[radar]

Have had it 6 years no problems.

[radar]

Originally Posted by Poseidon

Glimmer/shimmer lines. I miss them!

When I first installed mh I thought this might be a flicker I've heard some people talk about. A few nights later discover had equator in hdtv on.What do you know same effect. This is a great program.

[charlie]

Originally Posted by radar

When I first installed mh I thought this might be a flicker I've heard some people talk about. A few nights later discover had equator in hdtv on.What do you know same effect. This is a great program.

I remember when I first put halides on my 80, I almost didn't want to turn them off. If I went to T5's I would really miss the shimmer lines.

[FireEater]

I am making the switch from 3 MH's with T5's to strictly T5's right after the first of the year.

I will build a canopy setup that will hold 6 to 8 of them in an arc. That way the ones on the ends will shine down at an angle on both side of my reef.

I plan on going with Giessmann pure actinics and Giessmann 50/50's.

Looking forward to my chiller staying off the majority of the time instead of the opposite right now. Plus the electrical bill will drop significantly. The wife has already bought into this concept so I am good to go.

[charlie]

What are the dimensions of the tank? Is this a 6' 125?

[FireEater]

Yes, a standard 125g.

[charlie]

Well, when you get to going on that, I sure would like to see some before-after pics. Sounds like the canopy is gonna be a piece of work too.

[FireEater]

Oh yea, as usual I will document everything with pics.

I've already been going over so many different ways to build it cleanly.

[magglite]

with the T5 does anyone know what the best bulbs to use are? This might be a dum question but, do you want to run your actinics all day during your cycle then add your daylight in?
or whats the best way to cycle your lights using just T5's or other VHO's with out MH?

[charlie]

As far as the best bulbs to use, I have no clue, but I know there have been different bulbs mentioned in this thread and others here at Reefland. Try some searching around.
I always ran my actinics all day, before, during and after.

[zhenya]

You know, I've been thinking of switching over to T5's for a while now. I saw recently a 48" fixture with 8 bulbs for under $500, bulbs included. I think I'm going to jump on it because I'm really tired of running chiller and cracking windows open because chiller's exhaust makes room so hot.
It's like shooting yourself in the foot.

[Poseidon]

Gene, you won't regret it! Believe it or not, you may have to acclimate your corals to the T5's. I have found that I burned the tips of my Stylophora, and I have another Acro Sp. that is not to happy at the moment. Both were fine under the halides, but now are showing signs of stress.

On a good note, since I added that 5th bulb for (true actinic) my Tort is really coloring up, and showing the green tint near the base again. I also have a Purple Bonsai, and Purple Unknown that are starting to come around and get the purple color back in them. (Both had lost their color under my 10K halides.)

As for heat, there is definately LESS with the T5's, I have a small fan in the canopy blowing down the length of the bulbs, and I can touch the reflectors at the endcaps without getting burned.

As for the number of bulbs, I think 8 over your 75 would be like having 400W Halides over it. Sure you CAN do it, but why? I would think a 5 bulb fixture would be plenty, 6 at the most. I am running 4 of mine overdriven on a 660, and the single on a Workhorse 5. With the right bulb choice, you can keep anything!

Oh, I use:
1- 11K D+D Bulb
1- 6.5K GE Bulb
1- Blue Plus
2- True actinic

That combo has worked well for me, but you can taylor it to however you want, there are so many options with T5 it is CRAZY!!!!

[Reefland]

I guess we got lucky and don't have to worry with a chiller since our canopy isn't enclosed. Even now in the tank room with the lights suspended but the enclosed tank room we don't accumulate enough heat to have to worry with a chiller. Of course the downstairs stays at 70F year round with no heat or air vents opened.

[zhenya]

Scott,

My canopy is not closed either, in fact it is good 10" above water line with bulbs being about 4" higher.
I still intend to keep my chiller running but I hope it will come on alot less than it does at this time. I have it set up for 80 degrees and it comes on about every 15 minutes for about 5 minutes run time to bring back temperature from 82 back to 80 degrees. Don't forget, everything is submersible in my case. Return pump(quiet one), skimmer pump (mag-18), chiller pump (mag-12), reactor(MJ-1200).All this in the smallish sump of about 29g worth, maybe a bit less. Of course it generates alot of heat and it feels like I'm swimming up stream all the time with this chiller.
Anyways, don;t want to derail this thread with my groaning...

[Reefland]

Sorry to take this off-topic everyone.

[Papa Doug]

Originally Posted by zhenya

You know, I've been thinking of switching over to T5's for a while now. I saw recently a 48" fixture with 8 bulbs for under $500, bulbs included. I think I'm going to jump on it because I'm really tired of running chiller and cracking windows open because chiller's exhaust makes room so hot.
It's like shooting yourself in the foot.

If thats the Tec fixture, a friend just purchased one. Looks very nice. I run only 4 HO bulbs over my 90, in a pair of duel fixtures. My sps are all looking good so far, with nice colour and lots of encrusting, even more so than vertical growth.

Mine uses water proof endcaps, similar to the vho ones we used before. My reflectors clip to the bulbs. I liked the way the Tec was built with the reflectors being in the hood and the bulbs just slipping and then locked into the end holders. I dont know if they are then water proof or not, or if that would even come into play.

I will likely add a 3rd. fixture to mine in the future. I,m still a halide guy though but for some situations, the T-5,s fit the bill.

[Ratpack]

Well, based on this thread and others, I have decided to go T5 on my 75g. It is already so hot here in the summer, MH would need a chiller and that is another expense. I like the TEK fixture and that is probably what I will do so the tank can be open top. Now my question to you experts, 6 bulbs or 8? I plan on mostly LPS with some softies and maybe some easier SPS like Monti Caps and so forth. Oh and a Rose BTA is high on my list as well.

[Poseidon]

6. I'm not sure there is any advantage with 8 other then to the power company.

[Ratpack]

Originally Posted by Poseidon

6. I'm not sure there is any advantage with 8 other then to the power company.

Cool. If I read it correctly, you are using only 5 bulbs, correct?

[Poseidon]

Yes, I am. 4 of the 5 are "overdriven" on an IceCap 660 though. So in terms of power consumption I am at a total of 374W, but I get TONS of lumens, and more importantly PAR. I don't have a PAR meter, but I can tell from the growth and color from my new lights...