T5 question

[rtague]

Just got an ati 6 bulb fixture and was wondering if 3 blue plus,2 actinic and 1 coral plus for a mixed reef would be enough par,people say the actinic has very little par but I understand the actinic has other benificial qualitys,I also like a more subdued look to my lighting.

 

[AdamB]

I would think so.I had a 4bulb T5 setup on my 90 gallon mixed reef which included including acros with some of the same ati bulb choices you picked and had great success

 

[rtague]

I would think so.I had a 4bulb T5 setup on my 90 gallon mixed reef which included including acros with some of the same ati bulb choices you picked and had great success

Thank you.

 

[X-37B]

Standard 120 6 bulb ati.
3c+ 3b+ 4" off the surface.
Tank is 3.5 months old.
Did not need actinics as there is plenty of it with this full spec

trum configuation.
Yours should be fine. My tank is 90% sticks.

 

[rtague]

Standard 120 6 bulb ati.
3c+ 3b+ 4" off the surface.
Tank is 3.5 months old.
Did not need actinics as there is plenty of it with this full spec

trum configuation.
Yours should be fine. My tank is 90% sticks.

Thanks bud,I was running 4 blue plus and 2 coral plus,it was to white for me,I know actinic aren't necessary but they give the look the I prefer plus they say very good for color and growth although not with the same high par as coral plus and blue plus,what do you say?.

 

[ReeferMaddness843]

I run 4x blue+, 2xcoral+, 1x Orphek or120 Blue, and 1x or120 UV. Perfect for my needs. Top pic with orange filter, bottom pic Still very blue without an orange filter.

 

[X-37B]

Thanks bud,I was running 4 blue plus and 2 coral plus,it was to white for me,I know actinic aren't necessary but they give the look the I prefer plus they say very good for color and growth although not with the same high par as coral plus and blue plus,what do you say?.

Its all good. I come from a MH past so I prefer a whiter look.
I am thinking about orphek bars like the last post.
Ran actinics for years.
It really is all about the look you like as they all work.
If I had an 8 bulb I would run same plus 2 actinics.

 

[TexasReefer82]

The True Actinic bulbs are fantastic - their spectrum is unique in that their peak is in the violet/deep blue (420nm). This emission perfectly feeds a major absorption peak of Chlorophyll A.

PAR is basically defined as all photons emitted from a light source that have wavelengths between 400-700 Nanometers (nm). It is measurable and quantifiable. It's a useful but not perfectly accurate picture of a bulb's ability to grow coral. PAR must be considered in the context of the absorption peaks of the Chlorophylls present in coral. A bulb such a Mercury Vapor bulb emits heavily in the green/yellow and would have an enormous PAR value but would be useless for growing coral because it doesn't feed any of the absorption peaks present in the coral we keep (land plants may be a different story).

Most of the absorption peaks of the chlorophylls present in coral are between 410-480 nm. So any reef lighting system would want to cover this spectrum heavily and fully.

Actinic bulbs don't have a high PAR value in the traditional sense but ~100% of their emission can be used for photosynthesis. Therefore the bulb has a high PUR (Photosynthetically Usable Radiation) with respect to coral. Conceptually PUR is defined as all those photons emitted from a light source that have a wavelength that can be absorbed by chlorophyll. But I'm not sure that PUR has a technical definition or whether it can be measured or quantified in the same sense as PAR - it would all depend on the wavelength range(s) in which one chooses to measure (someone correct me here if I'm wrong).

 

[jda]

Actinic only measures low on a PAR meter because the meter cannot capture much spectrum below 420nm and nearly none under 400nm. When using a better instrument, nearly every T5 bulbs had nearly the same PAR. You might not want to listen to the folks who told you that, because although they are correct that the PAR is less, they do not know that it does not matter nor why it does not matter.

 

[rtague]

The True Actinic bulbs are fantastic - their spectrum is unique in that their peak is in the violet/deep blue (420nm). This emission perfectly feeds a major absorption peak of Chlorophyll A.

PAR is basically defined as all photons emitted from a light source that have wavelengths between 400-700 Nanometers (nm). It is measurable and quantifiable. It's a useful but not perfectly accurate picture of a bulb's ability to grow coral. PAR must be considered in the context of the absorption peaks of the Chlorophylls present in coral. A bulb such a Mercury Vapor bulb emits heavily in the green/yellow and would have an enormous PAR value but would be useless for growing coral because it doesn't feed any of the absorption peaks present in the coral we keep (land plants may be a different story).

Most of the absorption peaks of the chlorophylls present in coral are between 410-480 nm. So any reef lighting system would want to cover this spectrum heavily and fully.

Actinic bulbs don't have a high PAR value in the traditional sense but ~100% of their emission can be used for photosynthesis. Therefore the bulb has a high PUR (Photosynthetically Usable Radiation) with respect to coral. Conceptually PUR is defined as all those photons emitted from a light source that have a wavelength that can be absorbed by chlorophyll. But I'm not sure that PUR has a technical definition or whether it can be measured or quantified in the same sense as PAR - it would all depend on the wavelength range(s) in which one chooses to measure (someone correct me here if I'm wrong).

Exellent rundown, thank you.

 

[A. grandis]

Just got an ati 6 bulb fixture and was wondering if 3 blue plus,2 actinic and 1 coral plus for a mixed reef would be enough par,people say the actinic has very little par but I understand the actinic has other benificial qualitys,I also like a more subdued look to my lighting.

Make it 4 Blue Plus, 1 True Actinc and 1 Coral Plus then.

 

[A. grandis]

Actinic only measures low on a PAR meter because the meter cannot capture much spectrum below 420nm and nearly none under 400nm. When using a better instrument, nearly every T5 bulbs had nearly the same PAR. You might not want to listen to the folks who told you that, because although they are correct that the PAR is less, they do not know that it does not matter nor why it does not matter.

Will the True Actinic be at the same level of the Blue Plus though?
I have always been told the instruments couldn't read it perfectly buy it wouldn't be comparable with other bulbs like the Blue Plus or even the Coral Plus. How much was the difference in percentage?
I don't give too much emphasis to PAR alone anyway, but would be great to now the results you found, jda. Thanks!