8 bulb ATI T5 fixture w/ Reefbrite XHO

[teamlounge]

If we assume for one crazy second that I don't care about how the tank looks aesthetically to the naked eye. (ie. more blue, more white, etc.)

What is the best 8 bulb configuration for coloration (first) and growth (second). Understanding that both are important, but if forced to pick a priority...it would be bringing out the colors in the acro first.

Assume reefbrite XHO's are mounted on both sides of the fixture.

I know this is a much debated topic and I have read enough posts to drive oneself crazy...however, most of the informative opinions are a few years old. Curious about recent updates and comparisons. thx!

 

[Abhishek]

Its a highly debatable topic but some of the best T5 tanks I have seen always have a combination of ATI blue plus and coral plus .

If it were me , I would try 4 Blueplus, 3 coral plus and 1 purple plus if you stick with ATI.

I personally like KZ bulbs and with the discount right now , I would do 4 Kz super blues, 2 Kz coral light gen 2 and 1 fiji purple.


Regards,
Abhishek

 

[jpas]

If you watch some videos on Jason Fox and his grow out tanks you will see he uses blue+ actinic bulbs with leds. Based on the coloration & growth that he must get, it must be a good combination

 

[petraio]

i have power module ATI 8 BULBS always used 6 blue plus and two fiji purple coloration and growth is like crazy i first saw the bulb combo local reef store in manhattan the par is crazy be carful acclimate the corals you will bleach them just because now days must corals are kept under LED with mostly blu light just to get it to buy the coral good luck the KZ bulbs are great used them as well got them on sale just because they are more money without the sale the coral light 2nd generation is very white and the purple fiji is more intense to the human eye compared to ATI purple light

 

[Bpb]

As you and others mentioned color is highly subjective. I happen to like the color of 99% of acropora under a 10-12k'ish area. Some people find that ugly and unappealing. Some people would run solid royal blue leds all the time if the growth was there, but after about 10 minutes I find that look to be headache inducing and tremendously unnatural. So it depends on what you personally like. Growth will be marginally different from combo to combo honestly.

If I were you and I were primarily concerned with displaying the fluorescent pigments of my corals mostly I'd run the following

5 Blue+
2 True Actinic
1 Purple+ (as close to the center as possible)

along with the two Reefbrite XHO

This is too blue for my personal taste, but would make for some interesting and vibrant orange filter pictures (which seems to be the goal with most people nowadays). Hope that helps