T5 HELP!

johnyboy · Sep 10, 2016

Hey reefers,

I have 2 AI hydra LED lights over my 75 gallon. I have sps and softies and everything is doing great. But I want to add a little more wattage to the tank and add a T5 to my tank to fill in the shadows and give more wattage. Can anyone help me find a good reasonable priced T 5 setups that I can add to my tank ? I know i need a fixture and a bulb. Does anyone know which type of bulb I should by and what fixture is good? I'm thinking maybe only one strip added but a high wattage. Thanks guys!

cromag27 · Sep 10, 2016

Look into these retro DIY kits. they're super nice. The bulbs most of us use are ati blue plus, coral plus.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/dimmable-t5-ho-miro-4-retrofit-kit-let-lighting.html

johnyboy · Sep 10, 2016

I was looking into the 48" Hamilton Aruba sun v2 t5 fixture. It looks like exactly what I need to add more power and eliminate the shadows. But my question is can they handle the Ati 54 watt blue plus bulbs?

cromag27 · Sep 10, 2016

johnyboy · Sep 11, 2016

Ok so last question. What's the best combo of Ati bulbs for growth ?

LetItReef · Sep 11, 2016

johnyboy said:
Ok so last question. What's the best combo of Ati bulbs for growth ?

For growth- True actinic.
I would do on a 4 bulbs- aqua blue special, true actinic, coral plus and blue plus.
Two bulbs- true actinic and coral plus.

cromag27 · Sep 11, 2016

I use blue plus and coral plus. seems to be the most widely used combo on reef tanks.

johnyboy said:
Ok so last question. What's the best combo of Ati bulbs for growth ?

johnyboy · Sep 11, 2016

Good growth off coral plus and blue plus? Or better with true actinic and blue plus?

cromag27 · Sep 11, 2016

Excellent. I've never tried actinic because I don't like how it looks, and because i can grow sps just fine already.

johnyboy said:
Good growth off coral plus and blue plus? Or better with true actinic and blue plus?

DeniseAndy · Sep 11, 2016

I grow mostly lps, but a few sps for traveling tank. All grow nicely under my blue plus and coral plus. I like the look better too. When I ran sps system, I had MH and blue plus.

johnyboy · Sep 11, 2016

Ok so coral plus and blue plus it is! I have sps too. They grow well under these two bulbs? I'm adding these T5s to my hydra led specifically for my sps to grow better.

johnyboy · Sep 11, 2016

And is the Hamilton Aruba sun v2 48" a good fixture? And can it handle the 54w Ati bulbs we are talking about? It's only 159$ and that's in my price range. If not any other dual t5 fixtures that's good and cheap?

Rick.45cal · Sep 12, 2016

I was using two of the 60" Hamilton Aruba sun V2 fixtures and they were fine. The only reason I quit using them was I upgraded to an 60" ATI Powermodule fixture. I will definitely say this, properly cooled T5's put out WAY more light than bulbs in uncooled fixtures (like the Hamilton fixture.). They also radiate quite a bit of heat not being enclosed in a fixture that efficiently cools the bulbs. Things to consider!

johnyboy · Sep 12, 2016

So any suggestions on a reasonable priced dual cooled fixture ? I'm new to t5 and I'm trying to find a good dual fixture that can support 2 48" 54 watt Ati bulbs.

Rick.45cal · Sep 12, 2016

Might be tricky to find a cooled 2 bulb fixture. It would be worth finding. Maybe someone out there has one and has some first hand experience.

Can't go wrong with an ATI fixture, but they aren't the most "reasonable" options, and the smallest T5 spread they make is 4 bulbs.

DeniseAndy · Sep 12, 2016

I cool mine with a fan blowing across the T5s. Mainly because mine are all retrofit. I am using the Hamilton Aruba fixture in the 24" and 36". So far so good. Over a year. Like I said though, I do cool them with fan.

Brian Treadwell · Sep 12, 2016

I run , 1 blue + , 1 coral + , 1 true actinic , and 1 purple + and love the color have not had that combo long enough to talk about growth.

johnyboy · Sep 12, 2016

I'm adding them to 2 hydra leds so I'm limited with space I can only use a dual fixture. The Hamilton Aruba sun V2 is the fixture I'm looking at. So is this thread telling me that it's not good? It says it has a cooling ballast built in so why the fan?

WetWhistle · Sep 12, 2016

I use the non dimmable option of these. Great retro kit and is good for lots or little space.

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/dimmable-t5-ho-miro-4-retrofit-kit-let-lighting.html

True Actinic are great for making your corals pop but to be honest you are better off using the ATI blue + for pop and you get higher par.

DeniseAndy · Sep 12, 2016

johnyboy said:
I'm adding them to 2 hydra leds so I'm limited with space I can only use a dual fixture. The Hamilton Aruba sun V2 is the fixture I'm looking at. So is this thread telling me that it's not good? It says it has a cooling ballast built in so why the fan?

Oh, I have one of these and one just retrofit kit without a cooling ballast. That is why the fan. On my other tank it is under the t5s to help with heat.