t5 lighting

ok i have 6 t5's what should i use to bring out the best color and/or growth?

 

im not an expert, but the more yellow the light ( 6500k 10,000k ) the more growth, the bluer the light ( actinics ) the more color.

It's all a matter of preference, I have 4 t-5 on my tank with 2 - 10,000k and 2 - actinics. When I replace my bulbs I'm thinking of going to 3 - 10,000k and 1 actinic because mine is a bit blue for my tastes.

 

Skrillnet is correct that the best growth happens with the kelvin values in the available ranges of 5-10000 Kelvin but their is a trade off.  The color spectrum in these ranges are quite yellow and for the most part displeasing to the eye for most hobbyists. The trick is to find the right combination of daylight bulbs and supplement them with actinic bulbs so that they are pleasing to the eye. When we travel to frag shows it is always the vendors that are displaying their corals under 20000 K lights that sell the most because the colors pop out so well, but for growth they are lacking. Natural Kelvin values in the ocean are in the 5500K range and not very pretty when scuba diving until you shine a light on them.  I am only a novice diver but the reefs that i have dove on (Caribbean, Cozumel and Belize) all tend to be quite drab as far as color goes in comparison to the colors that we want to see in an aquarium. What is most important is that your corals are growing in the environment that you end up with regardless of the color spectrum. I once started a 90 gallon with the express intent on providing the best growth possible with metal halides that were in the 6500K range but in the end I just could not take the yellowness of the light. The majority of you bulbs should be in the Kelvin range that most closely duplicates natural light if you are looking for growth supplemented by an actinic bulb or two for color. If I were to render a ratio for myself it would be 3 daylight bulbs to one actinic, but as I said that is all about personal preference.

 

The end result of our personal reefs is all about aesthetics, but thats the end result......so you may want to spend several months with 65K or 10K bulbs just to allow faster coral growth.  Then once you have a nice start on colonies switch back over to a more appealing 15K-20K color dominants.  
Now, that being said, feeding your coral on a regular basis will also cause growth. Coral are adaptive and are never solely photosynthetic. There is not much red/orange/yellow light at 50 and 60 feet in the ocean, mostly the blue/indigo/violet side of color spectrum. Yet hard corals continue to thrive and get large.
And just to throw you a curve ball, I have seen photos of tanks using a single pink bulb and or green bulb in the T5 fixture to bring out brighter hughes in the respective color.  In fact, The Fish Store uses a pink.
Ha! so many choices......

 

I have 4 T5s on my FOWLR. I think they are 12000K. Still too pink for my taste. Will probably try something more blue. I can send you a pic or post one if you like.

 

I run 2 10,000 K bulbs, a Actinic blue and a 6,500 k bulb and love it.  Just enough blue and green to counter the yellow and make my corals glow a bit.

 

thank you guys ill just try a few styles see what i like

 

maybe a ge 6500, two blue plus, a purple plus and and 2 aquablue special.  If not the 6500 then swap it for another blue plus. 

 

I'd forgo the 6500k bulb, IMO.

The three blue + bulbs, along with two aquablues and a purple plus will give you excellent growth coupled with a great blue color.  If that is too blue, then you could swap out a blue plus for a UVL Actinic White.  This bulb has a pinkish tint to it, but doesn't offer as much growth as a blue +.  

With T5s, the advantage is the Blue + bulbs are very high in PAR, so you aren't trading off color for growth.  That isn't the case with MH.  The higher kelvin bulb for MH, the less growth you will see.

 

awesome thanx guys

 

I know this is old but i just scored a nice 4x48" t5 fixture with 6500k's in it and I also cant go the TOTAL yellow so im gonna throw a couple actinics in... How about brand/mfg does anybody have a preference?  or are they all the same? 
just qurious...
HEY EveryBody!!! sorry i missed the last meeting... Twas the one ive been waiting on... 
D

 

ATI Blue + bulbs for blue, ATI aquablue specials for white (12k look).  I'd mix it with 2 Blue + and two aquablues for a 12-14k look and good growth.
If you really want to push the blue, then go with 3 blue +.
Those are both very high PAR bulbs, and look great as well.

 

when I bought my 4x48" fixture it had 2-10k coralife and 2-Actinic 460nm Coralife bulbs it is very very blue, too much so for my tastes. I purchased 3 geismann aqua blue + and set those up with a single 460nm actinic and the color is about perfect for my tastes.

Here is a link to the thread of comparison pics I started.

viewtopic.php?f=35&t=4166