Question about t-5 and a 20h

[Timothy01]

I am new too t-5 lighting but it is more intense then Pc and more efficent then VHO. would this be too much light for a 20h? looking at converting my nano to a 20 h with the intention of adding sps and a clam to my lps nano. thinkong of 6 bulbs 2 day 10k 2 actinic and 2 aqua blues, using icecap t-5 reflectors. also what kind of balast(s) would be best for this set up

[horkn]

a 20h?

i dont have the dimensions book in front of me now, but i dont think you will fit 6 bulbs in icecap reflectors on a 20h.

got dimensions of it?

oh, and best results are achieved on a spec t5ho ballast like advance or triad, but you could use an icecap, or a workhorse depending on how much or little light you need.

[gussy]

I have a 20H that was converted from a 2x40W PC to 4x24W HO for the same reason. It's a lot of light but not too much. I didn't use the IceCap kit though as the it will drive the bulbs to about 30+W.

[sales weasel]

I have an AGA 20H and the dimensions are: 24Lx12Dx16H

[Timothy01]

Originally posted by gussy
. I didn't use the IceCap kit though as the it will drive the bulbs to about 30+W.

i was talking reflectors they wont drive the the bulbs at all

[horkn]

12" front to back? theres no way to run 6 bulbs on it. 4 tops

[Timothy01]

whats the width on the reflectors i can only get length

[horkn]

teks are like 2.25", icecap slr at like 2.5" and aqualux at 3"

the waterproof endcaps are wide anyway. And i wouldnt run non waterproof endacps unless you stagger them, you cant really get them that close to each other

you technically could run 5 tek reflectors, but its not really necessary.

i have 3 x39 on my 35g (36x12x18) and its very very bright.

[Timothy01]

your talking a 117 watts over a 35. Like i said in a prevouis post i dunno much about t-5. are you growing any sps in there any clams? if i ran non water proof endcaps i would have to water proof the canopy(glass or acrlic) defeats the purpose. 24" t-h run from 18 to 24 watts (ho) so bottom line is how much lighting to grow sps would i need.

[horkn]

yep 117 watts, but remember, its the individual parabolic reflectors that makes t5ho so good. take away that nice reflector setup, and you lose the beefits of t5ho as far as light output.


i have numerous montipora digitata (sps) 2 kinds of montipora caps (sps) 2 different kinds of pocillopora ( sps) and one marshall island acropora sps. the sps do well at the top of the tank, and all the way at the bottom as well.

I hav a squamosa clam on the bottom of my tank, and its been really happy, getting a nice blue/ purple tint.

[horkn]

bottom line, run 1 bulb per 3" of tank front to back length. so, ideally i would need 4 bulbs on my tank, but it really isnt needed. since the 20H is 24" long, run 3or4 t5ho over it. my tank has way more than enough light on it with 3x39. i originally thought i would need 4 bulbs, but, i was proven wrong when i got the retrofit up and running.

[hahnmeister]

For a 20H, a 4x24watt Tek light is perfect, or 6x24watt if you want even more. At that, the 2' bulbs have some disadvantages. First, if you compare costs of the 4' bulbs to 2' bulbs, they are a few dollars away from each other. Second, the 2' fixture costs only about $10 less than the 4' fixture. The cost is more by the bulb than by the length, so 2' bulbs cost 2x as much down the road (replacement bulbs will be $20 ea, etc.

Also, science isnt with you on this one. T5s are great for their superior penetration (at intensities that rival halide) with taller tanks. This is due to their linear configuration, which helps get around the inverse square rule which halides are subject to (look it up and you will see). To sum it up, T5s flex their advantages with tanks over 18" tall, and for tanks that arent long either, they arent always the best choice.

For a 20H, a better choice would be to use a halide IMO. Trust me, it will work out better than T5. The halide will provide more intense light up top (T5 cant compete with halide in the top 6-10" really), and a drop off in intensity that will allow for lower light corals down below. Then, when it comes to bulb replacement time, the single halide could be replaced for $50 (maybe less, maybe more, but about that), which beats $80 in T5s (or $120 for 6 bulbs) every 18 months.

T5 is an option, but I would favor the halide on a tank of these dimensions.

check out www.illuming.com...he sells the pheonix bulbs (kick butt bulb) for cheap, and 150wattDE retro kits for cheap. A 150watter of this bulb would rock and look cool.

[Timothy01]

compleatly aware of MH and i can diy for under 100 dollars. i can diy on the t-5's too. im not too concerned about the money thing right now, more interested in gathering info about the t-5s. we all know MH is the superior bulb but its not an option on a tank that is just an expierment

[horkn]

i tend to believe hahnmeister on this one. my tank isnt tall enough for the t5ho to show its real worth.

if anything my lps dont really like the t5ho on this tank.

still, t5ho will heat the water less than MH. and thats the only reason i went with t5ho instead of mh on my current tank.

