Help with T5 bulb selection

[kien]

Originally Posted by cooper

Hi there

Right now am using 2 Current Actinic and 2 Giesemann Pure Actinic. I like how my corals look under these bulbs but I wonder if there is anything better than what I currently use.

Oh, and one more question...these bulbs have been there for over 2 years. How often are these T5 bulbs suppose to be changed? There is nothing wrong with the corals or tank in general. Everything is thriving and looks healthy so I wonder if I should really change the bulbs or stick with what I have.

Thanks

T5s are a funny thing. There are people out there who will change them out every 3 months while there are others who will swap them out when they burn out (after years of use). I've seen reef tanks with both approaches. So as to your question, "when are they supposed to be changed?" It all depends who you ask!

It sounds like there's nothing wrong with your setup now as everything is "thriving" and "looking good". It sounds like you just want to experiment a little, in which case look for that group of people who dump their bulbs after 3-6 months (you can usually get them for very cheap) and try their discarded bulbs out to see if you like them. Just because I like 22K T5s doesn't mean you will. I personally hate the fuji purples, but that doesn't mean that they are a terrible bulb or that you won't like them :-)

[cooper]

Originally Posted by kien

T5s are a funny thing. There are people out there who will change them out every 3 months while there are others who will swap them out when they burn out (after years of use). I've seen reef tanks with both approaches. So as to your question, "when are they supposed to be changed?" It all depends who you ask!

It sounds like there's nothing wrong with your setup now as everything is "thriving" and "looking good". It sounds like you just want to experiment a little, in which case look for that group of people who dump their bulbs after 3-6 months (you can usually get them for very cheap) and try their discarded bulbs out to see if you like them. Just because I like 22K T5s doesn't mean you will. I personally hate the fuji purples, but that doesn't mean that they are a terrible bulb or that you won't like them :-)

There is nothing wrong with my reef tank. You are right, I just want to experiment a bit and get new bulbs to see if I notice any changes. After all, these bulbs are over 2 years old. Why don't you like the Fiji Purple bulbs?

:-)

[chris88]

Just because there is nothign wrong with your reef doesnt mean it cant be improved. It is a known fact the par drops after a certain amount of bulb use and the spectrum can shift. It can only help your reef by changing your bulbs out. The fiji bulb is designed to hit the blue and red spectrum which is proven to be where corals have the highest rates of photsynthesis. the only reason anyone wouldnt like it is becuase it can make your tank look a bit pink/purple.

[fishytime]

The red spectrum encourages algae growth too

[albert_dao]

Originally Posted by fishytime

The red spectrum encourages algae growth too

Yeah, if your water quality sux...

[chris88]

Originally Posted by albert_dao

Yeah, if your water quality sux...

Great point, you are only going to grow algae if there is an excess of nutrients. Any aquarium light will grow algae. corals have algae in thier tissue so obviously the same light can grow algae in a tank if there is an excess of nutrients, the red spectrum isn't going to be the culprit.

[fishytime]

Originally Posted by albert_dao

Yeah, if your water quality sux...

yup.....most peeps running ULNS systems have great success with those bulbs and some systems simply cant handle running them..... Just trying to help the guy make an informed decision

[albert_dao]

Originally Posted by fishytime

yup.....most peeps running ULNS systems have great success with those bulbs and some systems simply cant handle running them..... Just trying to help the guy make an informed decision

No, no, that's not what I'm trying to imply. I'm saying that your water quality has to be outright ATROCIOUS for the one Fiji Purple bulb to cause problems. At which point, the educated and informed decision is not to ask "what bulbs should I be using?" but "how do I fix my #@$!'d up tank?"

[fishytime]

Originally Posted by chris88

Just because there is nothign wrong with your reef doesnt mean it cant be improved. It is a known fact the par drops after a certain amount of bulb use and the spectrum can shift. It can only help your reef by changing your bulbs out. The fiji bulb is designed to hit the blue and red spectrum which is proven to be where corals have the highest rates of photsynthesis. the only reason anyone wouldnt like it is becuase it can make your tank look a bit pink/purple.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2008/12/aafeature1

[albert_dao]

Originally Posted by fishytime

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2008/12/aafeature1

I hate being the troll, but counter argument to Mr. Riddle's article under the context of this topic:



From here:

http://zeovit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14695



From here: http://zeovit.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=88



From here: http://zeovit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19071



From here: http://zeovit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17270

... etc, etc, etc...