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T5HO questions


HecticDialectics

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HecticDialectics

I got some questions of my own and need some opinions...

 

So I'm trying to finish up plans for lighting my 29G (30x12x18, will finally be employed come Monday!) and want to do all out SPS. I wanted to use an icecap 660 for 4 bulbs (I was thinking -high- light intensity), but am concerned about the sudden "light shock" the corals may receive when the lights turn on. Does anyone think this is a real concern or is the dawn/dusk effect just more for personal appeal?

 

And also, instead, I was thinking of perhaps overdriving two lamps and having two lamps normal (I don't particularly want to spend $500, but $380 for a 430/regular ho ballast might be reasonable :P) . If I went this route, lets say I used an ati blueplus, uvl aquasun, uvl superactinic, and an ati aquablue. What do you think would be the best ones to overdrive? Would there be any certain advantage other than visual appeal?

 

Any other thoughts or points to ponder?

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I'd say if the actinics come on say a half hour before and after the daylights, then the shock shouldn't be so bad. Definitely not gradual like MH of course.

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HecticDialectics
I'd say if the actinics come on say a half hour before and after the daylights, then the shock shouldn't be so bad. Definitely not gradual like MH of course.

 

Well the problem with the 660 is that you can only have all 4 lamps on at once. :/

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Well the problem with the 660 is that you can only have all 4 lamps on at once. :/

 

Ahh, just one plug for them? Hmm, I wonder if there's a way to split that? Yeah all on like that at once, I dunno how that would be... Though my old AP12g was like that the 10 months I had it setup, and I didn't have any ill effects from it, granted it was only 54w of PC lighting though, so not really comparable.

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shaggydoo541

All at once is no problem. The dawn dusk is mostly aesthetic. My 8 t5s pop on at the exact same time and I have no noticed no issues with light shock. There was some light shock when I went from MH to t5 but once the bulbs burned in a bit and after a little time everything adjusted nicely.

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I had (4) 4 foot T5HO's on an icecap 660 on my prop tank and my corals hated it especially SPS....I switched to 2 Ushio 10K SE Halides on electronic ballasts and they colored up right away....

 

I hated the T5's and so did my corals

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shaggydoo541

T5's have been the best thing I have ever tried. I have had MH, PC and now a t5 setup so I guess the only thing I haven't tried is VHO but t5 is by far the best ime. My sps are much more colorful and I have seen a lot better growth as well. Granted thats not all due to light but the t5's are not holding anything back either. I've got tons of sps that are doing great.

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T5's have been the best thing I have ever tried. I have had MH, PC and now a t5 setup so I guess the only thing I haven't tried is VHO but t5 is by far the best ime. My sps are much more colorful and I have seen a lot better growth as well. Granted thats not all due to light but the t5's are not holding anything back either. I've got tons of sps that are doing great.

 

All my high end SPS' color faded slightly and faded colors dont sell.....Went back to trusty old halides and the color came right back within a week....

 

 

Not to mention T5ho's have way too many damn wires..Also picking the right T5 ho bulb combination is a nightmare and can get costly......I love how simple halides are...

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shaggydoo541

Yeah wiring was a freaking nightmare. But I was pretty proud of myself after I had it all done and it looks pretty nice for a bunch of retro kits.

 

Coloration is definitely different under any change in lighting. Most corals I get come from halide tanks and lots transitioned from my old halide system. Coloration bleached pretty bad under the t5's at first but all came back as they adjusted and most came back much more vibrant. Some corals though come back completely different colors. It really varies.

 

If I had a bunch of really rare expensive SPS or any coral for that matter though I wouldn't tweak my system much. I would stick with what works and call it good. Halides are definitely great lights, there is no denying that. But I just prefer the look and other aspects I get with t5 (less heat etc).

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HecticDialectics
All my high end SPS' color faded slightly and faded colors dont sell.....Went back to trusty old halides and the color came right back within a week....

Not to mention T5ho's have way too many damn wires..Also picking the right T5 ho bulb combination is a nightmare and can get costly......I love how simple halides are...

 

 

That's slightly concerning since I plan to stock with 98% high end SPS... I have seen some very nice T5 lit sps tanks, but looking back through some of those T5 threads on RC, there is a lack of multi-colored sps pics. Lots of -purple- and -pink- and -blue- and whatnot, but I don't really dig the solid crayola forest look. I've found a few pretty good pics, but I'll have to do some more in-depth comparison.

 

What T5 bulb combination did you end up using before you tossed it out?

 

I still haven't entirely ruled out a 250W MH, but liked the idea of less electrical usage. On the other hand I wish I could fit one of those damn 175W iwasakis over the tank with 2 t5 or vho supplements, but it just won't work on a 12" wide tank.

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