8 Tube T5 Combinations
Date Published - 28th August 2013 - Published by - iQuatics Ltd
The combinations we are suggesting below are a guideline only. Every fish keeper has different opinions on the colours that they prefer. The most popular combinations that we find are used in the aquarium hobby are marked with a *.
Colours can vary slightly depending on the position of the tubes. You can position the tubes however you like in your own aquarium setup.
Combination 1:
4 White 4 Actinic
You will have a nice balanced colour as the 4 actinic tubes will wash out the yellow hue in the white tubes. Coral growth will be limited as the actinic tubes help to bring out the coral fluorescence but don’t contribute towards the coral growth dramatically.
Combination 2:
3 Aquablue 50:50, 3 x Blue Plus, 2 x Purple
Overall this option will give you a larger blue tint, penetrating the light to the lower depths of the tank. Coral growth will be good and the fluorescents of your fish enhanced, however you may find it too blue for your taste.
Combination 3:
8 x Aquablue 50:50
The use of 8 x 50:50 are quite popular. The overall coral growth will be good and the volume of light in your tank will be maximised at all depths, however using 6 of the same tube will mean you can’t slightly change the effect by altering the position of the tubes, unlike the other combinations. You will have a clinical blue tint to your tank with this setup.
Combination 4:
4 White 3 Blue Actinic 1 Purple*
This combination will help to bring out the natural colours of your corals and fish but you will have a slight yellow hue across the tank. The actinic tube will help to reduce this hue and will bring out the fluorescent colours in your corals. The Purple tube will enhance the reds and purples within your tank as well as providing an increased PAR for overall growth at all levels of your aquarium.
Combination 5:
8 x Tropical*
This is the most popular combination for a tropical setup as the pink hue enhances the reds in your tropical fish and the low kelvin promotes healthy plant growth.
Combination 6:
2 White 3 Aquablue 50:50, 2 Blue Plus, 1 Purple*
This combination will give you an overall slight blue tint to the tank enhancing the natural fluorescents of the corals and fish. The Purple tube will enhance the reds and purples within your tank as well. The Aquablue are fantastic contributors to healthy coral growth as well as washing out the yellow tint to the white tubes. The blue plus will penetrate to deeper levels giving you more light at the bottom of your tank.
Combination 7:
4 White, 3 Blue Plus, 1 Purple*
This combination is mainly for colouration, it does help towards growth but a combination mainly for aesthetic purpose. Good for enhancing blues and red hues in your tank. The blue plus and purple tubes will help to balance out the slight yellow hue given off by the white tubes. Suitable for tanks of a medium depth (up to 18-24 inches).
Combination 8:
4 Aquablue, 3 Blue Plus, 1 Purple
Overall this option will give you a larger blue tint to the tank, penetrating the light to the lower depths. Coral growth will be good and fluorescence of your fish enhanced, however you may find it too blue for your taste.
Combination 9:
5 Aquablue, 2 Blue Plus, 1 Purple*
This combination will help to bring out the fluorescents of your corals and fish but it is more focused on growth. The Aquablue are fantastic contributors to healthy coral growth while the blue plus will penetrate to deeper levels and the purple will enhance the reds and purples within your tank.
Combination 10:
3 White, 3 Aquablue, 1 Blue Plus, 1 Purple
This combination will give you an overall slight blue tint to the tank enhancing the natural fluorescents of the corals and fish. The Purple tube will enhance the reds and purples within your tank as well. The Aquablue are fantastic contributors to healthy coral growth as well as washing out the yellow tint to the white tubes. The blue plus will penetrate to deeper levels giving you more light at the bottom of your tank.
Combination 11
3 White, 3 Blue Plus, 1 Aquablue, 1 Purple*
This combination offers a well-balanced light with a slight blue tint. The Blue plus will penetrate to the lower depths of the tank and alongside the AquaBlue 50:50 will help to reduce the slight yellow hue of the white tubes. The Aquablue 50:50 is a fantastic contributor to coral growth and the purple will enhance the purples and reds within the aquarium.
Combination 12:
7 AquaBlue 50:50, 1 Purple
The overall coral growth will be good and the volume of light in your tank will be maximised at all depths however using 5 of the same tube will mean you can’t slightly change the effect by altering the position of the tubes unlike with the other combinations. The purple will help bring out the reds and purple colours in your corals and fish you will have an overall blue tint to your tank with this setup.
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