Burning in new T5 bulbs (also known as seasoning bulbs) by running them for a full 50 hours at 100% prior to dimming is an absolute MUST. This burn in period is strongly recommended by ATI and other T5 bulb manufactures as it allows the phosphors to be properly distributed throughout the whole T5 bulb and failure to do so will likely lead to spectrum shift and premature bulb failure.
Below are our recommended procedures for burning in bulbs on a new fixture…
First Time Set-up: Burning in Bulbs on New Dimmable SunPower Fixture
Away from Tank Method (Recommended with Animals Present)
- Install all your bulbs with labeled end of the bulb over the small hole in the fixture housing.
- Hang the fixture in an area away from your aquarium.
- Run the following program for 3 full days.
Channels 1 & 2
- 00:01 On
- 00:02 100%
- 20:00 100%
- 20:00 Off
- 00:00 —%
- 00:00 —%
- 00:00 —%
- 00:00 —%
- 00:00 —%
- 00:00 —%
Over Tank Method (Recommended for Empty Aquariums)
- Install all your bulbs with the labeled end of the bulb over the small hole in the fixture housing.
- Hang the fixture over your aquarium.
- Run the following program for 5 full days.
- If corals are present, please CAREFULLY monitor the health of corals and tank inhabitants every day. The light output (PAR) from the Dimmable SunPower is high and your corals may need time to adjust / acclimate to the new output. If you think it’s too much light for your corals, you should raise the fixture up higher over the tank and/or add egg crate or screen over the top of your tank to reduce the amount of light reaching your corals.
Channels 1 & 2
- 08:00 On
- 08:01 100%
- 18:00 100%
- 18:00 Off
- 00:00 —%
- 00:00 —%
- 00:00 —%
- 00:00 —%
- 00:00 —%
- 00:00 —%
Tell us if you have any additional tricks or recommendations for how to burn in / season your bulbs prior to dimming. We would love to hear from you, so please post in the comments below!