What T5 bulbs are best for viewing?

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Giessman and ATI are the two main bulb makers. Anyone have any others? That would be the real question. Lol
D

 

[undermind]

I really like the 2 blue plus and 2 purple plus combo.

That's what I run and it's great

I will 3rd this exact combo.

When I put in orders for salt or whatever, I always grab a new T5 bulb in a color I haven't yet tried, so I've got a pretty large collection of them at this point.

They often look a little strange to me on their own, but that combo of Blue Plus and Purple Plus together is pretty special. If you have a MH bulb that's hitting the mark color-wise, this T5 combo adds a nice extension of coverage.

 

[Whispers]

I always ran 2b+ and 2coral+

 

[A. grandis]

Ok experienced lighting gurus, listen up!

I need some help deciding on what bulbs look the best for viewing my tank. Im running a MH that is doing all the full spectrum lighting and heavy par lifting. I want to know what you find the best 4 bulb combo for viewing before and after my halide is on. Right now im running 2 b+ and 2 c+ because thats what i was running before i went to the hybrid halide fixture. This seems like a great combo for growth and color but im wondering if i could get a better combo for viewing the tank. Let me know what you think!

2 X ATI Blue Plus, 1 X KZ 10K and 1 X KZ 14K
That will work great with any halide being 10K, 14K or 20K before/ after and even during MHs are ON.
It is ultimately your personal preference. I use 4 X Blue Plus bulbs or 2 X Blue Plus with 2 X True Actinics.
The only bulb I think is a waste of slot is the Purple Plus. Purely for looks.

 

[The Opinionated Reefer]

Those of you running actinic bulbs. Is there anyway to describe them? Ive never seen one im person...

Actinic look violet and not very bright to the human eye but they give the corals a nice pop that is different from LED pop. In a 4 bulb fixture i would go for two pairs of the same color otherwise you get an uneven color spread. Two blue + and two coral + would give a good color rendition.

 

[cvicente]

Ok experienced lighting gurus, listen up!

I need some help deciding on what bulbs look the best for viewing my tank. Im running a MH that is doing all the full spectrum lighting and heavy par lifting. I want to know what you find the best 4 bulb combo for viewing before and after my halide is on. Right now im running 2 b+ and 2 c+ because thats what i was running before i went to the hybrid halide fixture. This seems like a great combo for growth and color but im wondering if i could get a better combo for viewing the tank. Let me know what you think!

I run an ATI 8x54w (4 B+, 4 C+) plus 2 Orphek Blue plus bars. I have tried different combination and always come back to 50/50, that's the best combination for viewing IMO.

 

[Mike konesky]

Blue plus and actinic with the Halide imo. Try blue plus and coral plus too. Viewing just the blue plus and actinic will be very blue. Might find that you like the wider spectrum when halides are off. Cheap to try both combos.

 

[Superlightman]

I really like the 2 blue plus and 2 purple plus combo.

It is not to much blue?

 

[Acrofiend]

It is not to much blue?

It has a purplish blue look. This combo paired with a blue light bar looks awesome.

 

[Rogueaquariums]

Ok experienced lighting gurus, listen up!

I need some help deciding on what bulbs look the best for viewing my tank. Im running a MH that is doing all the full spectrum lighting and heavy par lifting. I want to know what you find the best 4 bulb combo for viewing before and after my halide is on. Right now im running 2 b+ and 2 c+ because thats what i was running before i went to the hybrid halide fixture. This seems like a great combo for growth and color but im wondering if i could get a better combo for viewing the tank. Let me know what you think!

I’ve been using ReefBrites XHO LED’s In conjunction with T5’s ATI coral + Blue + bulbs and my corals are responding very well

 

[SilvermistInc]

It is not to much blue?

It's a 14k look