Question on t5 lighting

[CubanHogFish]

Hi im new to t5 i currently have a 3 kessil 360we over a 125g tank i believe that i am under lighting it since its a sps dominant tank. Mamy of my frag have grown to full.colonies but color is an issue for me. My queation is i have a 12 bulb 72" fixture i want tonuae but d9nt know what bupbs are most effective ive heard alot of good from ati b+ and coral + but dont know how many of each i should get and how long i should run the t5 for aince i run my led 14 hours a day if anyone can shine some light i would widely appriciate it thank in advance.

 

[Bpb]

6 blue+ and 6 coral+ is a perfectly acceptable combo that will provide plenty of par and a blended enough spectrum to grow and color anything you want. I don’t personally care for the overall hue of that as I find it a tad bit on the overly light blue side but that speaking more of the overall hue. Is there any way to keep the kessils and run the t5ho together with them?

 

[Heath Biggers]

Hi im new to t5 i currently have a 3 kessil 360we over a 125g tank i believe that i am under lighting it since its a sps dominant tank. Mamy of my frag have grown to full.colonies but color is an issue for me. My queation is i have a 12 bulb 72" fixture i want tonuae but d9nt know what bupbs are most effective ive heard alot of good from ati b+ and coral + but dont know how many of each i should get and how long i should run the t5 for aince i run my led 14 hours a day if anyone can shine some light i would widely appriciate it thank in advance.

I really like the ATI blue + bulbs. You can really grow anything with just this bulb. I think adding the purple + bulbs brings out some more colors. I use 3 blue and 1 purple in a 4 bulb fixture and really like it.

 

[jda]

I would use 2 Blue Plus, 2 Coral Plus, 1 True Actinic and 1 6500 in each side.

 

[CubanHogFish]

Ok ao the fixture i have contains 12 bulbs all red sea now that i looked at them i believe they are 2 actinic 2 are white and the rest are blue. The fixture works on 2 channels it says white and blue ao how do i set this up with the ati bulbs and how long do i run them for. Do i run all of them at the same time or or do i do 1 channel first and then the other..

 

[Bpb]

That is entirely up to you. Full intensity of 8 hours per day is generally standard but plenty of people do more or less than that. Whatever your preference is honestly. Find out what channels which bulb slots are on and mix them up however you like it best

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

At 12 in, each bulb is worth about 160 par.

So x 12 that’s 1920 par with all the tubes.

 

[A. grandis]

At 12 in, each bulb is worth about 160 par.

So x 12 that’s 1920 par with all the tubes.

I think in regards to PAR it would depend on the combo, right?
Wouldn't different bulbs produce different PAR numbers?
Grandis.

 

[jda]

No. The output will be nearly the same. The spectrum that a PAR Meter captures will be different for the different tubes. An actinic or daylight are only less par than a B+ since they have more output below 440ish and above 680ish, but that spectrum is still useful.

It is just a difference in measurement with a hobby-grade tool that should be more of a guide than a rule.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I think in regards to PAR it would depend on the combo, right?
Wouldn't different bulbs produce different PAR numbers?
Grandis.

No, it’s tube to tube , the actinic is the Lowest as it has the narrowest band produced.
But he trest are all pretty close , they just have peaks in different places. And usually cover a bit of the entire spectrum.

This anyway is true of the ati and giesmann line.

 

[Kayvon]

I'd do some research on how the fixture affects the PAR values. I heard ATI fixtures get more PAR out of their bulbs, but don't quote me on that. At any rate, a 12 bulb fixture should be insane in terms of par throughout the whole tank.

Is the tank 18" front-to-back? How does it compare to the fixture's wideness since 12 bulbs must be the size of a spaceship?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I’d cut that fixture up an slap leds in there.
Pop shimmer shine and longer DLI. At low par , peak for growth w the t5
And save the tubes.

My .02.

 

[Bpb]

He is likely referring to a 12 bulb configuration that is two 36” banks of 6 arranged end to end to cover the entire 72”. Is wager it’s only 14-16” wide at most. Think of it like a 6 bulb fixture. Giving us the wattage will confirm.

 

[A. grandis]

No. The output will be nearly the same. The spectrum that a PAR Meter captures will be different for the different tubes. An actinic or daylight are only less par than a B+ since they have more output below 440ish and above 680ish, but that spectrum is still useful.

It is just a difference in measurement with a hobby-grade tool that should be more of a guide than a rule.

No, it’s tube to tube , the actinic is the Lowest as it has the narrowest band produced.
But he trest are all pretty close , they just have peaks in different places. And usually cover a bit of the entire spectrum.

This anyway is true of the ati and giesmann line.

