Thoughts

[bmbpka]

seeking suggestions and thoughts.

Running an AquaticLife 24” T5/Hybrid with an AI Prime HD (set to the AB+ setting from BRS).

Currently I have front to back 3x blue +, 1x actinic

It was recently suggested to swap a blue + for a coral plus. Just curious what others with this setup are running.

I was thinking one of the these two options:

Blue +
Purple +
Blue +
Actinic

Or

Blue +
Coral +
Blue +
Actinic

I am not a fan of lights on the whiter side. It just isn’t as appealing to me.

Also does it really make a difference in the order of T5 bulbs?

 

[Crabs McJones]

I've been running 2 Blue+ and 2 Actinic with my AP700. The T5's cover the blue and I let the kessil handle the whiter side.

 

[Daniel Waters]

seeking suggestions and thoughts.

Running an AquaticLife 24” T5/Hybrid with an AI Prime HD (set to the AB+ setting from BRS).

Currently I have front to back 3x blue +, 1x actinic

It was recently suggested to swap a blue + for a coral plus. Just curious what others with this setup are running.

I was thinking one of the these two options:

Blue +
Purple +
Blue +
Actinic

Or

Blue +
Coral +
Blue +
Actinic

I am not a fan of lights on the whiter side. It just isn’t as appealing to me.

Also does it really make a difference in the order of T5 bulbs?

If you like the way the 3 blue plus + 1 actinic looks, then stay with that setup. You already said you don't like whiter looking tanks. If you swap a blue plus for a coral plus or purple plus, it is going to give a whiter look without a doubt. If you are wanting to bring out more reds or wanting the fuller spectrum from the coral plus bulb, then that's a different issue but be prepared to have a whiter look than what you currently are running.

Order of bulbs- on a 4 bulb setup that has 2 rows in front and 2 rows in back, the setup will make some difference in the uniformity of the spectrum. For instance, if you have just one coral plus bulb in the back, then the front isn't going to receive quite the same amount of spectrum from that bulb, as the T5 reflectors tend to push light more straight down. But we're talking subtle differences and not something to worry about in my opinion. Also, I've always heard it's best to start with a blue type bulb in the front and the back (not sure why), and you want to alternate between white and blue blue bulbs versus putting two white bulbs next to each other if you can help it (I think this helps blend the different colors together if you have a wide variety of bulbs). In your proposed setups, I'd place the blue plus bulbs in the far front and far back, and place the actinic and coral plus / purple plus in the inside positions.

 

[bmbpka]

Wow thanks! Glad I posted before I went and bought more bulbs. I do like the color now BUT I’m still looking for more purpule out of my setup. I see these tanks when I go places and they all seem more on the purple/darker end. I guess o should just adjust with my LED than?

Or would moving the light higher or lower make a difference? It’s 8-9” off the water now.

 

[Daniel Waters]

Or would moving the light higher or lower make a difference? It’s 8-9” off the water now.

Moving your light up won't help with what you are wanting. Moving your light up, though, might give you better spread if you have shading concerns or you want to reduce "hot" spots that a puck style LED can create. A 8" to 9" mounting height is very typical. I always prefer higher mounting heights personally, as I like having more open space above the tank and like having the wider / more even par distribution (but I get light spill and lose a lot of intensity from the extra mounting height....so there's give and takes).

 

[bmbpka]

I’m not to concerned with the hot spot from the prime. It above my SPS shelf so it’s providing that extra kick for the SPS I plan to eventually have.

Overall I’m happy, just looking for that last bit of color. Sounds like adjusting the leds will be the way to accomplish this. Overall good feedback. I appreciate it. I don’t know I struggle so much with lights. I just can’t wrap my head around that part.

 

[Daniel Waters]

I do like the color now BUT I’m still looking for more purpule out of my setup. I see these tanks when I go places and they all seem more on the purple/darker end. I guess o should just adjust with my LED than?

I may be mistaken, but what you seem to be describing is that you like the super dark blue / actinic (think black light) type look? If that's the case, you could try replacing a blue plus bulb with another pure actinic bulb, and you would want to be sure you have your blue and violet LED channels at 100%. Another route is to turn your white channels down (or off). Some LED fixtures I think do a better job than others with this area, as it will depend on the number of deep blue and violet LEDs the unit uses.

If you're not wanting that super blue tank look and truly want to try to bring out your reds, pinks, and purples more , then I'd recommend you go ahead and try adding a purple plus bulb. You might want to try blue plus, purple plus, actinic, and blue plus. I'd put the purple plus and actinic in the inner bulb slots, although I'm not sure if the purple plus in the front fixture or back fixture would seem less white for you visually. You might have to swap it out and see if that minor tweak makes a difference. How you layer your bulbs can make a slight difference visually. You might also try the actinic right beside the purple plus. 4 bulb set ups with the hybrid Aquaticlife fixtures are a bit harder to layer / tweak colors since the fixtures are spread out and you only have two bulbs together on each side. In general, I recommend people err on the side of bluer bulbs for 4 bulb aquaticlife T5 hybrid set ups and use the LEDs to add in more white % to fine tune to the desired color blending.

 

[Daniel Waters]

I’m not to concerned with the hot spot from the prime. It above my SPS shelf so it’s providing that extra kick for the SPS I plan to eventually have.

Overall I’m happy, just looking for that last bit of color. Sounds like adjusting the leds will be the way to accomplish this. Overall good feedback. I appreciate it. I don’t know I struggle so much with lights. I just can’t wrap my head around that part.

For LPS and softies (zoas), I love deep blue and actinic lighting. The fluorescence can be mesmerizing. For SPS, I have slowly come around to liking whiter lighting. For SPS the whiter lights will show the true colors of the SPS better. Plus, the full spectrum I think does a better job of coloring the acros up.

 

[bmbpka]

Perfect I’ll give that a try this weekend. 24” bulbs aren’t to crazy expensive to play around with color, thankfully.

 

[Daniel Waters]

Perfect I’ll give that a try this weekend. 24” bulbs aren’t to crazy expensive to play around with color, thankfully.

Let me know what you try and how it turns out. It's good to get feedback from folks. Too many times people ask for advice from members and we never get to know the results!

 

[Daniel Waters]

By the way, if you haven't watched the videos on T5 bulbs from tidal gardens you should do so. Part 1 is good but part 2 will be more helpful for what you are doing.

 

[bmbpka]

I will! Love tidal gardens, Than has the best livestock. Live 10min down the road from him. 90% of my corals are from there.

 

[bmbpka]

Let me know what you try and how it turns out. It's good to get feedback from folks. Too many times people ask for advice from members and we never get to know the results!

I added the purple +. Front to back I now have blue+, actinic, purple +, blue +. It helped a lot! Looks better for sure.

 

[Daniel Waters]

I added the purple +. Front to back I now have blue+, actinic, purple +, blue +. It helped a lot! Looks better for sure.

Awesome. Good to hear success stories! Now you've got me thinking I need to revisit the purple plus bulb!