T-5 with LED question.

[firefightered]

I am getting ready to replace my old t-5 bulbs. I am running a reefbright 50/50 strip with 2 actinic and 2 10k T-5 bulbs now. I have softies only right now, but would like to support maybe a clam and other corals such as sps and maybe lps. What bulbs should I get? I have a 46 gal bf. How high off the sand bed should my lights be placed?
Thanks
Ed

 

[firefightered]

Please help..................

 

[firefightered]

Let me clarify my setup again...... I am running a reefbright LED 50/50 strip. I have 2 blue actinic t-5 on one side and 2 10K t-5s on the other. I am wanting to put a clam and some sps or even lps in my tank in the near future. Right now I only have some softies and a few fish. Would this be a good light system or should I go with a differant color?
Thanks Ed

 

[soccerbag]

Hey Ed. Sorry I didn't see this post earlier. You asked in your first post how high the light should be off of the sandbed. How deep is your tank?

If you want to keep clams and SPS, I would recommend T5 bulbs with a high PAR value. For example, ATI Blue+ or ATI AquaBlue Special. There are many others as well, it just depends on what kind of look you want (spectrum wise). Does that help a bit?

 

[firefightered]

Yes it does help a bit. I have a 46gal bow front. I believe it is 18" deep, not sure because I'm not at home right now. Where would be a good place to get good bulbs at a good price. My lfs got blown away in the April tornadoes so now I have to buy on line. I'm in the planning stage of building a top for my tank and need to know how high the lights should be. Right now they are sitting on a piece of plexy on top of the tank.

 

[soccerbag]

Gotcha. First off, I buy all of my bulbs at ReefGeek.com. They always have stuff in stock, ship quickly with good packaging, and have good communication. Their prices are very competitive. But I have found that most online vendors sell similar bulbs at similar prices. There are many other vendors and you can shop around, but that's who I use exclusively.

As for your tank depth. I don't know the actual par of a Reefbrite 50/50 strip. Someone else may be able to chime in. I would personally go with all ATI Blue+ T5 bulbs (don't let the name fool you, they put off a good amount of light) or go with a Blue+ and AquaBlue Special on each side. This should compliment your LED lighting well and should be enough PAR for a small clam or two and some SPS as well. I would have the bulbs no more than 6" off of the water (if that's possible). You could raise them a bit if you needed to, but I would then place the clams and SPS up higher in the tank. They both do require a good amount of light.

Hope that helps a bit more. I'm sure some others will chime in as well but I hope that's a good start : )

 

[firefightered]

Just checked the specs on the reebrights. Par should be between 480-510. Its a 18 build 36" light strip.

 

[Troylee]

Go with the reefbrite 3 blue+ and a purple+ or a aquablue special in place of the purple+

 

[firefightered]

Just wondering why use 3 blue + and 1 aquablue special. Better light spectrum? Or just preferance? How often do you change t-5s?

 

[soccerbag]

Not necessarily a better spectrum, but there would be a slight difference in PAR (not much) and it is definitely a preference as you are the one looking at your tank. Bulb life for T5's depends on usage and how they are driven (what ballast, are they overdriven, etc). I change my T5 bulbs once every 8-9 months. Some change them sooner and some get a year or more out of them.

 

[Rick]

2KZ super blues ,KZ new gen, and a KZ Fiji purp

 

[firefightered]

I'm looking at colors for growth, my eyes will get used to the color. I just want to make my corals happy!!!!!