So the hobby-grade PAR meters are mostly to get the spots throughout the tank measured, right?
The truth is that no one really need those PAR meters, generally speaking, when getting most of the best brand T5 tubes then.
Does it apply to any reflector or fixture? Would 160 be a average measurement as a reference point?
What would be the ~160 value "at 12" "? Fixture placed 12" from the water surface? PAR value of 12" underwater?
I don't have a PAR meter and never worry too much about PAR, but it s good to know all that.
Thanks!
Grandis.

 

[A. grandis]

I’d cut that fixture up an slap leds in there.
Pop shimmer shine and longer DLI. At low par , peak for growth w the t5
And save the tubes.

My .02.

Better solution IMO would be to use only the channels for the 4 bulbs in the longer part of the photoperiod.
Grandis.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Better solution IMO would be to use only the channels for the 4 bulbs in the longer part of the photoperiod.
Grandis.

Either way really , but it depends on how it’s wired.
He’ll never “need” all the tubes on the tank

The led would just let him see Thant more and get the pop. Purely visual

So the hobby-grade PAR meters are mostly to get the spots throughout the tank measured, right?
The truth is that no one really need those PAR meters, generally speaking, when getting most of the best brand T5 tubes then.
Does it apply to any reflector or fixture? Would 160 be a average measurement as a reference point?
What would be the ~160 value "at 12" "? Fixture placed 12" from the water surface? PAR value of 12" underwater?
I don't have a PAR meter and never worry too much about PAR, but it s good to know all that.
Thanks!
Grandis.

Honestly, if one leads more about PUR and what you need for coral , you just need to measure intensity.
Par has just become a standard tool.

And yea , 160 is kinda an average based on manufacturer specs and user data. A bad fixture will def give you less output

 

[jda]

PAR can be useful for some things, but it is not an absolute like temperature or MPH. For example, in my tank, PAR of 240 is less than 400 - unequivocally - this is helpful to determine placement of high vs low light corals... this is a very good use of PAR. A bad use is in comparing different types of bulbs - PAR of a UVL Super Actinic Tube is half of a Coral+, but half of the output is below the threshold that a PAR meter can capture... they are likely the exact same in radiated watts.

Most PAR meters can get 450 to 680nm pretty well, but they fall off under 450 pretty steeply. Even places who do "studies" like BRS disclaim their videos, but few seem to notice.

The really disgusting thing is that some manufacturers of LEDs design their panels to pop the PAR meter and not to grow coral - they are gaming the system. Some LED manufacturers won't use true UV diodes in their fixtures because PAR would go down with the same wattage even though the usefulness to coral would go up.

 

[CubanHogFish]

I'd do some research on how the fixture affects the PAR values. I heard ATI fixtures get more PAR out of their bulbs, but don't quote me on that. At any rate, a 12 bulb fixture should be insane in terms of par throughout the whole tank.

Is the tank 18" front-to-back? How does it compare to the fixture's wideness since 12 bulbs must be the size of a spaceship?

Yes the tanknis 18" front to back the fixture holds 12 36" bulbls

 

[A. grandis]

Either way really , but it depends on how it’s wired.
He’ll never “need” all the tubes on the tank

The led would just let him see Thant more and get the pop. Purely visual


Honestly, if one leads more about PUR and what you need for coral , you just need to measure intensity.
Par has just become a standard tool.

And yea , 160 is kinda an average based on manufacturer specs and user data. A bad fixture will def give you less output

I just don't understand why there is so much emphasis on PAR as a "standard tool".
Thanks!
Grandis.

 

[A. grandis]

PAR can be useful for some things, but it is not an absolute like temperature or MPH. For example, in my tank, PAR of 240 is less than 400 - unequivocally - this is helpful to determine placement of high vs low light corals... this is a very good use of PAR. A bad use is in comparing different types of bulbs - PAR of a UVL Super Actinic Tube is half of a Coral+, but half of the output is below the threshold that a PAR meter can capture... they are likely the exact same in radiated watts.

Most PAR meters can get 450 to 680nm pretty well, but they fall off under 450 pretty steeply. Even places who do "studies" like BRS disclaim their videos, but few seem to notice.

The really disgusting thing is that some manufacturers of LEDs design their panels to pop the PAR meter and not to grow coral - they are gaming the system. Some LED manufacturers won't use true UV diodes in their fixtures because PAR would go down with the same wattage even though the usefulness to coral would go up.

I think the whole LED deal is a waste of time anyways, but let's not go there.
I know there are ways that PAR could help placement of corals and all that. I don't like the emphasis.
I've learned wrongly that PAR would be great to choose bulbs until I started looking into spectrum and understood the importance of certain wavelengths. Now I know also about the PAR meters.
Thanks for the explanation!
Grandis.