T-5 lighting

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phish7740 said:
i was talking to my lfs and he doesnt like t5s

said that they loose 40-50% of luminens in 4-6 months. which means major $ on bulb changes since t5 bulbs are about $20+ each.

i have been looking into them and now rethinking either PC or MH



I've been reading around and everything says that the bulbs last anywhere from 1.5 to 2 years before they need to be replaced including the manufacture,This was the main driver for getting these lights.
 
I would like to know where he gets his data from....

I agree...remember LFS, sometimes it is better to get different opinions online...They just want to make money and I think MH are more costly bulbs, not to mention electric bill.
 
The main issue with the bulb life is keeping the bulbs cool, especially if they are being overdriven by the icecap 660 ballasts. Provide plenty of ventilation and airflow, and the bulb life is supposedly well over a year.

Just a note, everything I've posted here is not from personal experiance, at least not yet. But rather from a couple of months of investigating which lighting I want to use on my 125 gallon tank I'm converting from freshwater. I decided on the 6 bulb 60" retrofit kit from reefgeek, with the icecap 660 ballasts. I built my own hood, with 4 integrated 90mm fans, open back for ventilation, and two ventilation 'vents' in the top of the hood. Hopefully all my research pays off! :)
 
he is using them on his 20gal fish tanks.

thats what i thought that they are cooler temp and last longer.

390w pc 60" $285
300w mh+220 vho 60" $570
480w T5 60" $390

all from aquauniverse.com best prices i can find and they are only 1-2 days away shipping time.

http://www.bulbbarn.com/quicksearch.aspx?search=t5&start=0&sort=
this site says a 54w 48" 15K 4450 lum will last 3000-5000 hours which should be 12-14 months at 8-10 hours a day

more intersting reading
http://www.facilitiesnet.com/ms/article.asp?id=2075

and General Electric rates hours at 30,000 which is over 8 years.????this cant be true?
http://www.geconsumerproducts.com/p...es/lighting/commercial_lighting/06_T5_30k.htm

philips lighting website rates them at 20,000 hours also

from what i read i think the decrease in lumens over time is much less with T5 than MH
 
my friend that owns a hydroponic store and sells t5 lights said that the bulbs will hold more luminens than MH over their 1-2 year lifespan. so basicly after a year the t5 will still be putting out 80% and MH onl 50%
 
add in the cost for replacment and the Pro's far out weigh the Con's of going to T-5 lighting. plus they last longer...
 
I have that nova extreme unit (216) and just replaced a 265 PC with it... huge difference.. the tank is waaaay brighter looking now, quite happy with it..
 
YOu have all heard different stuffy but ever since I started in SW all I have read and heard was that PC are the longest lastign bulb and MH bulbs typically need to be replace sooner.

I have heard that PC need replacment each year and that MH last 6-8 months before replacment is needed. I am sure different bulbs and different setups will give different lifespans to the bulbs but I have never heard of a MH lasting over a year.

Again none of us are bulb experts but liek I said the majority of information I have run across is that the MH are great for reefs but they are more costly and need replacment more often than VHO or PC
 
The T5 I have are just VHO lights, I bought the 216W ones too. It also has acitinc (sp?) and lunar lights.
I am curious of all the folks that just bought the T5 lighting, did you all get an algae bloom?
 
Upwards of 8+ WPG to keep SPS and Clams but wait for the more experienced to answer. No matter what you will defiantly need metal halides.
 
I beg to differ. Many people are getting awesome results from their SPS using T-5's. You still need alot of light of course but I wouldn't say you have to have MH to grow SPS.
 
I have T5 and love them, I just switched the bulbs after a year and a half.
Here is a funny little story. I was at the local fish store and was asking about a coral and the guy asked me what type of lighting I have. I replied T5's, he said No for this coral you need PC the t5's arent as good as the PC. I said really? I thought they where better, no no you need some PC and then proceeded to try to sell me some. then the other fish store guy comes up and says those corals are not photo synthetic and dont need light, that is the tank below. I not being a newb, like this guy thought I was already knew this and just wanted to hear what this jerk had to say. He then said oh woops my bad, brain fart.


So let that be a lesson to you all, they are only out to make money!
I dont buy anything from that place, I just go in to look
I can buy anything I want online and have it overnighted to me and still pay less that that store.
 
I have T5 and love them, I just switched the bulbs after a year and a half.
Here is a funny little story. I was at the local fish store and was asking about a coral and the guy asked me what type of lighting I have. I replied T5's, he said No for this coral you need PC the t5's arent as good as the PC. I said really? I thought they where better, no no you need some PC and then proceeded to try to sell me some. then the other fish store guy comes up and says those corals are not photo synthetic and dont need light, that is the tank below. I not being a newb, like this guy thought I was already knew this and just wanted to hear what this jerk had to say. He then said oh woops my bad, brain fart.


So let that be a lesson to you all, they are only out to make money!
I dont buy anything from that place, I just go in to look
I can buy anything I want online and have it overnighted to me and still pay less that that store.

I really really hate LFS ppls who don't know what they are talking about and still try to "help" customers out

I went to this LFS and told this azn guy that I was having cyano. He asked how long is my light cycle? I told him 12hours/day. He said "no! u don't need that much light. I have a 120G at home and i only turn on the light whenever i want to see the fish, so my light cycle is only 4 hours. The max ur light can be on is 6 hours" I was like "I have corals tho". He said "I do too, they don't need light" ...

My dad and I got in a big agruement when we got home b/c my dad believed the guy and thought we should reduce the light cycle to save some money... I was ready to go back to the store and beat up that guy lol jk

Anyway got alil off track there hehe
 
Yes, I've had a diatom bloom since upgrading to the T5's... I just scrape off the glass every few days when it starts to get a little cloudy..from what I read that's fairly common and not a 'bad thing'
 
I just hooked up my 6 bulb 80 watt DIY canopy (72" canopy, 60" bulbs). Not on the tank yet, just the canopy top sitting upside down on the pool table. When I plugged it all in, and wow, very bright! It was at night when I did this, my kids were out back with some friends, and they had to come in to see what the heck that bright light was! Can't wait to see it actually on the tank:

cover001.JPG
 
roka64 said:
I would like to know where he gets his data from....

I agree...remember LFS, sometimes it is better to get different opinions online...They just want to make money and I think MH are more costly bulbs, not to mention electric bill.

Absolutely. I went to the LFS and spoke to this punk who tried to tell me that these "special" PC lights they had were cooler than regular fluros. He tried to convince me that he has no more heat issues in summer with the water temperature.

I had my doubts and felt like I was being sold.

I got home and called a different branch of the same chain and asked about the same lights, without mentioning the other store, and was told that they definately get hot and I'll need a chiller.

Frankly, I don't trust much of a word from any LFS and rely more on what forums like these suggest.
 
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