T-5 lighting for the 55 gallon

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Std lighted hood bulb upgrades

Well, if I were to go with a stock type hood, can I change up the type of bulbs I use like say something my petstore recommended called something like a 50/50?
Still like the idea of the T-5. Convince me the std hood can make the tank look as nice. (added moonlight LED's would be a nice touch, but how?) I don't want to waste my $$ and turn around and end up getting a T-5 lunar fixture.
 
Can someone explain how the actinic and daylight bulbs are used for a morning evening transition or dusk/dawn effect?
I have never had anything but std/stock light fixtures.
Thanks!
 
well, you would just put the 2 bulbs on timers...oops...this fixture only has one cord. that means you can't do the morning evening thing, but what you do is put both lamps on timers, and turn the actinic on in the morning, then about 2 hours later, both lamps on...then about 2 hours before night, you turn the daylight back off again, so you end up with just the blue bulb on for an hour or two before darkness.
the morning evening thing is for humans anyway. fish are going to be just as startled with an actinic lamp flicking on as a daylight lamp IMO.
 
Well, if I were to go with a stock type hood, can I change up the type of bulbs I use like say something my petstore recommended called something like a 50/50?
Still like the idea of the T-5. Convince me the std hood can make the tank look as nice. (added moonlight LED's would be a nice touch, but how?) I don't want to waste my $$ and turn around and end up getting a T-5 lunar fixture.


No you cannot.The ballast is rated for only a certain wattage. You would need to retrofit.

And no. Those lights are NOT too much light for fw at all. You'll be approaching high light-very high light though and that is pretty demanding.
 
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