T5 lighting schedules

[YHSublime]

For those of you running T5, what are your schedules like?

 

Reason I ask, is I'm running the 4 bulb 36" ATI, with x2 blue plus, x1 coral plus, x1 fiji purple, and I don't have my lights on a timer.

 

Some days they go on for 6 hours, some days they go on for almost 10 hours.

 

My forest fire digita is starting to getting browned out, but the polyps are still good, and I think it's getting way too much light, all the other SPS is doing really great, with great polyps extension and color. 

 

Curious as to what folks think is too much and or too little of a photo period. 

[RW09903]

8 bulb ATI fixture over my tank. 2 bulbs (purple plus and actinic) on between 11:30-8:30, 6 bulbs (4 blue plus and 2 coral plus) on between 12:00-8:00.

[YHSublime]

8 bulb ATI fixture over my tank. 2 bulbs (purple plus and actinic) on between 11:30-8:30, 6 bulbs (4 blue plus and 2 coral plus) on between 12:00-8:00.

So 9 hours, but 8 at full. How far off the water does your fixture sit?

 

 

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[sigel7]

ATI dimmable 48" 6 bulb. 2 ATI blue+ 2 ATI purple+ and 1GE 6500 for growth. Blues on 10hr all on for 6hr. 8" off water.

[RW09903]

I am roughly 15" off the water surface. This is as low as I can get currently since my basement has tall ceilings. When I move the tank in a couple weeks, I want to see how it does around 12" off the surface.

[Origami]

Isaac, I used to run an 8-lamp *(60") T5 over my tank for 10 hours a day (9 hours at full). My lights sat 10" over the water in a canopy. This was in my old 180. Plenty of light. Corals would go rather pastel under that lighting. A digitata would have never browned out for lack of light in that tank - possibly for high nutrients, but  not for lack of light. 

[YHSublime]

Isaac, I used to run an 8-lamp *(60") T5 over my tank for 10 hours a day (9 hours at full). My lights sat 10" over the water in a canopy. This was in my old 180. Plenty of light. Corals would go rather pastel under that lighting. A digitata would have never browned out for lack of light in that tank - possibly for high nutrients, but  not for lack of light. 

 

I was actually thinking too much lighting. That being said, very possible high nutrients an issue as well. 

[miggs76]

I only run my 8 bulb ati for 7 hours a day.  I've done 9 in the past and it makes no difference at all so why not save some electricity.

[YHSublime]

I only run my 8 bulb ati for 7 hours a day.  I've done 9 in the past and it makes no difference at all so why not save some electricity.

 

Fair point. 

 

I figured I'd see what others are doing before I put it on a schedule, also wondering if anybody has seen any negative effects. Seems like so far just pastel colors, if that's considered a negative effect. 

[miggs76]

8 bulb over my 60 cube is kinda overkill though, so I am really blasting my corals with light for those 7 hours

[madweazl]

Don't know that I've ever seen a coral browning out from too much light; I typically associate browns with not enough. Regardless, my T5s are on for eight hours a day but it's a hybrid LED/T5 setup with a 12 hour total photo-period. 

[YHSublime]

Don't know that I've ever seen a coral browning out from too much light; I typically associate browns with not enough. Regardless, my T5s are on for eight hours a day but it's a hybrid LED/T5 setup with a 12 hour total photo-period. 

 

I dunno either, not chasing it, I'm refusing to chase numbers until the tank has been setup for 6 months or so. I'm skimming heavy, growing cheato, and I'm doing religious 5 gallon water changes every week. There's 16 other frags of SPS in there that are all doing well, included with everything else in the tank.

 

If the digita is my Achilles, so be it. 

[madweazl]

Yea, certainly doesn't make sense to make significant changes for one coral. 

[Stephen]

Mine is as follows.

 

Display - ATI 36" 6 bulb dimmable

10 am - 10 pm (2 bulbs / 1 true actinic and 1 super actinic) bulbs ramp up from 0-100% between 10:00 - 10:30 am and down from 100-0% between 9:30 - 10 pm. 

12 pm - 8 pm (4 bulbs / 1 blue plus, 1 aquablue special, 1 coral plus, 1 purple plus) bulbs ramp up from 0-100% between 12 - 12:30 pm and down from 100-0% between 7:30 - 8 pm.

 

Frag tank - ATI 24" 4 bulb dimmable

10 am - 10 pm (2 bulbs / 1 true actinic and 1 blue plus) bulbs ramp up from 0-100% between 10:00 - 10:30 am and down from 100-0% between 9:30 - 10 pm. 

12 pm - 8 pm (4 bulbs / 1 aquablue special, 1 coral plus) bulbs ramp up from 0-100% between 12 - 12:30 pm and down from 100-0% between 7:30 - 8 pm.

Edited January 8, 2018 by Stephen

[AlanM]

I have 8 bulb dimmable over my 180g. 

 

Channel 1: 2 Actinic, starts ramp at 6:30am, ends ramp at 8pm, 100% from 10:30am to 3:30pm

Channel 2: 4 Blue+, 2 Coral+, starts ramp at 8am, ends ramp at 6:30pm, 100% from 10:30am to 3:30pm

 

So mine are only on full for 5 hours and ramping the rest of the time.

 

Seeing the other responses on this thread I may make the ramps faster so I have a longer 100% period.

[YHSublime]

I have 8 bulb dimmable over my 180g. 

 

Channel 1: 2 Actinic, starts ramp at 6:30am, ends ramp at 8pm, 100% from 10:30am to 3:30pm

Channel 2: 4 Blue+, 2 Coral+, starts ramp at 8am, ends ramp at 6:30pm, 100% from 10:30am to 3:30pm

 

So mine are only on full for 5 hours and ramping the rest of the time.

 

Seeing the other responses on this thread I may make the ramps faster so I have a longer 100% period.

 

Yeah, I was turning my lights on at 5-6pm and turning them off around 1am. This year it's a more regular schedule, but I like to be able to enjoy the tank while I'm around, so the old schedule made sense. 

 

I figure 8 hours on my 4 bulb will be about right. 

[Leishman]

I have 4x54w that is on 4:30pm to 11pm.  (This unit will be for sale soon.  My new 8x54w arrived today)

 

BRS Review on PAR etc..

https://youtu.be/ZjiH5Pbas-o 

 

Edited January 9, 2018 by Leishman

[molcott]

when I ran T5's my actinics were on for 12 hours a day and my others were on for 8 hours a day