"T5 Lighting" Vs "The Rest"

J

jay

New Member
After looking around at lighting options, I've noticed something rather odd. Correct me if I'm mistaken, but T5's seem to be a great option for lighting in aquarium with a little bit of this and that (minus SPS).
My question would be, why is it that T5 bulbs are brighter with less wattage? I'm looking into getting a retro fit kit (looks pricey). We have a cat in the house and I need a canopy to keep her from going fishing.
I'm looking for the inside scoop b4 I decide to invest.

Advice?

Suggestions?

Alternatives?

Pro's and Con's?

Thanks Gang!
Jay
 
J

johnanddawn

New Member
T5, NO, PC, VHO all are basically the same thing - florescent lighting is flourescent lighting. The advantage in T5's have are:
1) lower energy consumption
2) longer bulb life some say up to two years
3) size (5/8") allows for very effiecient reflectors to get the max amount of light into the tank
4) many choices in spectrum color temp and brands

major con - cost - to get the most out of T5's you need to have a good e-ballast, high quality reflectors, and high quality bulbs - anything less then the best and your not getting the benifit of T5 lighting.
 
R

reefman23

New Member
johnanddawn said:
T5, NO, PC, VHO all are basically the same thing - florescent lighting is flourescent lighting. The advantage in T5's have are:
1) lower energy consumption
2) longer bulb life some say up to two years
3) size (5/8") allows for very effiecient reflectors to get the max amount of light into the tank
4) many choices in spectrum color temp and brands

major con - cost - to get the most out of T5's you need to have a good e-ballast, high quality reflectors, and high quality bulbs - anything less then the best and your not getting the benifit of T5 lighting.
Click to expand...

Well said. I can say, though, that the upfront cost can pay off in the long run in that the lamps only need to be changes every 18-24 months if they are properly cooled and not being overdriven by a IC ballast. You get huge flexibilty in color temp because of the huge assortment of lamps.

I can tell you this though. High Output T5's... or T5HO's can easily support even the most light-demanding clams and SPS. They can also easily bleach corals that arent properly acclimated. They can also penetrate deeper that even 250 watt MHs... dont listen to anyone who tries to tell you otherwise. Here is the proof: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showt ... genumber=8 Check out the comparison pictures using a light meter ina large, deep tank (about 1/3 the way down the page).


What size tank do you plan on using these one, and what exactly do you want to house coral-wise? I highly recommend www.reefgeek.com for all of your lighting needs! lol Great customer service, prices and selection. Their retro kit prices include the 2 lamps of your choice and a great ballast, waterproof endcaps, wiring, instructions... everything you need.

HTH,

Jesse

BTW, I am really starting to feel like the T5 pusher around here! Sorry if it is getting old!
 
J

jay

New Member
This lighting to go on a 46 Gallon bow front tank. After adding LR and Sand we ended up with 35 gallons of water.

Tank is made by All-Glass
36x15x20


The T5HOs are seriously interesting me.... from what I have read, they sound great. But not many reefs seem to be using them.

We not sure about what we want to stock the aquarium with. We do want a few simple basic corals. We're newbies and don't want to get in over my head by rushing into things.

So far our tank has completed it's cycle. Nothing to special aside from that.

We were thinking of adding a few clams but when the time is right (and I don't think that will be any time soon).

Jay
 
R

reefman23

New Member
That tank is a perfect candidate IMO.

As far as many reef tanks not using them, they are relatively new technology and it will just be a matter of time. Many people are using them to supplement their lower kelvin MHs, but an all-T5HO tank is not as common.

Here are some examples of all-T5ho tanks (A little inspiration ;-)):

Of course one of the most popular all-T5HO SPS systems is Iwan's pictured here: http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/enlarge.php/2517
And here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthrea ... ght=zeovit
And if you can translate it: http://www.hausriff.ch/113548/148260.html



Jesse
 
A

aquemeni5110

New Member
Jesse - :lol: I can't wait to try out the T5's. I'm just waiting for a DHL claim to refund me on that damage sunpod I bought off eBay. I really like olliereefers tank. It's really colorful :shock:

Jay - Nice choice. I love a bow front. :thumbup:
 
J

jay

New Member
aquemeni5110 said:
Jay - Nice choice. I love a bow front. :thumbup:
Click to expand...
Thx Aquemeni5110!
I love the look of our Bow Front, it makes me feel as if I'm right inside it!
I'm still working on picking up a T5 setup of some kind. I'm trying to save up a few dollars and make sure I get something good. I figure I'll be spending more for the T5 setup but in the long run I'll be saving on the cost of the bulbs and on my electrical bill :langle

Jay
 
R

reefman23

New Member
jay said:
I'm still working on picking up a T5 setup of some kind. I'm trying to save up a few dollars and make sure I get something good. I figure I'll be spending more for the T5 setup but in the long run I'll be saving on the cost of the bulbs and on my electrical bill :langle

Jay
Click to expand...
Whatever you do, make sure teh setup has individual parabolic reflectors. SOme companies produce less expensive fixtures with one large reflector... this really takes away the main advantage that T5s have over all other lighting options.

