T5 4 bulb fixture help!

[AdamC]

I have a T5 4 bulb fixture. It is 48 inches long. It has 2 day lights and 2 blue lights. I am looking to replace the bulbs but need to know if they will handle corals and fish. Or if there is something better I can replace the bulbs with?

Thanks for any help!

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

Where did you get your fixture? I bought one just like yours (except it was shorter in length) and the stock bulbs were perfectly fine. All of my corals have grown alot with those bulbs. I switched the bulbs around in the fixture because i like the white color more then the blue, so i put the blue bulbs in back right next to eachother, it was also good because i was able to controll all the blue bulbs with 1 timer.

My fixture is from fishneedit.com

 

[AdamC]

I bought mine used from someone off of craigslist the bulbs are two years old so I have a red slime issue right now( also got the tank from him). He bought it from our LFS. I cant seem to find much advice from people on any of the forums on the T5 lights. And there are ton of options for bulbs. And I dont always trust the LFS people but looks like I am going to have too.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Whether it will be sufficient for corals greatly depends on the depth of the tank and the types of corals you're wanting to keep. 4x t5ho is sufficient for a lot of corals in general, but the difference in a shallow tank and a deep tank is pretty big in terms of what you can keep lower down. For replacement bulbs, I'd look in to ATI. I have one of each - blue plus, coral plus, purple plus, aquablue special. The color combo is really up to you. My tank is blue, but not so blue that everything gets washed out.

 

[carey]

I run T5's on a few of my tanks. really good lighting option and a 4 bulb setup should allow you to keep most corals.

How big is your tank? if it's a 55g then you should be good. If it's a 75g pr a 90g then you might have some issues with some corals if ypu go with just 4 bulbs.

As far as actual bulbs, I have stuck with ATI brand and have been very very happy with them. On my 4 bulb fixtures I go with 2 ATI aquablue plus (white lights) and 2 ATI blue plus (actinic/blue). It keeps that nasty yellow out of the light and gives a nice chill color to your tank. The difference in stock bulbs and the ATI's are night and day, you wouldn't believe the difference they will make.

 

[AdamC]

I run a 75 gallon tank. I have heard good things about ATI just having trouble finding them at a good price that doesnt have 20$ shipping!
I was thinking maybe I could do one blue, purple or would that look obnoxious?

 

[mfdrookie516]

Aquacave is the best place I've found for bulbs. They don't charge any additional shipping, just the $4.99 (I think) flat rate.

You only listed 2. Contrary to the name, the purple plus is not purple. If anything, it's a light blue (IMO at least).