T-5 bulbs, PAR rating, what bulbs to use, etc....

[kirkleigh84]

Im running a 10 bulb 80 watt powermodule on my tank. Going to be sps dominant. What bulb combo you recommend. I like a bluer look also.

 

[SunnyX]

Hey Sonny,
Is that a good bulb combo for a 6x39 over a 40 breeder. Lots of sps up top and lots of lps on bottom.
Thanks! :bigsmile:

Yeah. That combo right there will provide everything you need in terms of spectrum and growth.

Sonny, just curious what you would do with 12 bulbs as far as combo goes? THX

Hello,

I would do something like this:

FRONT
Blue+
Blue+
Purple+
Blue+
AB Special
Blue+
Blue+
Purple+
Blue+
Blue+
AB Special
Blue+

That should give you nice 12-14K look. If you would like something a little bluer, replace one of the AB specials with a Blue+. I would grab an extra Blue+ anyways, as everyone has their own ideal colors. Depending on the coral that you keep, some bulbs will be better than others at highlighting them. Yellow, red, pink and purple look best under whiter bulbs. While green,orange, LPS, and most Zoas look best under Blue+.

Good luck,

Sonny

 

[SunnyX]

Im running a 10 bulb 80 watt powermodule on my tank. Going to be sps dominant. What bulb combo you recommend. I like a bluer look also.

Hello,

FRONT
Blue+
Purple+
Blue+
Blue+
Blue+
AB Special
Blue+
Blue+
Blue+
Blue+

 

[Aquaph8]

Thanks Sonny, Ill give that a shot. Appreciate it.

 

[swissgaurd]

Ask, and ye shall receive.

Front

Blue+
purple+ of Fiji purple
Blue+
Blue+
KZ new gen or AB special
Blue+


Thanks,

Sonny

thanks sonny

vic

 

[reef_freak]

Thought I might get some input. Getting ready to get some bulbe replacements (new ATI bulbs ) and wanted to see what others thoughts are on how I have them arranged and if there is better more efficient arrangement or better selection of spectrum bulb wise. My tank is a 33 long and I run 4 bulbs. Currently I am running front to back.

Purple +
blue+
ABspecial
Blue +

I currently really like the color BUT it would not hurt my feelings to have just a TAD more blue spectrum.....just a touch more though. It also may be because my bulbs have some age on them and they have lost some of tha pop and new bulbs with the same spectrums may be just what the doctor ordered.

 

[SunnyX]

Thought I might get some input. Getting ready to get some bulbe replacements (new ATI bulbs ) and wanted to see what others thoughts are on how I have them arranged and if there is better more efficient arrangement or better selection of spectrum bulb wise. My tank is a 33 long and I run 4 bulbs. Currently I am running front to back.

Purple +
blue+
ABspecial
Blue +

I currently really like the color BUT it would not hurt my feelings to have just a TAD more blue spectrum.....just a touch more though. It also may be because my bulbs have some age on them and they have lost some of tha pop and new bulbs with the same spectrums may be just what the doctor ordered.

Well, that combo there is on the whiter side of the spectrum. You may want to grab a blue+ and swap out the AB Special for it. The three blue+ along with the single Purple+ would look great. A little too blue for some, and you may lose certain colors in SPS, but the corals will POP. Ideally you would want one white bulb for spectrum, but with four bulbs you are limited. Perhaps try one white and three blue.

Only way you'll know is by grabbing an extra Blue+ and trying both options. You are going to be replacing the bulbs anyway, so the extra blue bulb will not go to waste, as it'll be going into the rotation.

Thanks,

Sonny

 

[SunnyX]

Oh, on more thing. Move the Purple+ to the second bulb from the front. Place the blue+ as the first bulb. This will help highlight any lps and sand toward the front of the display.

Thanks,

Sonny

 

[reef_freak]

Thanks for the reply. I had been contemplating going LEDs on this tank but my space restriction between top of tank and cabinet kind of limits me.

I will check out what it looks like with a blue + in place of the AB special. As far as PAR I don't think I will see any noticeable difference. I would love to have more options as far as bulb numbers but as shallow as this tank is I think 4 is doing really well for the mixed bag of corals I am keeping.

Thanks again for your suggestions. I will definitely give it a shot. That was also suggested to me by a couple of friends.

 

[amonchak]

Oh, on more thing. Move the Purple+ to the second bulb from the front. Place the blue+ as the first bulb. This will help highlight any lps and sand toward the front of the display.

Thanks,

Sonny

Just replaced my 4 bulb combo over my 55 with the following setup (All lamps OD by a ice cap 660):

FRONT
Blue+
Purple+
Blue+
Blue+
BACK

The colors of my LPS are poping like never before. I'm loving this combo.

What lamp life is everyone getting with the Icecap 660s?

