T5 help.

[Reefing8EZ]

Hello,
I posted this in the T5 sticky with no luck.
I just got a brand new ATI Sunpower 6x24 watt.
My tank is 24x24x12, 30 gal. All LPS!
Questions:
How high above water should fixture be hung?
Best 6 bulb combo for LPS only tank?
Slots 2 and 5 are dawn/dusk. Slots 1,3,4,6 are midday.
Also how long should photoperiod be?
Thanks!!

 

[Reefing8EZ]

Anyone? :nerd:

 

[MarineDepot]

Hi Reefing8Ez,

You will want to start at about 10 inches above the tank. You can move down to 6-8 inches over a period of several weeks. You might want to start with a small photo period of 4-6 hours for the first week or two and then increase slowly to full period. These are all conservative recommendations to prevent stress or bleaching. It will all really depend on what type of lighting you were using before.

Here's a couple popular color recommendation using ATI bulbs:
1.) 3 Blue Plus, 2 Aqua Blue Special , 1 Purple Plus - Will give you a "50/50" look.
2.) 4 Blue Plus, 1 Aqua Blue Special, 1 Purple Plus - Will give you a bluer 20k look.

Be sure to put 2 of the Blue Plus bulbs in slots 2 and 5. I hope this helps.

Chris R.

 

[ritter6788]

I'd experiment with the height to get it how you like it. You don't want it too close that water can splash on the fixture but you don't want it too far away and light up the room and lose par for your corals. I'd say somewhere between 5-10 inches.

Look into ATI bulbs. There are so many colors combos you can do it will depend on how white or blue you like the tank to be. With a 6 bulb fixture I like 2 Aquablue special, 2 Blue Plus and one Purple Plus. You could throw Coral Plus bulbs also but I have no experience with them.

I'd stagger the photoperiod to simulate dusk/dawn for 10-12 hours total with a "midday" period of 6-8 hours.

 

[Reefing8EZ]

@MarineDepot
Thanks for the reply! I am switching from LED.
I currently have it hung 14" above, going to lower it today.
And I really don't mind the light being too white or blue as long as the corals respond well.
@ritter6788
Thanks for the reply as well. I will try moving the light down to 10" today and see how everything responds.
These are bulbs I have on han to choose from.
ATI Blue+, KZ Fiji Purple, KZ New Gen(14k?), Geiesemann pure actinic.

 

[Reefing8EZ]

This tank will be strictly LPS. Chalice, acan, favia, etc.

 

[RogerWilco357]

I love the fiji purple bulb seems you have the right light combo start high work your way down i went from metal halides to 10x54 watt Powermodule and put that up like 12 inches to be safe lol alot of light now i have it at 8 inches and my corals on the sand get enough light no problem..would like to see some pics..

 

[Reefing8EZ]

I love the fiji purple bulb seems you have the right light combo start high work your way down i went from metal halides to 10x54 watt Powermodule and put that up like 12 inches to be safe lol alot of light now i have it at 8 inches and my corals on the sand get enough light no problem..would like to see some pics..

Hey Roger,
What are your tank dims? And what is your bulb combo?
I am running: F to B
KZ SuperBlue
ATI Blue Plus
KZ Fiji Purple
KZ New Gen
ATI Blue+
KZ SuperBlue
Might replace the NewGen with another ATI Blue+.
I will try to get some pics up, but tank is a mess. And corals are a bit pale from my LED venture..
Been 5 days and already seeing improvement..
This ATI fixture rocks!

 

[Reefing8EZ]

It's currently @ 14" and I have about 11" of water, so that's about 25" to the sanded where most my chalice lay.
Should I not lower it to 10"? Don't want to fry anything. They're already PO'd from the LEDs.

 

[Reefing8EZ]

Can't post pic, it's says invalid URL..