Going bluer with my T5 light fixture.

[cracker]

Hello , It's time to change bulbs on this ATI 48 inch 6 bulb fixture . I use ATI bulbs also They offer 3 differing selections . I like to just order the suggested bulbs instea

 

[Retro Reefer]

I would load it up with mostly blue+ and maybe a purple+ and a true actinic

 

[tehmadreefer]

4 blue plus, 1 coral plus and a purple or actinic. That'll get you nice blue.

 

[cracker]

The color change shouldn't mess with the corals ,right ?

 

[jmsalt1]

I’ve always wanted an ATI fixture....just think they make for a great looking tank. Way too big for my current kitchen pico project tho....limited to a LED but will be making the most of it with a Nano Box Mini Tide.

 

[cracker]

hey , jm I really like this T5 light I get great coverage with it. Colors are good. I really can't compare to an led type. I want to try a bluer color If I do & it's too blue I'm stuck with it far a year !

 

[rushbattle]

I don’t think it will do much to disrupt the coral if you only change a bulb or two a week. As for being stuck with it a year, just buy a few extra bulbs that you might want to swap with to tweak color. It’s not much expense in the grand scheme and you will at least learn what the combos look like right?

 

[Hemmdog]

I just switched from blue+ and actinic to blue + and coral +. I wasn’t getting much growth out of the actinic, and surprising low par results from using a par meter.

 

[Justfebreezeit]

I'm using an actinic but it's in an 8 bulb. Probably wouldn't otherwise unless you specifically like the color.

 

[tehmadreefer]

An actinic bulb is not for growth its purely to make corals fluoresce more

 

[Purpletang92]

Corals aren’t growing in blue light , it’s just for our pleasure. Aqua Blue Special is the best bulb to use imo. I use 4 ABS and two super actinic to wake up and rest my tank in my 6 bulb fixture.

 

[cracker]

Thanks all for the insight ! I'm not crazy about too much blue. Just concerned about tweekin out the corals & if I like it . LOL
So why give it a try ?

 

[Hemmdog]

Thanks all for the insight ! I'm not crazy about too much blue. Just concerned about tweekin out the corals & if I like it . LOL
So why give it a try ?

If it’s a par increase or decrease they will tweak. As long as your parameters are stable they should survive and adapt.

 

[rushbattle]

420nm (actinic) and 450nm (blue T5) wavelengths are super good at promoting photosynthesis. Blue light grows corals perfectly well. Dana (somewhere I can’t remember right now) tested an actinic bulb and it’s output is very high PUR. To wit, Jason Fox grows a bunch of corals in only blue and purple light, zero full spectrum photoperiod.