ATI supplementing

[killerkukoo]

Hi, i currently have 2 32" reef breeders of my 180 6' tank. I have some considerable shadowing right now. I just picked up a 2 bulb t5 retrofit. I currently have blue plus bulbs in right now since that is what came with the kit. My question is this, which bulb would benefit the corals most out of what ati offers? The blue plus looks pretty good, but as long as the shadows are banished i want what ever bulb encourages growth and color the most. I have never played with t5 before. Always been and led man but with the two braces on my tank, i cant stand the shadows. Any input, opinion, or derogatory remarks will be apreciated!

thank you all for your help

 

[ATI North America]

Hello Killerkukoo,
This is actually a very personal questions. All of the ATI bulbs will give you roughly the same growth. I would not recommend choosing your color based on chasing PAR or Growth. Instead choose the bulb that makes the tank LOOK the best. The growth will follow. I suspect you will see a substantial growth increase based on only having a reef breeders previously no matter which color bulb you choose.

The Blue Plus is a great starting point. If you want more white or natural look try swapping one for an Aqua Blue Special. If you want more reds and pinks, the Purple or Coral Plus bulbs.

 

[Big E]

If you want the best colors out of Acropora species use two Coral+ bulbs. Then reduce the whites on your reefbreeders down to about 20-25% of what you have the blues set at.

This will also work for all corals

If your tank is more LPS and soft corals you can stick with the Blue+.

If it was me I'd do 4 T5s..........two front and two in the back.

 

[ATI North America]

If it was me I'd do 4 T5s..........two front and two in the back.

If it was me I would do a Powermodule or Sunpower

 

[Big E]

Sunpower is my #1 choice

 

[killerkukoo]

If you want the best colors out of Acropora species use two Coral+ bulbs. Then reduce the whites on your reefbreeders down to about 20-25% of what you have the blues set at.

This will also work for all corals

If your tank is more LPS and soft corals you can stick with the Blue+.

If it was me I'd do 4 T5s..........two front and two in the back.

I have thought about doing that. but as I want the led to be the muscle of my lighting im just trying 2 for now. my led are giving good color and decent growth. Im just trying to cut some shadows down from my braces. ive been told the coral + is a whiter bulb is that right? currently my blue on led is 50 and my whites are 25. I like the color from that. there is also a teal and red and green and violet channel im using in the leds.

 

[killerkukoo]

Sunpower is my #1 choice

Ill be honest ive seen a ton of good tanks under all t5. Im just not fond of the bulb bill or power bill from 8 of them lol. and im a huge reef breeder fan. I just don't like the shadows from my braces. I should have went with a different light configuration but hey hindsight and all that

 

[Big E]

I have thought about doing that. but as I want the led to be the muscle of my lighting im just trying 2 for now. my led are giving good color and decent growth. Im just trying to cut some shadows down from my braces. ive been told the coral + is a whiter bulb is that right? currently my blue on led is 50 and my whites are 25. I like the color from that. there is also a teal and red and green and violet channel im using in the leds.

If you're just adding the bulbs for visual appeal then I'd probably go with one Blue+ and Coral+. Put the coral+ as the bulb closer to the inside. The coral+ is a visually white bulb but it will enhance actual colors in the corals. It's going to add more 420nm & 450 without making the tank more blue because it adds some green and red to give an overall look of white.

My suggestion of 4 bulbs will allow you to actually color up the corals as well as give you a brighter look and more overall visual appeal. It also creates a more balanced light that will make it easier for you to put corals anywhere and only have to consider intensity( how high or low to place the coral)

The cyan, green and red in your RB are just there to create a more white look without having to turn whites up. Under what I suggest I'd run them at 10-15%. The violets about 40-50%.......again, the percentages are based off the blue settings.

If you ever get heavy into acroporas the above suggestions will work great.

Starting with two bulbs is fine, you can always upgrade and add two more later. Keep in mind your only going to be enhancing the corals near the front. The corals that are placed mid level to the back of the tank aren't going to benefit from 2 t5 bulbs in the front. Either way, I'd suggest you angle the T5s slightly towards the middle of the tank for best results and blending.

 

[Dana Riddle]

Re: Suggestion to not chase PAR. You can certainly have success if you don't use a quantum meter to measure light intensity, but if you have one, or access to one, use it, especially if you're relying to lamps that lose intensity over a period of months. By the same token, you can have success if you don't measure calcium or alkalinity but you're leaving a lot to chance.

 

[killerkukoo]

If you're just adding the bulbs for visual appeal then I'd probably go with one Blue+ and Coral+. Put the coral+ as the bulb closer to the inside. The coral+ is a visually white bulb but it will enhance actual colors in the corals. It's going to add more 420nm & 450 without making the tank more blue because it adds some green and red to give an overall look of white.

My suggestion of 4 bulbs will allow you to actually color up the corals as well as give you a brighter look and more overall visual appeal. It also creates a more balanced light that will make it easier for you to put corals anywhere and only have to consider intensity( how high or low to place the coral)

The cyan, green and red in your RB are just there to create a more white look without having to turn whites up. Under what I suggest I'd run them at 10-15%. The violets about 40-50%.......again, the percentages are based off the blue settings.

If you ever get heavy into acroporas the above suggestions will work great.

Starting with two bulbs is fine, you can always upgrade and add two more later. Keep in mind your only going to be enhancing the corals near the front. The corals that are placed mid level to the back of the tank aren't going to benefit from 2 t5 bulbs in the front. Either way, I'd suggest you angle the T5s slightly towards the middle of the tank for best results and blending.

Right now it's one bulb front and back of the led. It blends pretty evenly that way. We have for sure talked about add 2 more. It all depends how it goes with these 2. Thanks for your input we have never messed with t5 before

 

[ATI North America]

Re: Suggestion to not chase PAR. You can certainly have success if you don't use a quantum meter to measure light intensity, but if you have one, or access to one, use it, especially if you're relying to lamps that lose intensity over a period of months. By the same token, you can have success if you don't measure calcium or alkalinity but you're leaving a lot to chance.

I agree, my point was not choosing a blue plus vs a coral plus because of a 3% PAR difference. People "chase PAR" in this regard and I believe its the wrong way to go about choosing which color ATI bulbs to choose. PAR is very helpful when determining when to replace bulbs, or comparing one fixture to another. I should have qualified the comment for "when choosing which color ATI bulbs, don't concern your self or chase PAR".

 

[killerkukoo]

right now I like the blue plus bulbs. I have not tried others yet. id like the greens and reds to pop

 

[Reefer40b]

right now I like the blue plus bulbs. I have not tried others yet. id like the greens and reds to pop

Just curious do you have any updates on this as I have the same setup.. Any pics or build thread?
I currently run 2 Photon 32 V2's and have T5 retrofit kit in the mail(blue plus bulbs) over my 180.