Will adding T5s Make a Difference

[baseballfanatic2]

I have a nuvo 30 right now and the lighting is okay.

I have Cree LEDS
15 royal blue
8 cool white
4 cool blue
3 lime

Now, the colors are decent on my corals, but I really want That pop you know? So my question is..
Will adding 2 t5 bulbs make a big difference in my coral colors?

 

[twilliard]

Is this a DIY fixture... Have you looked into changing or adding a few chips?

 

[baseballfanatic2]

Is this a DIY fixture... Have you looked into changing or adding a few chips?

Which would you recommend? I can add. I just hear that t5s are superior.

 

[twilliard]

450-470nm is where I like my color. Do you know the nm of your chips?

 

[baseballfanatic2]

cool white is 6000 k
royal blue is 450-465nm wavelength
blue is 465-485nm wavelength
Lime is 566-569nm wavelength

 

[mcarroll]

I just hear that t5s are superior.

I can point you to some threads that will tell you ULNS is the key if that will help.

I think I have at least a couple threads that will tell you a super-sized skimmer is the key if that will help.

There are lots of threads that will say T5's are the key
....and that say halides are the key
....and that say Radions are the key.

There are even some folks who think that flow pumps are the key
....or that water changes are the key
....or that NO water changes are the key....

Some will tell you feeding is the key to "pop"....others say dosing amino acids...others yet, mineral stability.

You get the gist I hope.....you may stop searching for a magic bullet to "pop" now.

If you don't get most of these things right, it doesn't matter too much what you do on any one front....results will be middling. That doesn't mean your corals aren't happy though - they don't care about "pop", and in fact "pop" could be an indication of stress.

So don't go too far out of your way just to make your corals "pop". Just focus on doing the best job you can in taking care of the basics.

If you haven't used a lux meter (or some kind of light meter) to assess your lighting, now would be the perfect time to start – you can get some answers for yourself.

Start by downloading a free [HASHTAG]#lux[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#meter[/HASHTAG] app for your smartphone, such as "galactica luxmeter" for IOS (but there are tons of them) and taking some surface readings. Map out where your peak is; how much area the peak covers; what light is like around the perimeter of the tank....for starters.

I'd also spend $15 to order a dedicated handheld lux meter (search for the "LX-1010B"...what I use). It'll give better readings and is safer to use around saltwater!

Also, do you know how many watts your current fixture draws?

Post back here with your results!

 

[baseballfanatic2]

I can point you to some threads that will tell you ULNS is the key if that will help.

I think I have at least a couple threads that will tell you a super-sized skimmer is the key if that will help.

There are lots of threads that will say T5's are the key
....and that say halides are the key
....and that say Radions are the key.

There are even some folks who think that flow pumps are the key
....or that water changes are the key
....or that NO water changes are the key....

Some will tell you feeding is the key to "pop"....others say dosing amino acids...others yet, mineral stability.

You get the gist I hope.....you may stop searching for a magic bullet to "pop" now.

If you don't get most of these things right, it doesn't matter too much what you do on any one front....results will be middling. That doesn't mean your corals aren't happy though - they don't care about "pop", and in fact "pop" could be an indication of stress.

So don't go too far out of your way just to make your corals "pop". Just focus on doing the best job you can in taking care of the basics.

If you haven't used a lux meter (or some kind of light meter) to assess your lighting, now would be the perfect time to start – you can get some answers for yourself.

Start by downloading a free [HASHTAG]#lux[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#meter[/HASHTAG] app for your smartphone, such as "galactica luxmeter" for IOS (but there are tons of them) and taking some surface readings. Map out where your peak is; how much area the peak covers; what light is like around the perimeter of the tank....for starters.

I'd also spend $15 to order a dedicated handheld lux meter (search for the "LX-1010B"...what I use). It'll give better readings and is safer to use around saltwater!

Also, do you know how many watts your current fixture draws?

Post back here with your results!

Thank you for the detailed reply. How do you measure lux? I have heard of pars and am familiar with that, but not lux. Where do you want the lux to be?

 

[twilliard]

cool white is 6000 k
royal blue is 450-465nm wavelength
blue is 465-485nm wavelength
Lime is 566-569nm wavelength

you're right on top of it

 

[baseballfanatic2]

you're right on top of it

Was thinking about adding some UV. what do you think about that?

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

I keep pop in my refrigerator.

 

[twilliard]

The 410-420 isnt bad IMO it adds a little purple to the look

 

[mcarroll]

Where do you want the lux to be?

100,000 lux = 2000 PAR

Generally, at the water surface, anything above 20,000 lx will be fine. But like I said in my earlier post, map out the space a little bit over your tank.

And do you know if there are lenses on the lights? If so what strength?

Holler back with some readings!

I keep pop in my refrigerator.

That is the funniest reef related thing I think I've ever heard!!

I may have to use that one later!

 

[baseballfanatic2]

100,000 lux = 2000 PAR

Generally, at the water surface, anything above 20,000 lx will be fine. But like I said in my earlier post, map out the space a little bit over your tank.

And do you know if there are lenses on the lights? If so what strength?

Holler back with some readings!



That is the funniest reef related thing I think I've ever heard!!

I may have to use that one later!

Water surface is 14,000 lux
13,000 lux with screen on top

If I have a water proof case, can I measure where my zoas ARe? Or does the lux reader not do well with under water readings.

