Switching from LED to T5HO

SaranWrap · Dec 15, 2022

Hi everybody, 180 gallons currently using a single Hydra 32. As I expand my aquascape, I decided to switch to 48" T5HO. My question is regarding the schedule and making sure I don't stress too much my corals during the transition. I decided to go with ATI 3x aquablue special, 2x purple plus and 1x actinic. Knowing my current schedule is from 10:30 am to 10:30 pm with 1hr ramp up/down, what would be the best methodology to accustom my inhabitants to the switch? My current par reading is 350 top of aquascape, 250 middle and 150 bottom. Thanks for your help !

Big E · Dec 16, 2022

Go with a 60"x6 T5.........just fire them up. Set them about 7-9" above the water line.

Is the T5 a commercial fixture or are you going DIY like a LET setup or other two bulb fixtures combined to make six?

I also would suggest using Coral+ instead of AB specials. 50/50 coral+ and blue+ will also work better.
Other options would be Coal+ Blue+ and Actinic two each.

I'm basing my suggestions that you are looking for a whiter look in your tank.

HighlandReef · Dec 16, 2022

Chances are, the led light is more powerful than the T5, I would think, you wouldn’t need to do anything special switching back to T5.
If you have a par meter, check par when new T5 lighting is up and go from there.
If led light is more par than T5, I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
That’s the beauty of T5 or MH, pretty much hang light fixture and go.

I am also thinking about going back to my MH/T5 combo light fixture on my 210.
It’s not that I don’t like the look of led, I’m just not getting the same growth as I have with my MH/T5 fixture.

piranhaman00 · Dec 16, 2022

T5 is much better than LED, no acclimation needed

SaranWrap · Dec 17, 2022

Big E said:
Go with a 60"x6 T5.........just fire them up. Set them about 7-9" above the water line.

Is the T5 a commercial fixture or are you going DIY like a LET setup or other two bulb fixtures combined to make six?

I also would suggest using Coral+ instead of AB specials. 50/50 coral+ and blue+ will also work better.
Other options would be Coal+ Blue+ and Actinic two each.

I'm basing my suggestions that you are looking for a whiter look in your tank.

I finished setting things up, and yeah, aquablue really make things too white, I'm thinking of changing two of the ab special for either coral plus or blue plus since I find that my torches doesn't pop as much than with the hydra, but I still want a more natural look than a Windex kinda setup. As to why I'm going with 48" is, I got a great fixture for 70 cad, and I couldn't afford buying more hydras to fill the whole thing ! Super happy with the results so far having 2x purple plus, 1x ab special and 1x true actinic (the 2 others ab special are off since I don't really like how it looks with them on and don't want to stress the corals too much is it is day 1).

HighlandReef · Dec 17, 2022

Until I switched to led, my T5 fixture on my frag tank was always, 2-blue plus, 2-purple plus and 2-actinic. Always liked the color spectrum of that combo.
A lot of this is just personal preference.

SaranWrap · Dec 17, 2022

HighlandReef said:
Until I switched to led, my T5 fixture on my frag tank was always, 2-blue plus, 2-purple plus and 2-actinic. Always liked the color spectrum of that combo.
A lot of this is just personal preference.

From your pov as I know nobody using T5 and have nowhere to compare, would the end result turn more around the blue spectrum or purple ? As I'm looking towards more of a whotish purple, but keeping the coral pop (as I feel like the ab special really don't make LPs pop)

HighlandReef · Dec 17, 2022

IMO, Blue plus was more of a bluish daylight spectrum to me. They were brighter than you’d think. Was definitely more blue then purple.
You could always add a couple of 470nm led light bars for some pop, if that’s what your looking for.
Again, a lot of this is personal perception.
It’s like showing someone a beige color swatch and asking them what color it is.
Half will say grey, some will stay steel, etc. lol!

SaranWrap · Dec 17, 2022

HighlandReef said:
IMO, Blue plus was more of a bluish daylight spectrum to me. They were brighter than you’d think. Was definitely more blue then purple.
You could always add a couple of 470nm led light bars for some pop, if that’s what your looking for.
Again, a lot of this is personal perception.
It’s like showing someone a beige color swatch and asking them what color it is.
Half will say grey, some will stay steel, etc. lol!

Totally get that hahah, thanks a lot for your time, appreciate it ! Personal opinion is better than no opinion at all lol, as I thought ab special would be closer to blue because of the name, but oh man I was wrong, it's really really white !

oreo54 · Dec 17, 2022

SaranWrap said:
From your pov as I know nobody using T5 and have nowhere to compare, would the end result turn more around the blue spectrum or purple ? As I'm looking towards more of a whotish purple, but keeping the coral pop (as I feel like the ab special really don't make LPs pop)

See post #27 for outside the box thinking..

T5 - Oh ATI T5’s, why are you so green?

I just tried a 100% blue plus ATI combo. I get the color pop I want but the tank looks completely green. I know ATI blue plus have green inside, but WHY? It looks so ugly IMO and it at least needs 1 purple plus to balance it out. Why do T5’s have green? Even the purple plus bulbs have green...

humble.fish

homer1475 · Dec 17, 2022

Just remember to our eyes, placement in the fixture will play a lot into what we see.

In a 6 bulb fixture I always ran 3 blue+, 2 purple+, and 1 actinic.

piranhaman00 · Dec 17, 2022

Wow crazy I run 4 B+, 2 aqua blue and 2 6500k tropics in my 8 bulb, all these kids running windex tanks

sfin52 · Dec 17, 2022

Big E said:
Go with a 60"x6 T5.........just fire them up. Set them about 7-9" above the water line.

Is the T5 a commercial fixture or are you going DIY like a LET setup or other two bulb fixtures combined to make six?

I also would suggest using Coral+ instead of AB specials. 50/50 coral+ and blue+ will also work better.
Other options would be Coal+ Blue+ and Actinic two each.

I'm basing my suggestions that you are looking for a whiter look in your tank.

I second this coral plus
2 coral plus
2 blue plus
2 purple plus
The purple will highlight the reds.
Aqua blue special. is a white light.

N-A-S-O · Dec 17, 2022

Do you have a pic of that combo?

piranhaman00 said:
Wow crazy I run 4 B+, 2 aqua blue and 2 6500k tropics in my 8 bulb, all these kids running windex tanks

SaranWrap · Dec 17, 2022

oreo54 said:
See post #27 for outside the box thinking..

T5 - Oh ATI T5’s, why are you so green?

I just tried a 100% blue plus ATI combo. I get the color pop I want but the tank looks completely green. I know ATI blue plus have green inside, but WHY? It looks so ugly IMO and it at least needs 1 purple plus to balance it out. Why do T5’s have green? Even the purple plus bulbs have green...

humble.fish

It's based on that video that I chose my combination hahhah

piranhaman00 · Dec 18, 2022

N-A-S-O said:
Do you have a pic of that combo?

Koh23 · Dec 18, 2022

Somewhere i read...or maybe heard...

That actinic lamps guve very little par, and they use is simply to balance colors...

So, in 2 blue+2 actinic, only par is from two lamps....

Sounds incorrect, right?

oreo54 · Dec 18, 2022

Koh23 said:
Somewhere i read...or maybe heard...

That actinic lamps guve very little par, and they use is simply to balance colors...

So, in 2 blue+2 actinic, only par is from two lamps....

Sounds incorrect, right?

Not according to err science.