T5s Q&A

Just read this whole thread. Great idea Dr.

I just bought and set up a Nova Extreme 4x54w fixture with 4 led moon lights. It has been modified. There are two more fans installed on top blowing air into the fixture as well as the built in fan sucking hot air out. I was told the ballasts have been upgraded to 2 Advance Centium Ballasts. Any thoughts on these ballasts and I was curious if this set up would be sufficient on a 90g to keep high light SPS corals like Acros, Montis, etc or would adding two more T5's using a retro fit kit would be necessary. Thanks for any advice!

 

Honestly, 4x54 watts, esp on a Current, regardless of a new ballast, is not going to be enough for SPS in a 90 gal.... Moniti's can handle lower light(not real low of course..) but lower than many acros.
I would add two more or better yet if you can do the entire light over with a DIY you could cram 7-8 bulbs in there. If you want you can overdrive the bulbs which would allow 6 bulbs to do the trick. I would also change out the bulbs in the Current fixture as they stocks have a poor rep.

Good luck

 

Which type of bulbs do corals benefit the most from as far as growth and getting the light they need for photosynthesis? Would a white 10k T5 be better than an actinic bulb? Are actinic bulbs mostly for looks?

If I were to have 4x 14k white bulbs plus 2 actinics would that be more beneficial for corals than 3 and 3?

thanks for your help!

also.. do LPS like Turbinaria require less light than SPS?

sorry if these ??'s seem dumb.. I have no experience with corals other then mushrooms etc..

 

To be general, spectrums from 6,700k-20,000k will provide the PAR for corals to grow. The hitch is multifolded(if thats a word), certain bulbs and types of bulbs, T5, MH etc are better at making PAR at certain spectrums. Also certain spectrums penetrate the water better. Lastly the way the tank looks to US comes into play as well.

To answer you bulb choice question I will keep my recommendations to GMan bulbs... 4 aquablue+ and 2 actinic+ will be a strong PAR producing blend with a crisp white look with a little blue. 3 and 3 of the the same bulbs would just get you a little more blue.

LPS depend on light less than SPS because they tend to capture more food, hence the large polyps. Cup coral will do good with moderate light and moderate water movement with the addition of food to its diet. Try frozen fish eggs, they are small and the polyps will grab them pretty quickly.

Don't worry about "dumb" questions, there is really no such thing, its "dymb? NOT to ask!

Good luck

 

Hello all,

I'm new and I got myself the Coralife Aqualight Pro 48" 250W HQI 2 months ago. I bought the HQI because I thought it was the best thing to buy for a reef tank. But last week I went to BigAls and saw the Current Nova Extreme High Output T5 Fixture-8x54Watt-48" and this unit is very nice. The light is brighter, create less heat, bulbs last longer and replacing the bulbs is cheaper too.

Well I have a chance to return the Coralife and replace it with the Nova Extreme, should I do it?

My only concern is that the Nova Extreme’s unit is weak for hard corals and clams, and the light doesn’t penetrate more than 20” of water.

I’m very confused and don’t know what to do. So any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

So you have been bitten by the T5 bug have you?;D
The Coralife fixture you have is middle of the road, decent entry level light, but its not the best-it has its issues...quality of components including ballasts, bulbs and reflectors. On the flipside there are many lights that are much worse that people buy on price point, I believe its the Aquatraders fixture that is a knock off of the coralife and I have heard nothing but horror stories with their lights, bad wiring causing melting fixtures and even a fire or two!!
Back to your question, T5 CAN pentrate deeper than 20".... not sure how that all started, I've seen PAR levels high enough to grow SPS on the bottom of 24" tanks with T5 and they were even elevated off the tank a bit. The main thing about corals esp. SPS is PAR value and people are finding that SPS can be kept at lower levels than once thought. Granted they will grow slow and brown out but its possible. Fatherree has a nice article in regards to this in the current TFH, it also has links to Dana Riddles work on PAR, corals and the various lights out there.
If it was ME contemplating swapping the HQI with T5 I would look hard at the light in question. Current doesn't have the best name in the industry, again it is more of a middle of the road entry level light with a good price point. The extreme has SLR which is great but it is still way behind SLS, Aquactinics, ATI and Sfiligoi. Granted the last two are very pricey I have covered the big names in all price ranges.
I have 8 60" T5s on my 180 and couldn't be happier, SPS is growing great, many pieces have put on close to an inch of grow in a little under 7 weeks. I am also using significantly less energy than MH, I have 640watts, even 3 250W MH would be more and that wouldn't include any supplemental. It is paying for itself already.

I take it you have a 90 gal? If so I would get a Tek 8 bulb over the Current hands down. A Solar Flare by Aquactinics would do the job as well as signal to outer space but it is SIGNIFICANTLY more $$ than the tek or other Aquactinic fixtures, Icecap ballasts are to blame.
What do you plan on keeping? SPS dominate? How deep are you placing them? I can tell you with T5-a good one at least, you should be able to grow SPS to close to if not the bottom, at least montis.
Good luck and avoid the temptation to buy the first light you see that really kicks.... With Current I will tell you, you will be replacing those bulbs instantly, so factor in another couple $$ for bulbs, esp Giesemans going for close to $30 a bulb!

Happy reefing and keep us updated!

 

Hi Dr.Fragenstein,

Thank you for explaining this for me.

Yes, I have the T5 bug and it is killing me.

Based on your opinion, I take it as the Current light is not worth it. I got my light from BigAls and I think they are willing to exchange my light but I have to take some loss because I have opened it.

When you are said "Tek 8 bulb over the Current hands down". Are you saying I can get the Current and replace the bulbs with Tek? or Get the Tek fixture and bulbs?
To answer your question about the corals, I would like to keep all the hard corals and clams. If the T5 can do this then I would love to exchange it. The only problem is that I have to exchange it with BigAls and therefore I cannot get the Tek fixture unless I'm willing to spend another $1000.

Can you tell me if I can do this with any T5 fixture from BigAls, I'm willing to replace all the bulbs if the fixture can grow all hard corals and clams.

Thanks again.

 

hey everyone, i would like too add/ask somethings, ive been having some problems with my t5's seems they are too bright for some corals, i run a 4x54 nova with moonlights. 50/50 mix of uvl actinic whites and super actinics. this is on a 60 gal 48lx13wx24h

i noticed over the last 8-10 months of having them, and all my corals coming from strong metal halide lit tanks, that any corals that contain green flour pigments become 10X more green under my lights(over short time wks.) and id have to say that the corals that are green are extremely bright green, this not really a problem, i know its a common flouro pigment in corals, but it just seems like its overly abundent in my tank.even the local salty shop inquires why my corals are so green.even some like capenella that dont usually look green went from norm pinkish brown to green., anyone got an answer why?lol i can provide pics if it helps.

ive also been having trouble keeping anything up on top with out them bleaching out. every thing ive tried directly under the lights slowly bleaches acros, birdsnest, montis,poccillio .then they do fine when i move them back . my new superman monti cant handle it ither.lps like candys i have to put on the very bottom 24" down and shaded by rocks and corals to get any kind of good polyp extension. any suggestions?, could it be the bulb setup?, how often should you replace t5s?

 

i think we will need some pictures BluePhish

 

prob going to take me a few.