 

[roblshan2000]

Hey Sonny, I'm setting up my 75 gallon tank (48x18x20) and need some advice. The tank is going to hold most of my LPS collection. Chalice, acan, fungia, scolymia, etc. A few questions.
1. Which light fixture would you recommend? I'm looking at the Sunlight Supply TEK or TEK Elite, the Current USA Nova Extreme, or the ATI Sun Power.
2. How many bulbs would you go with? 4 or 6 bulbs?
3. What length of fixture would you go with? Someone had recommended to me to use a 36" fixture instead of a 48" to give some areas on the ends of the tank with less light and shadows.
4. Color combinations?

 

[SunnyX]

Hello,

Considering that you will be going with an LPS dominated setup, I would plan the lighting like so:

1.ATI Sunpower. I have one of these fixtures on a smaller setup, and I love it. It has a shield to block salt creep from accumulating on the reflectors, and it also has built in cooling.

2. 4 bulbs. With what you plan on keeping, and the tank size, I would go with 4 bulbs. This will be more than enough to meet your needs.

3. A 36" would work, but for $40 more you can get the 48". It's really up to you.

4.

FRONT

ATI Blue+
ATI Purple+
ATI BLUE+
ATI Blue+

I would also grab an extra Aquablue Special bulb, in case the combo above is too blue for your liking.


QUOTE=roblshan2000;839182]Hey Sonny, I'm setting up my 75 gallon tank (48x18x20) and need some advice. The tank is going to hold most of my LPS collection. Chalice, acan, fungia, scolymia, etc. A few questions.
1. Which light fixture would you recommend? I'm looking at the Sunlight Supply TEK or TEK Elite, the Current USA Nova Extreme, or the ATI Sun Power.
2. How many bulbs would you go with? 4 or 6 bulbs?
3. What length of fixture would you go with? Someone had recommended to me to use a 36" fixture instead of a 48" to give some areas on the ends of the tank with less light and shadows.
4. Color combinations?[/QUOTE]

 

[Reefing8EZ]

Hey Sonny,
I I have been running this combo sugested by you.
F to B
ATI Blue +
ATI Purple +
ATI Blue +
ATI Blue +
KZ New Gen
ATI Blue +
I love the color but many of my lps are losing color.
Is there a better combo for lps? Or should I try raising the fixture?
Thanks!

 

[PhelpsTanks]

Hey Sonny,

I recently acquired a 90g (48x18x24) I was curious about which fixture and bulb setup I should use. I was thinking an 48" 8 bulb but people suggest 48" 6 bulb would be more than enough. Could I possibly get your input on which fixture you recommend and the bulbs to go with it. I plan on a LPS and softie tank to include Euphyllia, Z's and P's, mushrooms, leathers, etc.

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[Kody72]

Has anyone used the ati coral plus?

 

[kuyatwo]

Has anyone used the ati coral plus?

They were just released so I doubt anyone has any experience with them yet


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SunnyX]

Hey Sonny,
I I have been running this combo sugested by you.
F to B
ATI Blue +
ATI Purple +
ATI Blue +
ATI Blue +
KZ New Gen
ATI Blue +
I love the color but many of my lps are losing color.
Is there a better combo for lps? Or should I try raising the fixture?
Thanks!

You may need to raise the fixture or decrease the photoperiod. When I had lps under a 100% t5 I had issues will coloration as well. Only when I moved the lps to the outskirts of the tank did they darken up.

Thanks,

Sonny

 

[SunnyX]

Hey Sonny,

I recently acquired a 90g (48x18x24) I was curious about which fixture and bulb setup I should use. I was thinking an 48" 8 bulb but people suggest 48" 6 bulb would be more than enough. Could I possibly get your input on which fixture you recommend and the bulbs to go with it. I plan on a LPS and softie tank to include Euphyllia, Z's and P's, mushrooms, leathers, etc.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Hello, a six bulb unit will be more than enough for you needs. You could even get away with four bulbs, provided that you stuck to softies. Since you're not going with SPS you could look into the TEK line of T5 fixtures. The ATI's are very nice, but may be too powerful for what you require.

I like this combo:

Ati blue+
Ati Purple+
Ati blue+
Ati blue+
Ati aquablue special
Ati blue+

Thanks,

Sonny

 

[PhelpsTanks]

Hello, a six bulb unit will be more than enough for you needs. You could even get away with four bulbs, provided that you stuck to softies. Since you're not going with SPS you could look into the TEK line of T5 fixtures. The ATI's are very nice, but may be too powerful for what you require.

I like this combo:

Ati blue+
Ati Purple+
Ati blue+
Ati blue+
Ati aquablue special
Ati blue+

Thanks,

Sonny

Would this still work of we decide to add sps down the road?

 

[SunnyX]

Would this still work of we decide to add spa down the road?

Yeah, I know many people with a similar setup running sps with no issues. You should have plenty of light with the 6 bulb.

Thanks,

Sonny