Looking for bulb suggestions for T5 supplementation

[jsvand5]

I currently have SB reef leds over my tank. They are doing great and put out a nice color but I still want to add a 2 bulb T5 supplement. Mainly because this tank will eventually be heavy SPS and I want to try to avoid some shadowing that comes with LEDs. I’ve never used T5s before so I’m looking for advice on which 2 bulbs to go with. Thanks for any help.

 

[rcpalmer1]

I just added the AI hybrid fixtures to my Kessil Ap700. It is 4 bulb. I seen a couple of recommendations of 2 blue plus 1 coral plus and 1 purple plus. It is not as blue as I would like it. I wish I had done all blue plus or half blue plus and half antic. It just depends of the color you like seeing because they will all grow coral.

 

[AndrewB]

I have the 4 bulb with a kessil as well. My bulb set-up is blue+, coral+, actinic, blue+

If it were 2 bulbs I'd likely do 2 blue+

 

[jsvand5]

Thanks. I have the color I want now so I’m not looking for something to really change the spectrum all that much. I would say I like my tanks slightly whiter than a lot of people do now. I like the corals to look pretty natural and not glowing under very blue light.

 

[rushbattle]

Just two bulbs, I would do B+ in both for sure. You can run higher white channel to compensate if needed. What SB fixtures do you have? What size(dimensions) is your tank?

 

[jsvand5]

Just two bulbs, I would do B+ in both for sure. You can run higher white channel to compensate if needed. What SB fixtures do you have? What size(dimensions) is your tank?

I have two of the 18” and one of the 30”. Just the basic non WiFi ones. 30” is in the center and the 18s are one the sides. Tank is 6ft x 28”deep. Planning on 2 of the 5ft ati bulbs.

 

[rushbattle]

I have two of the 18” and one of the 30”. Just the basic non WiFi ones. 30” is in the center and the 18s are one the sides. Tank is 6ft x 28”deep. Planning on 2 of the 5ft ati bulbs.

24” front to back?

 

[jsvand5]

24” front to back?

Yea. I was planning one tube in front of the leds and one behind.

 

[LetItReef]

Thanks. I have the color I want now so I’m not looking for something to really change the spectrum all that much. I would say I like my tanks slightly whiter than a lot of people do now. I like the corals to look pretty natural and not glowing under very blue light.

2 Coral + not heavy on blue.

 

[rushbattle]

24” front to back?

I would do Blue Plus bulbs and adjust the white channel. They are great PAR and PUR output bulbs.

 

[Lunger50]

Yea. I was planning one tube in front of the leds and one behind.

I have been thinking of doing something similar on y tank. Sounds like you are going to use single bulb fixtures? If you find some decent ones please post the model where you got them.

 

[jsvand5]

I’m planning to get this. I have a canopy so I’m not worried about what it looks like.

https://www.aquacave.com/60-2x80w-m...6a_6mqzLT0ru9DYEoVgGEPAzX7etMxoRoCic8QAvD_BwE

 

[jsvand5]

Got two ATI blue + hooked up today. They are quite a bit whiter than I expected. When paired with the leds the tank is too white even with the white channel turned as low as it will go. I currently have the white channel totally off but that results in the tank being too blue.
Would replacing the blue plus with two of the purple + give me more blue color?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Got two ATI blue + hooked up today. They are quite a bit whiter than I expected. When paired with the leds the tank is too white even with the white channel turned as low as it will go. I currently have the white channel totally off but that results in the tank being too blue.
Would replacing the blue plus with two of the purple + give me more blue color?

No. It’s purple.

 

[rossco]

Just two bulbs, I would do B+ in both for sure. You can run higher white channel to compensate if needed.

Came here to say this. That’s what I run.

I only run them 4 hours a day in the middle of the photo period, but they pretty much match the spectrum of my Radion program, maybe a little bluer.

 

[Daniel Waters]

Got two ATI blue + hooked up today. They are quite a bit whiter than I expected. When paired with the leds the tank is too white even with the white channel turned as low as it will go. I currently have the white channel totally off but that results in the tank being too blue.
Would replacing the blue plus with two of the purple + give me more blue color?

