ACTINICS??

[RICKY81]

i am planning to buy some T5's but ran into a problem and i am trying to figure out what is the difference between:

Super Actinic --(100% "actinic blue") by UV lightning
Pure Actinic 03 -- (Pure "actinic") by Giesemann
Actinic Plus - by Giesemann
True actinic 03-- (100% "actinic blue") by ATI

i have heard that some actinics will not make your corals color glow if its not a real actinic.. i guess there is some kind of immitation actinics.

Is it just the brand??

[jc]

This is what reefgeek has to say about the actinic plus, "Combines the properties of a Pure Actinic 03 with a Blue bulb producing a unique spectrum that encourages both bluing in SPS corals and fluorescence in capable corals. Also helps balance out a washed-out/yellow hued tank".

I believe the other two are the actinic brands of each company. I've had the super actinic and it worked great.

[DSAfanatic]

I've got two actinic plus lamps on mine. I love the blue look compared to the purple look of the pure actinics. I would suggest getting both to get the best of both worlds.

[Gseclipse02]

Super Actinic --(100% "actinic blue") by UV lightning

these are really purple ... they make things pop IMO

[Gseclipse02]

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j11/gseclipse02/CIMG1616.jpg

[Gseclipse02]

the 2nd and the 4th one left to right are uv

[DSAfanatic]

Do you get enough PAR and growth with that many actinics? I have a tek 6 lamp setup and I have mine split with 3 aquablue plue, 2 actinic plus and 1 pure actinic.

[Gseclipse02]

Do you get enough PAR and growth with that many actinics? I have a tek 6 lamp setup and I have mine split with 3 aquablue plue, 2 actinic plus and 1 pure actinic.


if your asking me i have no clue i would love to find out

side note on my tank things are growing good decent colors on my zoa's .... im not doing sps anymore ... im giving up on the crap

[manhorsedog]

i can not really help you but i am looking for bulbs as well and have been told by many people the fiji purple light is one of the best you can get.

good luck

[Rychek]

From what I understand the difference between the bulbs is wavelength. True Actinic 03 peaks at 420 nm while the Blue bulbs are closer to 460 nm (though each manufacturer has a different total spectrum for each bubl). 420 nm light is what brings out florescence in capable organisms.

[hobogato]

i just switched from uri super actinic (mainly 420 nm) to ati blue plus (mix of 420 nm and 460 nm), which is the same spectrum as geissman aquablue, and everything has more color in my tank now. the par is also much higher with tthe blue plus bulbs. the overall appearance of the tank is more blue than it was before, but it balances perfectly with the sunlight i have coming into my tank. i posted some pics last night and today in my thread.

http://www.maast.org/forums/showthread.php?t=48053&page=21

[JimD]

Ace, gotta link to those bulbs and where you got them? What ballast are you using?

[hobogato]

i bought them at B&B here is SA. i am running two 39 watters and two 54 watters on a workhorse 7 ballast

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/Replacement_Bulbs/T5_Fluorescent/39W_Blue_Plus_T5_HO_Fluorescent_by_ATI

[JimD]

Thanks, what would you suggest for a three, possibly four bulb settup as far as bulbs, endcaps and reflectors go, Im hoping these will work on an Icecap 430 ballast?

[hobogato]

not sure jim, since i am dealing with sunlight, i needed these really blue bulbs. more than one would overpower just about any other bulb.

[JimD]

Thats right,,,... Im using 10k, sunlights 5.5k so Id imagine half of what youre using maybe.

[gjuarez]

Jim, an icecap 430 will only power two bulbs. For a three or a four bulb setup you need a 660. WIth my t5 setup, I went all icecap for reflectors, endcaps and standoffs. Couldnt be happier. Also, icecap ballasts overdrive t5 bulbs so you might be able to get away with two bulbs. I also got all my stuff from reefgeek

[JimD]

I just ordered a Workhorse 7 from Frederick at Coralreefbazaar, should be here tomorrow. Already have the encaps, standoffs and reflectors. I will have enough gear to run up to four bulbs if needed. Now I just need to decide on which bulbs I need to balance out the Reeflux 10k. Thanks for the feedback! Anyone switch from VHO's to T5 actinics care to offer a review?

lux 1

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[brewercm]

I switched from VHO Actinics and MH bulbs to an all T5 fixture and love it. Absolutely no heat and as far as the actinics go they were both made by the same company so I really can't tell a difference. I'm running the UV actinics which are made by same company that made the URI VHO's I was currently using.

[JimD]

If you were still using halides, which would you choose, VHO or T5's for actinics and why besides heat?