How high should this light be off the surface of the tank?

Thank you for you guys time.

NeverlosT · Jul 26, 2017

My 8 bulb T5 is about 8 inches off of the tank. I run 6x ATI Blue Plus, 1x Purple Plus, and 1x True Actinic. I also run two homemade royal blue LED strips. I like the color a lot and the corals do too.

They are pretty heavy, so if you support it from a wall, make sure to find some studs and use sturdy brackets. It is also nice to be able to move it to work in the tank, so consider that. Oh, and they get HOT, so avoid enclosing it in a canopy.

NeverlosT · Jul 26, 2017

Oh only other piece of advise, I basically never use the dimmer. I read somewhere that it decreases bulb life. The unit will dim itself if it starts to overheat, and that is the only time that mine ever dims. (mine is in a canopy and it has happened once or twice that its cooling system got unplugged).

Johncarey13 · Oct 5, 2017

NeverlosT said:
My 8 bulb T5 is about 8 inches off of the tank. I run 6x ATI Blue Plus, 1x Purple Plus, and 1x True Actinic. I also run two homemade royal blue LED strips. I like the color a lot and the corals do too.

They are pretty heavy, so if you support it from a wall, make sure to find some studs and use sturdy brackets. It is also nice to be able to move it to work in the tank, so consider that. Oh, and they get HOT, so avoid enclosing it in a canopy.

Have any pictures of the setup??