Adding t5 to my LED setup advise.

[Fieryfrog]

I have decided to add two t5 light strips to each side of my LED boxes. So I would add a two light fixture to the front of the tank, and another to the back. Both slightly angled for coverage.

Just wondering if there is a standard set of needed bulbs for this. I just don't seem to get the color with LED that I have seen in t5 tanks.

I have a 125 gallon deep tank. 4 ft long. SPS heavy in the top half of the tank, and LPS and Zoanthid heavy in the lower half.

 

[Fieryfrog]

I am thinking
Actinic +
Aquablue +
Aquapink
Actinic +

 

[GlassMunky]

Here's my personal experiNce and thoughts:

What kind of LED are you running?
Because I don't understand how you are NOT getting the colors out of your corals if using good LED's like radions or Hydras or the likes.

I had nothing but 2 radions over my 90G SPS tank for 2 years and saw GEAT color and growth in that time. So LED DO work.


Recently though, as all my acros have gotten bigger and bigger they have started to shade out some of the lower corals or the ones father to the corners, which is the ONLY reason I added my T5's (2 in front and back just like you), to get that added spread.

I actually had a really hard time finding a bulb combo that liked in combo with the LED's. To me, most of the T5 seem to almost wash away some of the glow that the LEDs gave the tank, and defiantly lessened the shimmer factor (not a big deal).

In the end, I am now running 2 ATI Blue +, a Purple+ and a coral +
With a blue+ and coral+ coming on first, for about an hour and then the other blue+ and the purple+ come on for an hour, then back to just the blue+ and coral+ for another hour and then back off to just all LED. (I have been thinking of trying an actinic+ in with the combo to see the spectrum difference but hasn't gotten the chance yet)

All in all the T5 are only running for 3 hours total during my high noon time on the LEDs.

(Photo taken the day before we installed the T5's)