I'm using them over a frag/grow-out tank, 2x39watts.  What would you recommend?  Best brand? K rating?  Do I bother with actinics?

Ok found this on RC, in case anyone else is interested

LINK to T5 info

I would go with one "blue" and one "daylight" something like an actinic+ and an aquablue+.........I run Giesemann for those...you could also look at KZ or aquascience...but with 2 bulbs I'd say one blue and one daylight look would be best

Oh, I will be getting another 2 bulbs on a 12" wide 16" deep 36" long tank.......so 4 bulbs total.

Or you could go with 1 actinic+ and 1 KZ fiji purple. It will give you more of a blue look than the 10K. Totally up to you on if you care about the color or not. If you want growth, go with 2 10Ks or the daylight bulbs like Ryan suggested.

is this a retro setup? are they under individual reflectors?

Posted By rc1214b on 11/23/2008 07:32 PM
is this a retro setup? are they under individual reflectors?

Yes retro.... I'm going to try and squeeze four individual reflectors in, if it doesn't fit I will have to use one big one, but I'm thinking individual reflectors would reflect more light.  I have one 2 bulb retro kit now and want to get another.

you might want to give the 2 bulb retro a try first and see how your corals do, honestly you might not need more over that tank, esp if they are just frags. What ballast is running them?

I was one of the lucky people that got to go to dinner with Anthony Calfo the night before the Fall Fest. In discussing various factors about lighting, he said that T5's bulbs will not last very long without cooling fans. Just thought I'd share that.

Posted By RobynT on 11/24/2008 02:15 AM
I was one of the lucky people that got to go to dinner with Anthony Calfo the night before the Fall Fest. In discussing various factors about lighting, he said that T5's bulbs will not last very long without cooling fans. Just thought I'd share that.

Thanks Robyn, I plan on adding a fan to my kit, as it didn't come with one (Sunlight Supply kit).

Ryan- I originally thought 2 would be plenty, but after reading and reading some more it seems like 4 is the minimum if I want to combine some of the different colors in the spectrum.  If I'm going to be building a simply canopy, I want to make sure I either do it for 4 or 2 right off the bat instead of going back........ I guess if it's way too much light, I could always remove 2 of the bulbs fairly easily.  I don't really know what to expect, as I've never run T5's before.

Oh, it's a Workhorse ballast....... I know, not the best, but it's what I got

I was just catching up on GIRS and found this thread... I don't know if you've ordered your bulbs yet or not but I've had great luck with UVL, with the exception of their AquaSun bulbs, they made my tank look pink. I used ActinicWhite instead.

ATI bulbs are excellent. I use aquablue and blueplus bulbs.

Posted By tibbs2 on 12/03/2008 11:21 AM
ATI bulbs are excellent. I use aquablue and blueplus bulbs.

I'll second that. I just think the color is awesome.