New T5 Lighting

[victor626nj]

nice i wonder what my par is at especialy since my bulbs arent as spread out as yours need to get my hands on a par meter

 

[cameron]

My spread isn't that wide actually and the IceCaps allow me to pack in a lot of bulbs closer together. My PAR numbers are very similar to Sams old ones using the Tek reflectors, but he had a much bigger drop off. I think the IceCap reflectors are the reason I am getting good PAR at the bottom.

 

[victor626nj]

i think he used the ice cap too

 

[cameron]

From his first post, he is using a mix. The IceCaps are relatively important because they aren't as wide as the Tek reflectors. They are 1/2" wider than the IceCaps.

 

[gwhiz]

Yea...I'd like to test mine too! I used Tek reflectors & IC 660 ballasts--I did take advantage of the 'bow' in my bowfront and add a 7th bulb driven by a standard ballast. I've got a different mix of bulbs than Cameron tho'. It'd be interesting to test the PAR in one set up and just swap in a different mix of bulbs and test again...

 

[roland jacques]

Cameron;133212 wrote: My spread isn't that wide actually and the IceCaps allow me to pack in a lot of bulbs closer together. My PAR numbers are very similar to Sams old ones using the Tek reflectors, but he had a much bigger drop off. I think the IceCap reflectors are the reason I am getting good PAR at the bottom.

That and, the overdriving with the Ice Cap ballast. He was using standard watt ballasts.

 

[cameron]

Just an updated... the corals are looking incredible. Far better than under my MH lighting even when I was running XM 10ks. I have one encrusting monti that was brown from the time I got it a year ago and I basically beat the crap out of it in the process of moving corals, rearranging rock work, etc. Now it is electric blue... and I mean blue. I wish I had taken better care of it now that it is glowing. It is one of the prettier corals in the tank to my suprise.

 

[wbholwell]

Cameron, are you still running this bulb combo:

ATI Blue Plus
ATI Aquablue Special
ATI Blue Plus
GE 6500k
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Pro Color

I've got to replace a few bulbs soon, and I might give ATI a try (currently using Giessman). How do you like the ATI bulbs?

 

[cameron]

I am running (from front to back)

ATI Blue Plus
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Blue Plus
GE 6500K
ATI Blue Plus
ATI Pro Color

That single GE bulb makes the entire tank white when it is on and with the Aquablue Special it bordered on 10k-ish. Right now I would say I have a 14k color and a 20k when the GE is off.

Not sure I am going to say with the Pro Color, but it doesn't contribute as much to the tank anyway as that bulb is over the overflows.

I haven't changed anything since this config as I really like the color. The 20k color that I run for an extra half hour in the mornings and evenings is nice. Oddly the best addition were those white LED lights. During the day you can't notice them, but for an hour in the mornings and evenings they create visually stunning shafts of light. The PAR is virtually zero though so it is eye candy only.

 

[strongr]

Cameron,

how many hours per day are you lights on?

 

[cameron]

I used the lighting schedule built into the AC3 unit. I did turn on the LEDs an hour before scheduled sunrise and 3 hours after.