Will new bulbs make a difference? (1 Viewer)

[oldmantran]

I picked up this light from aqua traders 2 months ago:
48" 216W (4x 54W) T5 HO Light Fixture Extendable Series

http://www.aquatraders.com/48-inch-4x54W-T5-Aquarium-Light-Fixture-p/52305.htm

It's sitting on my 75 gallon tank which i think is 24 inches high. While it provides decent lighting, it's nowhere close to my 150W MH on my biocube. Here's my question to all you lighting experts out there.

Can I get brighter and more penetrating T5 light bulbs for this fixture? Or am I restricted to the bulb type/rating that came from the vendor? I don't know anything about differences in ballasts, etc. Just wanting a brighter experience in my tank.

 

[oldmantran]

Guess my question boils down to:

Are all 54w T5 bulbs created equal?

Am I even limited to using only 54w bulbs?

 

[oldmantran]

Nevermind. I did some research on BRS. 54w bulbs come in multiple colors and K ratings.

Think I'll update the stock bulbs with some blue specials 12000K

 

[tektite]

Different brands will put out different amounts of PAR too. Most stock bulbs are the cheap ones, brands like ATI, UV, KZ, and Giesemann are much better.

 

[oldmantran]

Different brands will put out different amounts of PAR too. Most stock bulbs are the cheap ones, brands like ATI, UV, KZ, and Giesemann are much better.

what kind do you get, cat? i engrave your words in stone, btw.

 

[alexrex20]

ATI bulbs are pretty much the standard for bulbs. Giesemann are pretty good also. I stay away from any other brands. For a 4-bulb setup, I would try an ATI Blue+, 2x ATI Aquablue Special, and an ATI Purple+. You want some blue and red/purple to make your corals (and fish) really pop.

 

[oldmantran]

ATI bulbs are pretty much the standard for bulbs. Giesemann are pretty good also. I stay away from any other brands. For a 4-bulb setup, I would try an ATI Blue+, 2x ATI Aquablue Special, and an ATI Purple+. You want some blue and red/purple to make your corals (and fish) really pop.

YES! I want my livestock to POP. umm, do I turn them all on at once? and what about actinics? or is that what the blue+ is for?

 

[alexrex20]

Yes, a Blue+ can serve as your actinic.

What kind of light do you have? How many bulbs are on each independent switch? I'm assuming it's 2 circuits with 2 bulbs each. Many people like to simulate a dawn/dusk effect by having their blue bulbs turn on first, and turn off last. You may want to try a Purple+, a single Aquable Sp. and then 2x Blue+. Then use the 2 blue+ as your dawn/dusk bulbs.

My T5s are 6-bulb. They have 2 circuits; 1 with 4 bulbs and the other with 2 bulbs. These are my layouts:

Blue+
Aquablue Sp.
Blue+
Purple+
Aquablue Sp.
Blue+

The first and last bulbs are used for my dawn/dusk. I have moonlight LEDs to supplement though.

LEDs on at 10am
Blue+ (2x) on at 11am
Main bulbs (4x) on at noon
...
Main bulbs off at 8pm
Blue+ off at 8:30pm
LEDs off at midnight



If you're upgrading all your bulbs, I would change them one at a time (every couple of days) to give your corals time to acclimate.

 

[oldmantran]

yes, i have 2 circuits with 2 bulbs. Do u suggest the blue+ on the same circuit or separate?

blue+
purple
aquablue sp.
blue+

thx for the tips

 

[DustinB]

Nothing you do to an Odyssea T5 fixture will make it a good light. Inferior bulbs, ballast, reflectors, and cooling. You would be better off putting the $80 towards a better fixture if you want better output.

Their metal halide fixtures are acceptable for a complete light, but they need better ballasts and bulbs.

 

[tektite]

Lol, I use mostly ATI. If you really want the glowing colors, get their true actinic, its amazing what color comes out with that. I'd do a true actinic and blue+ on the first circuit that comes on first/goes off last, and either 2 aquablue specials or an aquablue special and a purple+ on the other circuit. How blue or white of a look are you going for?

 

[oldmantran]

Nothing you do to an Odyssea T5 fixture will make it a good light. Inferior bulbs, ballast, reflectors, and cooling. You would be better off putting the $80 towards a better fixture if you want better output.

Their metal halide fixtures are acceptable for a complete light, but they need better ballasts and bulbs.

I prefer to spend smaller chunks of $ up front to have the experience and learn from it, than to spend $$$ on something blindly. I will always eventually spend the larger amount but only after I feel I've learned enough.

Lol, I use mostly ATI. If you really want the glowing colors, get their true actinic, its amazing what color comes out with that. I'd do a true actinic and blue+ on the first circuit that comes on first/goes off last, and either 2 aquablue specials or an aquablue special and a purple+ on the other circuit. How blue or white of a look are you going for?

The bulbs I have right now are 2 whites and 2 blues, and there are 3 or 4 moonlight LEDs which i usually ignore. I don't particularly like the looks of either whites or blues by themselves. The combination pops more so my lighting schedule is all on then all off.
I dont have them on a timer.

 

[alexrex20]

I didn't click the link above... Bulbs will be $100 for 4. I would spend another $50 and get this fixture: http://www.marshreef.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=54481

It's only a 36in but as long as you can hang it it will be much better than that Odyssea light. And you're only in it another $50 from what you were already planning on spending.

 

[oldmantran]

really? you'd hang a 36" light fixture over a 48" tank and be satisfied with the aesthetics of that?

 

[alexrex20]

Um ya. People do it all the time. That's only 6in of gap on either side.

I have 3ft lights over my 4ft 55gal and 75gal, and 5ft lights over my 6ft 180gal. I don't have corals (or even rocks) on the sides of my tank, so what's the issue?

Anyway, I prefer the look of hanging lights, as opposed to mounting them on legs.

 

[oldmantran]

Um ya. People do it all the time. That's only 6in of gap on either side.

I have 3ft lights over my 4ft 55gal and 75gal, and 5ft lights over my 6ft 180gal. I don't have corals (or even rocks) on the sides of my tank, so what's the issue?

Anyway, I prefer the look of hanging lights, as opposed to mounting them on legs.

well, i always thought about the 6 inch gap on either side not being a big deal if the light had enough penetration. can u send me a pic? do you have a cover over ur tank to prevent flying fish or elusive eels from escaping? and i agree, there's a lot of benefits of hanging lights.

 

[alexrex20]

I use a mesh screen and canopy on all my tanks. I don't have any pics handy. What kind of pic did you want to see? They look like any normal tank with a canopy, and there is no obvious difference in light output; I still get plenty of algae on the side glass.

If you have decent lights, there's nothing to worry about. I use Tek Light Elite.

 

[emixa]

+1 on Alex. I have my light hanging over my tank and it's great for when i am adding or doing maintenance on my tank. I makes it look sleek. Also keeps salt creep off my lights.

 

[oldmantran]

I use a mesh screen and canopy on all my tanks. I don't have any pics handy. What kind of pic did you want to see? They look like any normal tank with a canopy, and there is no obvious difference in lighting.

If you have decent lights, there's nothing to worry about. I use Tek Light Elite.

oh, so there's a canopy and you can't even see the fixture? I was picturing a light fixture suspended from the ceiling.

 

[alexrex20]

My lights are suspended from the wall or ceiling, then I have a canopy to prevent any light scatter. I'll snap a pic once my lights turn on.