gizmoody May 30, 2011 Share May 30, 2011 I've got a Red Sea Max 250 Tank that is an all in one 65 gallon tank with 6 34w T5 linear lights (117w 10,000k and 117w Actinic). Red Sea says that their research shows that these bulbs are optimal for this tank. I have had good growth (post #9) but the colors of my corals aren't so great, at least by my eye(s). I have corals that are red, green, blue, pink and orange mostly. I was thinking of replacing one bulb with a fiji purple and keeping 3 10,000k and 2 Actinic. I have read about other bulbs such as aquablue specials, etc but want to make sure my corals can photosynthesize efficiently and know they do with the current bulbs...they just don't look great. Does this make sense or are there better bulbs out there? My current bulbs are made by Red Sea. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason the filter freak May 30, 2011 Share May 30, 2011 My heartfelt and serious advice from experience is go after-market bulbs all the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Ivers May 30, 2011 Share May 30, 2011 Personally for great growth and color I like my setup which is around a 16-18k look. Front to Back: ATI Blue+ ATI Purple+ ATI Aquablue Special ATI Blue+ ATI Aquablue Special ATI Blue+ HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefoholic May 30, 2011 Share May 30, 2011 I have 2 ATI Purple + along with my Actinics and a Radium 150W DE MH. I ordered two ATI Blue + T5s to replace the actinics. I am very happy with the Purple + bulbs. They definitely make the reds and oranges pop. Also, the corals look like they are enjoying these ATI bulbs as well. I am getting good growth and nice polyp extension. Actually, my SPS started changing color lately, my acro which was only brown with teal polyps is now shades of neon green and brown. I think ATI is the brand to go with! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmoody May 30, 2011 Author Share May 30, 2011 Thanks everyone for the advice. Seems like aftermarket and ATI is the way to go. Personally for great growth and color I like my setup which is around a 16-18k look. Front to Back: ATI Blue+ ATI Purple+ ATI Aquablue Special ATI Blue+ ATI Aquablue Special ATI Blue+ HTH This seems like it would really bring out the colors. How long have you had this setup? How is growth compared to your previous bulbs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Ivers May 30, 2011 Share May 30, 2011 Had it since Dec '10 so around 6 months, replaced my old Current 10K and Actinic stock bulbs. Growth is awesome under them, ATI really is the way to go, or Geismann (sp?) if you have the money. Both are great quality bulbs that are colorful and pack a punch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCDRDATA May 30, 2011 Share May 30, 2011 If you want to risk information overload, there's a thread on Reef Central that is dedicated to T-5 lighting and currently runs 415(!) pages. You can probably find custom recommendations for a 6-bulb setup for just about any combination of corals you want. Here's a link to a page near the end: The T5 Q&A Thread. I've been happy with the advice I've gotten there. Also, I don't know where you are getting your bulbs, but in addition to WAMAS' sponsors, two sites I'd recommend are Reef Geek and Hellolights. The links will take you directly to the 39W T-5 pages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Ivers May 31, 2011 Share May 31, 2011 +1 to the post above, but the guy (GrimReefer) who is the main info poster in that thread has his own site with his test results of almost every bulb out there and different recommended combos here. Definitely a good read for any T5 user. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmoody May 31, 2011 Author Share May 31, 2011 If you want to risk information overload, there's a thread on Reef Central that is dedicated to T-5 lighting and currently runs 415(!) pages. You can probably find custom recommendations for a 6-bulb setup for just about any combination of corals you want. Here's a link to a page near the end: The T5 Q&A Thread. I've been happy with the advice I've gotten there. Also, I don't know where you are getting your bulbs, but in addition to WAMAS' sponsors, two sites I'd recommend are Reef Geek and Hellolights. The links will take you directly to the 39W T-5 pages. Thanks! I skimmed through most of it and I saw a pattern. I also saw Grim's website (thanks Max) also. I am going to order from Reef Geek the following: ATI - 3 Blue +, 2 Aquablue Special, 1 Purple + as Max suggested. Grim suggests this arrangement: Aquablue Blue ATI Purple Plus or Fiji Purple Blue Blue Aquablue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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