6 or 8 bulb? Need input

ClownnGoby · Oct 6, 2016

I would go with the 8 bulb also . Like decrocat u can remove 2 bulbs if u feel it's too much or just add a couple super actinic to lower your par ,

I run 8 bulb ATI fixture on my 90 I don't notice much spillage but it's definitely bright and can see it on from the street haha

I run 2 super actinic 2 purple + 4 blue +

gus6464 · Oct 6, 2016

ClownnGoby said:
I would go with the 8 bulb also . Like decrocat u can remove 2 bulbs if u feel it's too much or just add a couple super actinic to lower your par ,

I run 8 bulb ATI fixture on my 90 I don't notice much spillage but it's definitely bright and can see it on from the street haha

I run 2 super actinic 2 purple + 4 blue +

That is a myth. An ATI True Actinic has a whopping 60 less PAR than an ATI Blue+. Stacking the True Actinic thinking it's a lot lower PAR is a nice way to cook some corals real nice. The True Actinic has the highest PUR/PAR ratio of any bulb you can buy.

ClownnGoby · Oct 6, 2016

Your are correct didn't notice it jumped from 266 par to 369 par after 100 hour break in that's quit the jump , considering blue + stays at 422 whole time , So yes it's close but lowest par bulb they sell ,
I run 8 bulbs over my tank 10" awl never once cooked a coral and actually adding a reefbrite led strip to fixture

gus6464 · Oct 6, 2016

ClownnGoby said:
Your are correct didn't notice it jumped from 266 par to 369 par after 100 hour break in that's quit the jump , considering blue + stays at 422 whole time , So yes it's close but lowest par bulb they sell ,
I run 8 bulbs over my tank 10" awl never once cooked a coral and actually adding a reefbrite led strip to fixture

Yes but the True Actinic is a short band 420nm only bulb. It is 100% PUR. The Blue+ has quite a bit of output in the green band to pad it's PAR output. I have been playing with T5 bulb combos for a year and my go to are now Blue+, Coral+, and True Actinic. I like the 4x Blue+, 2x Coral+. 2x True Actinic combo.

plainrt · Oct 6, 2016

Diesel said:
Midway with a 10" above surface you will not get 250 par with a 6 bulb, you might get close if you use Giesemann bulbs, any other bulb won't do it.

Odd I get 250 par in center sand with my 36 inch 4 bulb ati dimmable with ati bulbs. Tank is 16 tall with light 9-10 inches above waterline.

Diesel · Oct 6, 2016

What kind of par meter you using as a par meter gives you a wrong illusion best reading you get from a lux meter and convert it in par.
I'll tag @saltyfilmfolks in here as he's the master in that area.

gus6464 · Oct 6, 2016

Diesel said:
What kind of par meter you using as a par meter gives you a wrong illusion best reading you get from a lux meter and convert it in par.
I'll tag @saltyfilmfolks in here as he's the master in that area.

Since when is a par meter not as accurate than a lux meter? I would like to know who started with all this nonsense. No one and I mean no one in this forum is doing a proper wavelength specific lux to par conversion.

Velcro · Oct 6, 2016

6 bulb plus 2x reefbrite XHO or rapid led DIY. 600 par at the surface, 250 at sand. Huge benefit of having some really nice shimmer both with and without t5 powered on as well as more custom dusk and dawn.

Lonny · Oct 6, 2016

Velcro said:
6 bulb plus 2x reefbrite XHO or rapid led DIY. 600 par at the surface, 250 at sand. Huge benefit of having some really nice shimmer both with and without t5 powered on as well as more custom dusk and dawn.

Did you build the tank?

Velcro · Oct 6, 2016

Lonny said:
Did you build the tank?

Nope, purchased it second hand from the guy that built it. I built the LEDs !

Lonny · Oct 6, 2016

I seen some saw kerf on the edge. I built my tank and keyed in on it lol. Nice tank, and light set up!

gus6464 · Oct 6, 2016

OP the amount of bulbs in a t5 unit has more to do with the width of your tank than anything else. The reason being is that if you buy say a sunpower the reflectors are almost parabolic. This means that horizontal photon dispersion is minimal so you want to cover as much tank surface area with bulbs.

Now if we consider fixtures with specular reflectors like the giesemann matrixx ii it's a whole other story. Specular reflectors are better with horizontal photon dispersion but also intensity suffers.

A fixture like the ati powermodule and PAC sun diuna use full parabolic reflectors. Horizontal photon dispersion is almost null. With units like these it is highly recommended to try and cover the most surface area of the tank with bulbs.