Need new lights

L

livBlue

I have 36" T5s in my set up. I am 5 months in on them which it seems 6months is a good time to replace? So I wanted to ask for a good place to get them. I checked marinedepot which they were about $25 each. I have 2 10ks and 2 420/460 attenics in there. Also do any of you have a brand preference I have aquaticlifes in there right now.
 
From what I have read and seen from friend swith t5 fixtures, ATI and Giesemann bulbs are some of the best on the market right now.
 
bulkreefsupply is where i get my ati and kz bulbs

reefgeek is another place i get my bulbs as they always have them in stock and have aquascience bulbs
 
Only get ATI bulbs...

that might be a bit biased but seriously their pretty cheap, have GREAT par, and look awesome. I know, I owned them before i switched to LED's and loved them!

And also, what coral do you have? With t5 you could go as long as a year no problem.
 
@TCUguy wrote:
Only get ATI bulbs... that might be a bit biased but seriously their pretty cheap said:
Tito,

What ATI bulb combination do you recommend? I will need some bulbs before too long. Thanks!

David
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Well do you like a blue look or white crisp look?

For blueish (pops colors our like crazy) do 3 Blue + and 1 special 12k.

For crisp white do 2 blue + and 2 special 12k

Both of these combos will give you insane par btw you should be able to keep SPS even up top (I know cuz I did it). I had the 3/1 blue set up and LOVED it.
 
Thanks, Tito!

I like the whiter look. Bulk Reef has the actinic 03 blue, but I believe that you are referring to the Blue Plus that they also sell. Is that correct? I saw the 12000k as well. Also, I got my 4 12 watt LED spotlight kit yesterday. They are all blue. I bet that the crisp white combination that you have mentioned, along with the 4 blue spots will be plenty blue enough. What do you think?

Thanks for your help!

David
 
Oh yeah then go with the white combination and its going to look FANTASTIC. Thats actually what im running right now also (but in LED's, 4 blue spotlights and both my reefbrite strips are 50/50 (so white)).

And yes go with the Blue Plus not the actinic. The reason is the actinic gives you no par and the Blue Plus actually puts out almost as much par as the 12k does (its the higher Blue Par bulb out there). Post some pics thats going to look so intense!
 
@TCUguy wrote:
Oh yeah then go with the white combination and its going to look FANTASTIC. Thats actually what im running right now also (but in LED's said:
Thanks for your help!
I will do a "StevesLEDs Retro Spotlights" thread. I hope to get use of the club PAR meter after I get it all set up and running.

David
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Just be careful with those spotlights...

Mine have 40 degree optics and are 12 watts (12x 1 watt led's). I fried most of my SPS when I added them because they gave off about 600 Par at 12" in water (the lights were 4" above water line). Now I have them 12" off the water line and get a good 300 Par. (you would be surprised to find how little watts you need to get great PAR from led's).

Again... I would test RIGHT as you put them in and not wait... its cheaper than loosing a bunch of coral trust me... [smilie=sadsmile.gif]
 
The optics on these are 30 degrees - 4 3 watt LEDs spaced about 2 inches apart. The hood where they will be mounted will only allow me to get about 5 inches from the water from the actual LEDs the heatsink and fan are mounted behind the LEDs. There is a dimmer feature, so I guess that will help me to acclimate the coral very slowly to the light. Thanks!

David
 
OH wow yeah def use the dimmer (around 50% when you first start) and unless you acclimate them with a 6 month process don't turn it up to 100%. Try turning it up 10% every month and then they will acclimate trust me those led's are more powerful than you think (I only have 100watts of LED lighting on my 90gal and everything is growing like crazy and have 300par all around).
 
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