whats the best single t5 bulb to supliment leds with

[gpx1200]

im putting my current diy led setup into a new hood so im thinking of adding a single t5 to add some more color spectrum to the tank.
the leds are mostly cree cool white and royal blue with a few neutral white and 460blues mixt in.
I want something with a broad spectrum but is somewhat blue in appearance im thinking of a giesemen aquablue plus or midday, the gieseman bulbs seem to have the fullest output across the spectrum compaired to the other brands.
ive never used t5 before so im looking for some opinions for people who have used them with leds or alone
thanks

 

[gpx1200]

also can someone tell me how long a 48inch t5 bulb and the standoffs will be I read somwear that t5s are shorter than other bulbs

 

[Dashiki]

Ati blue plus is what I would recommend. If you have the room put one on each side of your led light. That's what I did before upgrading to the ati led hybrid.

 

[RMc]

I'm also very interested in this. Having had the ati blue plus before, their output is similar to a UV/ royal blue / blue led mix. I was thinking that maybe one of the full spectrum whites or purple plus bulbs would better compliment the LEDs.

 

[Intheflesh]

I was thinking of buying a hybrid t5/led myself.

My thoughts: since the LEDs can provide plenty of blues, I was thinking of going with a whiter bulb, like an ATI coral plus to supplement the LEDs.... especially because the fixture I was looking at doesn't have any white leds!

 

[Dashiki]

I was thinking of buying a hybrid t5/led myself.

My thoughts: since the LEDs can provide plenty of blues, I was thinking of going with a whiter bulb, like an ATI coral plus to supplement the LEDs.... especially because the fixture I was looking at doesn't have any white leds!

If your talking about the pacsun they make a hybrid version. I would buy that if I had the choice. I wanted more t5 than led which is why I went with the ati

 

[Dashiki]

I run 5 B+, 2 C+ and a P+

Then my LEDs go from blue plus to coral plus back to blue plus throughout the day. Then fade into moonlight.

 

[gpx1200]

I wound up going with a giesman blue pluss it has similar output in the blue range to the ati blue pluss but a lot more in the red green yello range

 

[SteveDola]

if you have blues and white Leds and you only have 1 T5 bulb to supplement then I would use a Purple plus bulb seeing you dont have that color accounted for in your set up... either that or a KZ new gen for a good overall balanced bulb. The little bit of violet and red from the P+ would compliment the blue/white leds
http://glassbox-design.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/ati-purple-plus.jpg

 

[gpx1200]

this is the giesemann
pretty similar to the ait but with green and orange witch my leds have almost none of

 

[RMc]

One of the biggest drops in LED setups is in the high 400's and low 500's. I'd think if you wanted a more natural look, something like the Geisemann midday sun would be a great supplemental bulb for 75% led 25% t5 setups.

If I could start fresh with my led setup I'd go with a broad blue + UV LED spread, Neutral/Warm white, deep red + a geisemann midday and an ATI purple plus. If I could only do one T5 I'd go with the midday + some additional red or warm white LED's.

Here's why

Common LED Rig:

Geiseman Mid day:

Sunlight:

So for this reason I think that the midday 6000 or similar bulb would best supplement LEDs for a more natural look. For more actinic and to better accentuate florescence I'd go with the purple plus.