You said earlier you like your tank whiter than most folks, and yet the blue plus bulbs are too white? Are you sure you got the blue plus bulbs and not aquablue specials? The blue plus bulb has almost all blue spectrum and some green, as that is what the human eye is very sensitive to. My best guess is you are still adjusting to the diffused lighting of the T5s and it may seem overly bright compared to what you are used to with the LEDs. You may need a few days or weeks to get adjusted. Blue plus bulbs have almost a windex color to them, so if you think that is too "white", your best option is to consider adding in some deep blue / actinic type LED bars instead. You could also try swapping one blue plus bulb for a pure actinic bulb but with only two T5 bulbs, that may not work that well. If you had 4 T5 bulbs, I'd say go one blue plus and one pure actinic on each side (this is assuming you are in fact running blue plus bulbs and want something deeper blue than those bulbs).

 

[johnthehermit]

I have a 4x2x2 DT lit with an Evergrow IT 5080. Because my tank is a hole in the wall job the LED is set slightly back from centre. I suppliment this with ATI 54 watt tubes. 2 X BLUE+ and 1 x coral plus at the front and another coral plus at the back. I can balance the blue -white ratio easily with the Evergrow. I use reflectors on all the tubes.
John

 

[jsvand5]

You said earlier you like your tank whiter than most folks, and yet the blue plus bulbs are too white? Are you sure you got the blue plus bulbs and not aquablue specials? The blue plus bulb has almost all blue spectrum and some green, as that is what the human eye is very sensitive to. My best guess is you are still adjusting to the diffused lighting of the T5s and it may seem overly bright compared to what you are used to with the LEDs. You may need a few days or weeks to get adjusted. Blue plus bulbs have almost a windex color to them, so if you think that is too "white", your best option is to consider adding in some deep blue / actinic type LED bars instead. You could also try swapping one blue plus bulb for a pure actinic bulb but with only two T5 bulbs, that may not work that well. If you had 4 T5 bulbs, I'd say go one blue plus and one pure actinic on each side (this is assuming you are in fact running blue plus bulbs and want something deeper blue than those bulbs).

They seem to have gotten a bit more blue looking after burning in for a few days. I definitely see what you are saying about the windex look. I might order a couple purple plus or true actinic at some point to give those a try. I am not really using them to add much PAR. I’m mainly using them to help with shadowing for my sps once they start to grow out.

 

[Daniel Waters]

They seem to have gotten a bit more blue looking after burning in for a few days. I definitely see what you are saying about the windex look. I might order a couple purple plus or true actinic at some point to give those a try. I am not really using them to add much PAR. I’m mainly using them to help with shadowing for my sps once they start to grow out.

Well, if you think the blue plus bulb is too white, you better be prepared for the purple plus bulb to be noticeably whiter visually. The purple plus bulb can really bring out some pinks and reds, though. I find it a bit overpowering in 4 bulb setups but many people love the bulb. You just really have to try different combinations. And be willing to keep a combination for a few days or longer to allow yourself time to adjust. People really gravitate to these super blue tanks nowadays, but I prefer to use the deeper blue look for a dawn / dusk type period and have more white during the day, as I think it displays the fish better and shows the true colors on corals.

Here is a picture of my rose bubble tip under a purple blus bulb to show you how that bulb can make some colors pop. As you can see, that bulb is definitely not blue looking. But who cares? It's about getting the blend you are looking for.

 

[jsvand5]

Well, if you think the blue plus bulb is too white, you better be prepared for the purple plus bulb to be noticeably whiter visually. The purple plus bulb can really bring out some pinks and reds, though. I find it a bit overpowering in 4 bulb setups but many people love the bulb. You just really have to try different combinations. And be willing to keep a combination for a few days or longer to allow yourself time to adjust. People really gravitate to these super blue tanks nowadays, but I prefer to use the deeper blue look for a dawn / dusk type period and have more white during the day, as I think it displays the fish better and shows the true colors on corals.

Here is a picture of my rose bubble tip under a purple blus bulb to show you how that bulb can make some colors pop. As you can see, that bulb is definitely not blue looking. But who cares? It's about getting the blend you are looking for.

I like the color in your pic. Is that under only purple plus? I prefer around a 15k-18k look overall. I hate that tanks are so blue now. I was down in Orlando a couple weeks ago checking out the reef shops and not one had corals under lighting that wasn’t overly blue.

I just thought it was odd the the blue plus actually made my tank whiter initially even though I already keep my tank whiter than most. Even now I have the whites turned down as low as they will go without turning off and it’s still a bit whiter looking than it was prior to the t5 addition. It’s my first time using t5s so maybe I’ll just get used to it. I went from VHOs way back in the day to PCs, then to MH , and then LEDs. I’m sort of wishing I had just bought 3 250w MHs for this tank and been done with it.