Jesse
 
J

jay

New Member
reefman23 said:
And if you can translate it: http://www.hausriff.ch/113548/148260.html
Jesse
Click to expand...
This is the translated page for those out there who don't speak German.

Link : http://translate.google.com/translate?u ... uage_tools

reefman23 said:
Whatever you do, make sure teh setup has individual parabolic reflectors. SOme companies produce less expensive fixtures with one large reflector... this really takes away the main advantage that T5s have over all other lighting options.

Jesse
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tips Jesse!! I'll keep you posted with what I end up getting.

Cheers,
Jay
 
K

KidNano

New Member
Jay,

If you don't have your light yet.

I just got a Tek T5 retrofit kit and I love it for the price. $118. You have to wire it all yourself and you'll have to build your own hood, but if you're handy with that then this is a great cheap option.
 
J

jay

New Member
hmmm....
Jay,

If you don't have your light yet.

I just got a Tek T5 retrofit kit and I love it for the price. $118. You have to wire it all yourself and you'll have to build your own hood, but if you're handy with that then this is a great cheap option.
_________________
Cris
Click to expand...
I'm going to have to run the idea pasted 'the lady' of the house, and see what she thinks. I'll keep you posted.

Thx!
Jay
 
J

jay

New Member
reefman23 said:
I figured that, although this thread has sort of wrapped up, I should add this link...

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showt ... id=1074168

There you will find all sorts of T5HO-only tanks that are supporting SPS tanks quite well.

Jesse
Click to expand...
Thanks Jesse!
Those are some really great pics!
I think I'm going to go the T5 route for lighting... I'm just trying mature my tank a little more by switching out the lighting - I'm trying to save up a few extra bucks for the purchase.

Cheers,
J
 
T

The Kapenta Kid

New Member
I'm encouraged by what I read here. I bought a 4x24 T5 fixture for my 15 gal Nano because of price and simplicity since I am completely new to marine. I figgered it would at least support softies and maybe some less light-demamding hard corals. I like the technology compared to pouring juice and heat into a tank via MH lamps.
 
R

reefman23

New Member
The Kapenta Kid said:
I'm encouraged by what I read here. I bought a 4x24 T5 fixture for my 15 gal Nano because of price and simplicity since I am completely new to marine. I figgered it would at least support softies and maybe some less light-demamding hard corals. I like the technology compared to pouring juice and heat into a tank via MH lamps.
Click to expand...
What fixture did you get? Because you mentioned it was affordable, I assume it has one large reflector as opposed to individual reflectors for every lamp. This significantly affects the total output of the fixture and you really cant compare them to MH at that point. The key point to understand with the numbers and pictures that you see with T5HO lighting is that they are so effective and efficient because of the thin diameter of the lamp that allows for a very high amount of light being reflected back down into the tank. Without those individual reflectors, the output is still higher that a PC fixture, but you arent going to be able to expect as much lighting as from a Tek or an ATI fixture fo example.

Jesse
 
T

The Kapenta Kid

New Member
reefman23 said:
What fixture did you get?
Jesse
Click to expand...
It's a Current Nova Extreme 4x24 and it just has one big reflector, but I am going to retrofit four individual ones--that will add to the cost of course. Believe me, anything is affordable if you can buy it in the US with the current dollar and ship it to Europe compared to our prices.
I didn't mean to criticize MH lighting which appears to be the current standard for heavy light intensive applications, it's just that for a beginner like me it was encouraging to hear that T5 was not exactly Betamax :mrgreen:
 
S

shaggydoo541

New Member
T5 is far from betamax. It is the 'max' as far as lighting is concerned. I went from 250w HQI pendant MH over my 18G (that is right! a 10k DE MH 250W over an 18G!), yet with my new setup (all t5), there was severe (and I mean severe, I almost lost several corals) bleaching. My SPS dominated tank is very happy with t5 and I will never go back to an energy hogging MH system. I have a crocea in my sandbed and it loves my T5 lighting as does a few other SPS and also some very colorful zoas which I have in my sandbed. I can't praise t5 enough!
 
T

The Kapenta Kid

New Member
Thanks for the T5 comments shaggydoo. I am contemplating upgrading my 50 gal FOWLR with better lighting to grow reef inverts. It just has standard T8 tubes at present. I had been wondering if I had to bite the bullet and go MH but you encourage me to think that T5 will do the job.
What is your new T5 setup? You would probably be using 24 inch 24W bulbs on that size tank.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top