T5 Lighting Question

[ASpec]

What bulbs would you recommend in a T5 fixture on a what will soon be a pretty heavily planted tank? The only day light bulbs I seem to be able to find are 6000K or 6500K. Every other bulb seems to have blue or actinic mixed in it.

I'm looking at 39 watt T5 bulbs... any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[rich311k]

I use 6500. It is yellow. I like it.

 

[ASpec]

I was hoping to find something in the 10K range. I am use to my 6700 and 10K lights right now... I really like the "white" look I am getting but can't seem to find T5 bulbs in this range.

 

[greenmaji]

for some reason I dont remember 10K as on option.. reefers use 5500K, 6500K and use alot of ultra blue lighting to compensate with T5-HO..
the only bulb that puts off close to that color also has 03 in it if I remember right.. I think the intent was to get blue into the tank with some added benifit of lower colors for growth.. (seemed to be popular with softy props on RC)
the GE 6500K bulb will llikely get you the best growth for FW planted.. the 5500K would acutally give you more light output if you were running low on watts/gallon (like anyone uses that spec anyway.. heh..)
in short.. I dont think they have done 10K in T5-HO.. 13,000K is the closest Ive seen.. Im not sure how well it would work for planted tanks though.. Im not remembering the top end of the K values recomended for FW planted tanks right now.. sorry guys..

 

[greenmaji]

btw.. how many bulbs do you have in the fixture?
you might consider a combo of 6500K GE with a 13000K if you have 2..
03 is ok it just doesnt help with growth much in FW planted..
HTH

 

[ASpec]

The fixture can accept 4 bulbs. Since posting this I found T5 HO 6700K and 10K bulbs over at Dr. Foster and Smith.

I am considering using 2 of the GE 6500K, 1 10K and 1 Ocean White (10K with a hint of blue). It appears from everything I am reading I wont be able to run all 4 bulbs for 12 hours per day unless I want to create alage soup, so I plan to run the GE 6500K bulbs all day and have the other 2 bulbs only on 3-4 hours per day (this will be trial and error).

for some reason I dont remember 10K as on option..

Looks like this was not an option until just recently. The only place I have found a 10K HO T5 bulb has been Dr. Foster and Smith. I guess the manufactures geared T5 towards reefers and just recently saw the need/demand for planted tanks as well.

 

[greenmaji]

do you have preasurized CO2 and ferts handy there ASpec?
your looking at roughly the equivelent of 4 VHO's over that tank light output wise 8O
you might look into getting some 03 to tone it down untill you can upgrade to preasurized CO2.. JMHO

who made the fixtures? do the reflectors look roughly parobolic.. if so.. your going to have some killer light in there 8) 8) 8)

 

[ASpec]

do you have preasurized CO2 and ferts handy there ASpec?

Sure do! I've been running fully automated/pressurized CO2 since day one. And I just started dosing ferts about a week ago.

I am going with the TEK T5 fixture from Sunlight Supply. Each bulb has it's own reflector so I am going to get some awesome light into my tank.

Thanks!

 

[Simpte]

T5s only come in 6500K and 10000K right now for freshwater tanks. Availability to my knowledge is still shaky on other spectrums. You can probably find others but it will take some time, a lot of research, and some cash.

 

[malkore]

Also, don't rule out the idea of running mostly 6500K, with one 50/50 bulb, as 50/50 usually is actinic and 10,000k.
minimal actinic use will add blue to balance out the yellowness of the 6500K. Just count half that bulbs wattage towards your total intensity, since actinic isn't a broad enough spectrum to count 100% for plant use.

 

[greenmaji]

the TEK fixture is one of the best on the market.. and yea it sounds like your reay to "ride the tiger" so Ive heard.. you might want to do a little homework on EI (enviromental indicators or something like that) to give you a good idea whats up when things start acting up. in other words do some reading before problems start.. Im sure you will be much more able to handle the nutrent demands of the plants if you have an idea what the causes of problems are..
50/50 is more like the ATI ultrablue in T5 speak and I happen to agree with malkore (I think he was trying to hammer what I said above in a little) it will wash out the yellow from the 6500K bulbs (most benifical to the plants) and from what Ive seen on RC the colors blend VERY nicely from mulitiple tube color diffences.. some peps run 4+ diffent K value tubes to get a "effect" and they all look very unique, to me at least..

 

[Toirtis]

These are great planted tank lights with great colour-temp bulbs:

http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=32853;category_id=1853;pcid1=1843;pcid2=

I now have 4.

 

[greenmaji]

wow the prices are coming down on these..
yea.. sweet find Toirtus but there not HO's.. Im pretty sure Aspec when with the HO's.. 8O BAM!! strait to high light conditions.. LOL
hows the growth going with normal output T5's Toirtis? Can you compare the growth to wattage in CF or NO? Real world experiance with these things will make judgeing the output much easier in the futrure I think (all I know is what Ive read )

 

[Hara]

I just bought 2 of the following, one for me, one for my daughter...

Odyssea T5 Fluorescent High Output 36" 78W
Includes:
Mounting brackets included.
Two prong plug.
Polished Aluminum Reflector
Two 39watt T5 High Output Bulbs
External Ballast w/quick disconnect

Mine will be going on my 20 gallon long in a month or two (or whenever I get plants that will require the high lighting), right now it will sit in a closet, but I got a good deal and couldnt pass it up. Hers is going onto a 30 gallon.
I am not sure the color of the bulbs, I am hoping they are 10k.