[hahnmeister]

well, if cost was the concern, halide is the better option as Timothy01. A ballast is just over $100, bulb is under $50, and all you need is the reflector...the niuce PFO can be had for $90. So all together, thats $250. Good luck getting the T5s for uder that by the time you add in the bulbs and reflectors, endcaps, and ballasts...

Just an experiment? All the more reason for halide. Down the road its easier to simply add another ballast and light, say, a 40breeder, or some other tank. With T5s, you are stuck with the length you have. I use small 70 and 150 watt halides as my 'experimental/backup' lights.

[Timothy01]

well ive got more lights/tanks then your local pet co and the only thing i havent used is t-5's so yes i wanna try out the t-5 set up and again cost is not an issue , are you trying to convince someone perhaps your self. take in considerstion your electric cost as well for next 12 months, t-5's will beat the halides and lower your electric bill in the process.. total cost w/o reflectors is 115 reflectors bring that up to 200 even(thats a 5 bulb set up).thats lower then your MH set up. BTW i can make an effecient MH 150 hqi for under $100. The tank is a t-5 expierment. The t-5 is reletivly new and you will see a lower cost once they become more accepted,i can make a canopy to use 24's in a larger tank so im not limited. i think your limiting your self if you believe that .

[horkn]

Originally posted by hahnmeister
well, if cost was the concern, halide is the better option as Timothy01. A ballast is just over $100, bulb is under $50, and all you need is the reflector...the niuce PFO can be had for $90. So all together, thats $250. Good luck getting the T5s for uder that by the time you add in the bulbs and reflectors, endcaps, and ballasts...

jon, I got my entire 3x39 t5ho retro with shipping included for 170 dollars shipped to my door brand new. even the 2 ati blue and 1 ge day bulb, and that was with waterproof endcaps as well.

my entire current tank (35g) is an experiment. and as jon knows, it didnt go quite as well as i planned, but that wasnt the lights fault.
-Tom

[hahnmeister]

Ah, an experiment in T5's! I get it. Thats what I am doing as well...6x39wattT5s over a 40B. Sorry, didnt know that.

AS for the 24" ers...you are stuck with the fixture at 24", or you retro in your case, and you are stuck with reflectors and ballasts that do 24 watts/24". When you want to upgrade for that 75g or even 180, with a halide pendant, you just add another one on rather than having to resize the reflectors and ballasts (which is worth it rather than adding more 24" bulbs because as I pointed out before, buying another setup for 24"ers costs as much as 48"ers.) For this reason, my 'experiment' tank was a 48" long 40L so I could get the most out of the least $$$.

As for energy consumption, I dont know. The T5s CAN make more light in the mod to lower levels of the tank with less wattage, but if you want that 'high light' zone at the top, you end up with just as many watts as w/ halide. And the idea that you save money on the electric bill is also offset by the photoperiod. With T5s, a minimum of 8 hours is what I have seen, and more like 10-12 for most. With halide, I get away with 6.

My experiment now is that I am running 2 40B tanks, linked for the same chemistry (so I can piggyback the skimmer and calcium dosing from one to the other, but also for comparative control), and the top runs with a 250wattDE pheonix 14,000K HQI. The bottom is a 6x39wattTek light (2xaquablue, 2xblue+, 2xactinic+). The halide tank has a 7 hour photoperiod, and the T5s have a 12 hour day. The 'color' of both tanks is near identical with the bulbs I have picked, but the T5 looks brighter to the eye. This is most likely due to the white sand and T5s better penetration which makes this area of the tank glow much brigher, and with a better spread of its output due to its linear nature. But the halide has a peak near the bulb that is much more intense.

I have placed identical purple digi frags 6" under the water surface of the water in each tank under the bulbs. The digi under the halide is showing several bright tips, receeding polyps, and good color. The T5 piece has changed to a furry brown. This is what happens if I put the digi in a darker corner of the tank in the halide tank. This leads me to conclude that the halides are better for high light SPS types that get placed up top. OTOH, the halide tank doesnt get much light to the corners where I have zoas and ricordea polyps. In the T5 tank, these corals are going mad and multiplying faster than anything in there, which is what my buddy Bill said..."you wanna know what loves T5s? Zoos man, they love T5s and grow like weeds under T5s. And he was sure right.

Next month I am swapping out both the halide and T5 bulbs for all new when I get my digital PAR meter. Then I can give analytical feedback on what is what. My first 4x54wattT5 40L will most likely get fired up again as well so I can do longevity tests as well. Until then, the corals are providing me with the info which tells me a few things so far... Mid light level corals love it, high light corals cant quite get enough, and low level corals need a tall tank to allow the T5s penetration to drop off a bit or they fry under the intensity.

[horkn]

jon, that par meter will have to make its way up here

[Timothy01]

know your on level with me on the expierment, i am almost tempted to to wait untill the uri t-5 comes out in 4 weeks. Uri makes the best vho lets see what they can do with t-5

[hahnmeister]

URI/UVLighting (new name)'s actinic bulb is highly anticipated, but simply using blue+ bulbs in their place for the time being is just as good if not better.