Best 6 bulb t5 combo for Softies / LPS

[3lusive]

Ive never ran a 100% t5 setup so Im pretty new to this topic.

I WILL be researching , and using the search function but I know that some times things change (new bulb choices etc. )

Im mostly looking for color , I don't care too much about hyper speed growth.

Eventually LEDs will be added to the fixture , but for now it will 6x54w.

Thanks in advance.

Tank is 48"L x 20"W x 21"T

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Six is actually a LOT of Light.
Esp if the fixture is close.
The benifit would be you don’t need to burn all of them for that long(shorter photoperiod )
And you can (prob will) play with some higher Light coral.

Here’s a list of popular ati. combinations.
And no. There is no best. There is just really good.
https://www.atinorthamerica.com/faq.php

 

[Bpb]

If I were running an lps and softy only tank and were primarily concerned with color and not growth and I were running a 6 bulb fixture....having used t5 for a while now and having tried many many bulb combos, I’d go with

3 ATI Blue+
2 ATI True Actinic
1 Ati Purple+

 

[Daniel Waters]

Bpb has given you a pretty good combo right there. I would second that recommendation for an LPS and softie tank.

If you are adding LEDs later, such as an actinic blue LED light strip, you may not need or want 2 actinic bulbs. It will just depend on what type of LED you get and how you run them.

If you are going to do SPS, I think you would need a slightly different bulb combination, with some combination of blue plus, actinic, and at least one coral plus bulb.

 

[A. grandis]

Ive never ran a 100% t5 setup so Im pretty new to this topic.

I WILL be researching , and using the search function but I know that some times things change (new bulb choices etc. )

Im mostly looking for color , I don't care too much about hyper speed growth.

Eventually LEDs will be added to the fixture , but for now it will 6x54w.

Thanks in advance.

Tank is 48"L x 20"W x 21"T

2 Coral Plus
3 Blue Plus
1 True Actinic.
No need LEDs at all.
Grandis.

 

[3lusive]

S

I

B.

Grandis.

Thanks for the input everyone , I truly appreciate it. Currently I haven't been able to find any blue + bulbs locally. Everyone is sold out, but say more are coming soon. I think I will buy both combinations recommended by Grandis , and Bpb . Im not sure what either will look like and the price is very doable so why not try them both.

 

[mfinn]

Ive never ran a 100% t5 setup so Im pretty new to this topic.

I WILL be researching , and using the search function but I know that some times things change (new bulb choices etc. )

Im mostly looking for color , I don't care too much about hyper speed growth.

Eventually LEDs will be added to the fixture , but for now it will 6x54w.

Thanks in advance.

Tank is 48"L x 20"W x 21"T

It really depends on your color preferences. I happen to like a strong blue 20k look, so on my 50 gallon tank I used all ATI Blue Plus bulbs on the 6 x 24watt fixture.

 

[SDboatguy]

I've run several combos over the last few years... Another to look at is 3B+ ,P+, Actinic ,C+ . All of the above combos will work really good, its more about what looks good to YOU . Bulb placement is also something to experiment with, P+ or C+ in your #2 slot will help overall color, and B+/P+ or B+/ Act will work nicely as a dawn/dusk

 

[jda]

I would use a 6500K in the middle along with a True Actinic. Then, on the outside, four B+ bulbs. The 6500 will bring out colors that the B+ cannot, but it needs the True Actinic to balance it out from being so yellow.

 

[A. grandis]

One of the reasons I don't like to use 6500K bulbs is because my zoas will just grow wilder than they already grow.
I've tried them around 2013.
It stimulates their metabolism too much! LOL!
There is a bit more maintenance with algae growth too.
I'm just happy with the colors I get from my bulbs.
The Coral Plus will bring some reds...
But, yes, they would develop other colors, just like when I used my 65K halides.
In the other hand, the "yellow" spectrum would change the appearance of the tank as well.
It looks like there is a lot of energy is going on. LOL!
I'm thinking of trying 65K again next year...
Gotta love T5s!
Happy New Year to all!!
Grandis.

 

[Bpb]

I use two 6500k t5ho bulbs in my 8 bulb combo. They definitely have the color changing effect in that they enhance pigments so much there is some browning occurring. Especially on some of my mariculture acros. But despite the yellow, green, and orange spectrum that is so heavily present in the bulbs being “useless wavelengths for photosynthesis”, growth is noticeably faster when I use them vs when I don’t. So. Take from that what you will. I fear they would mute fluorescence in lps corals too much though. The purple+ will provide those reds without the browning effect