Just trying to see what people recommend. I’ve got a 24” 8bulb ATI with a blue reefbrite bar. I’ve never ran T5s but I know most people leave heavily towards blue + bulbs. I was thinking of 6 blue + just to mess around with and prolly grab another 3. What do you guys suggest?
T5 Recommendations
- Thread starter hiimsean
- Start date
I do whatever @dball711 tells me to. I know this might sound like a bit of a joke but he knows a TON and has the results to prove it. When I switched my frag tank to a hybrid setup, Dave and I talked a lot. Currently I'm running 4 ATI Blue+ bulbs and tune the color with the LED fixtures. I personally prefer a tank that's a bit brighter even though I know I would probably get better results with heavier blues.
In my old 125 setup, I used 2 blue plus and 2 Purple and was happy with the results.
When I researched this before, the guidance I found was that half of the bulbs should be blue plus, the others can be any combination of the bulbs the others have mentioned depending on the look you want. BRS has a good video on the different T5 options, spectrum, and what colors each bulb brings out from each across multiple brands. I use blue plus, coral plus, and actinic in my hybrid fixture. I used blue plus, coral, plus, and purple plus previously. The purple has a little more of the white light spectrum than the coral plus from what I remember. I use all ATI brand bulbs also to each their own though.
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Throwing a Purple+ in makes the reds come out better. I'd have 1 in the mix.
In an 8 bulb setup. I'd be tempted to go with the 16-20K but take a B+ or C+ out and put a True Actinic
16K – 20K – Bluish white with a noticeable blue and red under-tone
5 ATI Blue Plus
2 ATI Coral Plus
1 ATI Purple Plus
12K – 16K – Cool white with a noticeable blue and red under-tone
4 ATI Blue Plus
3 ATI Coral Plus
1 ATI Purple Plus
10K – 14K – Crisp white with just a hint of blue
4 ATI Blue Plus
2 ATI Aquablue Special
2 ATI Purple Plus
For aquariums with a lot of LPS corals, a True Actinic bulb can be used in place of Purple Plus to provide enhanced pop in coral color.
Taken from.
www.atinorthamerica.com
In an 8 bulb setup. I'd be tempted to go with the 16-20K but take a B+ or C+ out and put a True Actinic
16K – 20K – Bluish white with a noticeable blue and red under-tone
5 ATI Blue Plus
2 ATI Coral Plus
1 ATI Purple Plus
12K – 16K – Cool white with a noticeable blue and red under-tone
4 ATI Blue Plus
3 ATI Coral Plus
1 ATI Purple Plus
10K – 14K – Crisp white with just a hint of blue
4 ATI Blue Plus
2 ATI Aquablue Special
2 ATI Purple Plus
For aquariums with a lot of LPS corals, a True Actinic bulb can be used in place of Purple Plus to provide enhanced pop in coral color.
Taken from.
Best ATI Bulb Combinations for Your 8 Bulb Fixture - ATI North America
It’s easy to spend hours deciding which T5 bulbs to use over your tank. It’s challenging to visualize how your combination of bulbs will look in your fixture. While a lot of aquarium lighting is based on personal preference, here’s a general guide to help you select bulbs for your 8 bulb...
www.atinorthamerica.com
I've heard good things about them but for whatever reason the Giesemann is what everyone says is the best actinic. I haven't used either though. The last system had 4 80w and they were 3 B+ and one P+ ATI bulbs. The T5 were just supplemental the LED's provided the real pop. T5's did help the growth though and the P+ in the front pair really did help the reds show much better.
If you want more pop from 4 bulbs I'd try 2 B+, 1P+ & 1 actinic.
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I'm in Acworth as well and I have a bunch of old used 24" bulbs if you want them to play around with so you can try before you buy.