And no lenses.

 

[reefwiser]

What this video about T5's
You will see where LED's fall down.
With the use of meters they show why having T5's are needed.
I am redoing the lighting on my tank after MACNA. After a year of Radion only lighting I am running into the problem with LED's only lighting causes.

 

[Dom274]

I can point you to some threads that will tell you ULNS is the key if that will help.

I think I have at least a couple threads that will tell you a super-sized skimmer is the key if that will help.

There are lots of threads that will say T5's are the key
....and that say halides are the key
....and that say Radions are the key.

There are even some folks who think that flow pumps are the key
....or that water changes are the key
....or that NO water changes are the key....

Some will tell you feeding is the key to "pop"....others say dosing amino acids...others yet, mineral stability.

You get the gist I hope.....you may stop searching for a magic bullet to "pop" now.

If you don't get most of these things right, it doesn't matter too much what you do on any one front....results will be middling. That doesn't mean your corals aren't happy though - they don't care about "pop", and in fact "pop" could be an indication of stress.

So don't go too far out of your way just to make your corals "pop". Just focus on doing the best job you can in taking care of the basics.

If you haven't used a lux meter (or some kind of light meter) to assess your lighting, now would be the perfect time to start – you can get some answers for yourself.

Start by downloading a free lux meter app for your smartphone, such as "galactica luxmeter" for IOS (but there are tons of them) and taking some surface readings. Map out where your peak is; how much area the peak covers; what light is like around the perimeter of the tank....for starters.

I'd also spend $15 to order a dedicated handheld lux meter (search for the "LX-1010B"...what I use). It'll give better readings and is safer to use around saltwater!

Also, do you know how many watts your current fixture draws?

Post back here with your results!

In my opinion, this kind of post is the biggest problem with the aquarium hobby in regards to why so many new hobbyist find this hobby so hard/frustrating and quit. The generic reply for many questions is "Do your research!", which is great advice don't get me wrong, the issue is that research generally turns up squat. I can't count the number of posts I've come across during my research that are just like this - Well detailed, but all it basically says is ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I don't mean to attack you mcarroll, I stumbled across the topic because I actually plan on contributing to the answer. This is just something that has irritated me for a while, probably because I'm an IT nerd and am used to performance reviews, benchmarks and thorough testing in my other hobby/work life. Now, on to answering the op's question:

I have 2 identical tanks, with one being my main 55gal display and a 10gal frag tank. Same filter, 10gal was started with water from the 55, maintenance duplicated between the two and the 10 has been running for over 6 months. I could go into more detail, but for brevity's sake I'm stopping there. Trust me that I've done my best to keep everything between the two tanks identical. The only variable between the two tanks is that the 10 runs a Marineland reef LED, and the 55 gal runs a Marineland reef LED with an additional Aquatic Life 4 bulb T5 fixture.


My corals in the 55 look 100% better than the 6 month old frags in the 10.

I promise you, the addition of T5's to your LEDs will improve the coloring of your corals. I'm currently trying to decided on if I should add a T5, or scrap the frag tank all together - Because the zoas and palys I was planning on housing there to sell/trade look like crap compared to the mother colonies.

On a side note, I am currently testing the protein skimmer vs canister filter argument on the setup (I added a protein skimmer to my 55 last month, after I was sure a T5 & LED setup made a difference in the color and growth of my corals over LED only. After 3 weeks the difference was clear, a HOB protein skimmer made a significant difference over the canister filter, even though my nitrates remained (And usually always have been) <10.

 

[mcarroll]

Folks want anything they can get that will let them have a tank full of awesome critter before they have enough experience to take care of them.

In reefing, it's not always a list of how-to's made into a kit like it often is in IT. (I'm a refugee from network management and IT myself.)

Not only is your ASCII art some of the best I've ever seen, it's a perfect depiction of how most noobs should be for the first year or three.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯​

Overconfidence of noobs could be the hobby's worst problem.

 

[rockskimmerflow]

Assuming you have the necessary PAR levels already covered with your LEDS and you're just looking to add 'pop'

- YES, a pair of T5HO bulbs will make an excellent addition to your lighting

 

[mcarroll]

Water surface is 14,000 lux
13,000 lux with screen on top

If I have a water proof case, can I measure where my zoas ARe? Or does the lux reader not do well with under water readings.

I think the app would have to be calibrated for underwater use, but if you don't mind the risk to your cell phone, it's worth a try!

Assuming [...]you're just looking to add 'pop'

I keep pop in my refrigerator.

 

[rockskimmerflow]

I think the app would have to be calibrated for underwater use, but if you don't mind the risk to your cell phone, it's worth a try!

Hah. Didn't take long for you to recycle that one

 

[reefwiser]

I stopped using LUX meters 15 years ago when I bought a Par meter.
The most useful Par meter is UPTek mk350
Like the one used in the BRS video I posted.
For those that don't want to watch the video here is the results Ryan found
First using a AI Hdra LED fixture at recommended setting.

Notice it shows 70 lux reflected off the reef structure.
Now the T5 2 foot fixture.

Notice the increase in the lux of the reading of the uprtek mk350 spectrometer. You can also see how the light from a t5 more evenly lights corals. It is best to use a combination of T'5 and LED's when possible.