so im gonna be ordering my light today…i was thinking a 24" fishneedit.com 4 bulb fixture. what do you guys think about bulb combos. should i go 2 blue/ 2 10000K, 3 blue/ 1 6500k, 3 blue/ 1 10000K? what do you guys think?
also if anyone has one around that they are looking to get rid of and wants to sell me, then ill take that too hahah
Bulb combos are really a matter of personal opinion. Some like a whiter look while others prefer a blue hue to the tank. Make of bulb will also come in to play - Icecap actinics are much bluer then Current actinics. Also keep in mind that the order in which you place the bulbs will affect over-all appearance of color in the tank.
I’d personally go with 2 10K and 2 Actinics. Placed front to back Actinic, 10K, 10K, Actinic.
I’d also use Icecap actinics and Aquaticlife 10K bulbs.
[quote=“Cdangel0, post:2, topic:3097”]
Bulb combos are really a matter of personal opinion. Some like a whiter look while others prefer a blue hue to the tank. Make of bulb will also come in to play - Icecap actinics are much bluer then Current actinics. Also keep in mind that the order in which you place the bulbs will affect over-all appearance of color in the tank.
I’d personally go with 2 10K and 2 Actinics. Placed front to back Actinic, 10K, 10K, Actinic.
I’d also use Icecap actinics and Aquaticlife 10K bulbs. [/quote]
Thanks for the info!!
Also keep in mind that the order in which you place the bulbs will affect over-all appearance of color in the tank.+1 I would have never thought this to be significant until i someone(craig and glenn i think)mentioned it before and i saw it with my own eyes.
also if anyone has one around that they are looking to get rid of and wants to sell me, then ill take that too hahahi have plenty of 3' and 4' parts lying around but unfortunately nothing for 2'. you should have spent the extra $20 on the 40B ;D
ive played around(IE wasted money) on many different bulbs. Ive used just about every UVL bulb, a couple of Giesemann and the best bulbs ive used hands down are ATI and Sfiligoi. When i upgrade my bulbs im going to go almost entirely ATI Blue+ with maybe one or two other bulbs for popping reds/greens.
About 90% of the time you read about T5s on the board from people who seem like they know what they are talking about and about 95% of the time you read about them in articles you hear two things. There is a big difference between certain bulbs and certain reflectors. It has been said countless times that you get what you pay for.
That being said the “name brand†high end products cost a significant amount more because of their reputation and countless new companies with reflectors and bulbs are coming out all the time. The company you mentioned I personally haven’t heard of. Their products would be the next best thing and be great. I don’t know.
I personally go with proven well known products as I need something I know will work well and be efficient from day one, but it is up to you. Expermintation, new companies, and DIYS are a great deal of what makes this hobby what it is.
Have to agree with Shawn on ATI, Giesemen, and UVL and I know if you talk about your tank in the future on the boards countless other people are going to advice you to get rid of manufacturer bulbs and go with what is known to work. If you want to try your luck you can borrow the par meter and take some photos to get growth records and perhaps show all these people on the boards this new brand of stuff is great.
Note: One type of UVL bulb is supposedly amazing for growth, but it’s color isn’t the most appealing to many people. Other UVL bulbs are crappy color and PAR. Looking into bulbs you can get very nitpicky or you can just take more experienced reefers opinions and try um out.(that is more experience with T5 bulb combos not saying you don’t know anything about reefing, just new to the world of T5s)