T-5/T-5HO Reflector 300%+

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greenmaji

Aquarium Advice Addict
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9-bend reflector made of German 95% reflective aluminum......ect. ect. ect... Is just the reflector available or do you have to purchase a entire lighting fixture with MH to get a couple of these?
 
im not sure, i ordered mine off ebay with a mogul attached to it for 40 bucks shipped. I just got my new ballast in today, just waiting on the bulb and i shall be ready to rock
 
I've done a little research on the T5 HO retro kits. With some advice from a few members on RC I will go with the Sunlight Supply Tek retro kit. They come with SLS reflectors but for a little more you can upgrade to these reflectors

http://www.reefgeek.com/products/category_indexes/1-15_lighting_icecap_-_t5_slr.html

Its suppose to be a little extra boost of light. Reefgeek.com comes highly recommended from the guys at RC.

HTH
Stephen
 
The cheapest price I can find 65watt CF bulbs is $5.00 each in bulk, about $7.50 when bought 4 at a time... the best price Ive found on 54watt T-5 HO bulbs is $20.00..
Is the life expectancy on a T-5 HO together with the output increase from better shape for reflection worth the added cost of the bulbs?
 
The T5 bulbs are 2-4 times more expensive but they last twice as long. Also when you consider saving 11 watts of electricity per bulb over an 18 month span it helps make up the difference. The reflectors on the T5's allow for much better light penetration which will help since I would like to keep a clam on the sand in my 90 gal. I probably couldn't do this well with other fluorescents. Also a bonus to T5's is less heat. From the reading I've done it seems that bulb prices will come down as they become more popular in the US. All these factors have made up my mind. I will be switching from my 4x65 PC fixture to a 6x54 T5 retro.
 
here is my approximation on the electrical savings..
assuming a 11watt savings..
12 hours a day.. average time span.. 18 months.. with an average 30 days in each month.. $5.70
CF will need to be replaced every 12 months compared to 18 months.. so that would be a 2 T-5 HO bulbs for every 3 CF bulbs replaced..
at current prices that would be a $10 loss at worst..
the penetration for a tank under 20 inches tall IF the CF has a reflector at all should not be much of an issue if you have enough CF bulbs.. to the best of my knowledge..
so I am assuming in my case.. with a standard 75 gallon tank if I do a sufficient job cooling the fixture.. CF might be a better choice.. ???????
or is the penetration more of an issue then I think.. like 18 or 16 inches being the threshold?
 
The amount of penetration you need depends on your critters. I will not have SPS but I'd love to keep a clam on the sand bed. I believe on my 90 gal that T5 will be best. I don't know what the threshold actually is but I think were close in assuming it may be the difference between a 20" and 24" high tank. I do understand that CF is less expensive. The attributes I listed above for T5's just help me justify paying a little extra for them. I will have my Coralife CF retro kit up for sale a little later. It's just under a year old and nothing is wrong with it except I want a little more light.
 
The reflector that I started this thread about seems to make T-5 HO up to 3 times more effective per tube.. that's going to make it cheaper in how many bulbs needed for the amount of light wanted(needed for the inhabitants wanted).. So.. T-5 HO just might be the way to go.. Im still looking into it..
 
You're right about that. T5 setups get all their benefit from the reflectors. I will say that I did a lot of research about T5's on Reef Central. There is a member there that goes by the name Grim Reefer that has done a lot of research with a par meter on T5's. I don't remember the exact numbers but he said that the Icecap SLR reflectors provided about 20% more light than the Sunlight Tek SLS reflectors. That's free light in my book.
In my case I was thinking of adding another 4 bulb CF fixture, but I believe a 6x54 watt T5 will provide more light to the critters than 8x65 watt CF. When I start comparing 6 bulbs that use less electricity and last longer than 8 CF bulbs, I can justify the cost of the new kit. I'm not trying to talk you into going with T5, I'm just letting you know what thoughts went through my mind when thinking about lighting.
 
A thought just occured to me last night...
A 2-F32T8 ballast (~$7.00 at HD) should put 64watts into one of these T-5 HO bulbs.

Im trying to figure out the PAR #'s that would be nesissary for high light needs inhabitants in a 75 gallon tank..
and what the PAR #'s are for one of these T-5 HO bulbs with the Icecap SLR reflector.
In other words, what would be the maximum number of T-5 HO bulbs with the above reflectors would be needed over my 75 gallon tank for say clams.
 
I'm not completely sure of par #'s. Grim over on Reef Central is the one that seems to be most knowledgeable with T5's. His advice for my 90 gal was the 6 bulb for clams and any low light corals will have to be shaded. I do remember that the GE 6500K sun bulb gave the most par of any bulb he tested. He recommended only one since it gives more of a yellowish/green tint. I will see if I can find some threads with the advice he gave me maybe this can help.
 
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