t5 lighting

[willieandreg]

i was told that t5 lighting was good, what do you know about this knew lighting???

[sir_dudeguy]

To Reef Central

It depends on what t5 you're talking about. Regular old t5 wont do much, but if you're talking about t5 HO (high output) then yes, it is very good. Just as good as Metal halides some will say.

They're very cheap to run and to replace the bulbs (compaired to PC's and MH's that is) and the bulbs last around a year. Plus you can get great colors with t5's (mix and match whatever ones you like).

They also give off basically no heat at all, where MH's give a lot, and pc's even give off a lot (my pc's raise my tank temp 3-4 degrees)

The trick to them is in the reflector tho. So dont get the cheap reflectors...make sure you get the good ones.

depending on how long your tank is, any of these would be good ones to get (if you want to do retrofit ones that is. Otherwise you could buy the same thing but have it built into a fixture...i just had this link onhand )

This is the one that everyone has recommended me to get, and as soon as i got 300 bucks, i'm getting the 4x39w one for my 40 breeder. They say i'll be able to grow whatever i want after that...anemones, clams, SPS, etc...If you get that one, make sure to upgrade to the icecap reflectors...its only 8 bucks difference and supposedly makes a ton of difference.

hope this helps and welcome to reefcentral

[b0wenj]

I use T5 lights on my 29 gallon. I only have 4 with a total wattage of 96. I have about everything in my tank. Here take a look.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...readid=1062070

[chrisstie]

I like T5s - the right ones *sometimes* depending on bulb combos and what not seem to outperform MH - at least, I had a slight problem with mine bleaching out corals until I raised them slightly.. Can keep clams\SPS with them ..

I like their energy and cost efficiency.

Some don't like them because of their "blue" hue and the colors of some things don't pop out the same way they do in MH but at the same time I really enjoy the way my tank looks so I am enjoying it the way it is.

I have them on a 55- and sir_dudeguy isnt it 2 years on t5 bulbs?

but if i had a bigger tank for coral I'd probably go with MH - like, bigger as in way bigger than a 55. I'd want that nice shimmer effect and be able to calculate watts per gallon for something so big and have a more white looking light

[sir_dudeguy]

I have them on a 55- and sir_dudeguy isnt it 2 years on t5 bulbs?

good question. I always thought it was 1 year or so....i'll start a new quick thread

[b0wenj]

Originally posted by chrisstie
I like T5s - the right ones *sometimes* depending on bulb combos and what not seem to outperform MH - at least, I had a slight problem with mine bleaching out corals until I raised them slightly.. Can keep clams\SPS with them ..

The bleaching is not caused by the T5 bulbs it is cause by not acclimating the coral to the new more intense light source. When you introduce an increase in lighting you need to acclimate it to your tank. Raising the lights will help in the acclimation process because the light is further away and not as strong. As the corals become more acclimated you can slowly lower the lights back down to the height you like. Nothing we have can out perform the sun and it does not bleach these corals.

[chrisstie]

Originally posted by b0wenj
The bleaching is not caused by the T5 bulbs it is cause by not acclimating the coral to the new more intense light source. When you introduce an increase in lighting you need to acclimate it to your tank. Raising the lights will help in the acclimation process because the light is further away and not as strong. As the corals become more acclimated you can slowly lower the lights back down to the height you like. Nothing we have can out perform the sun and it does not bleach these corals.

Right. Which is exactly what I meant by it being strong light and bleaching. I er, just, was concise, yeah thats it.

[b0wenj]

I just wanted to make sure we were not confusing the bleaching with T5 bulbs instead of acclimation.

I think we are on the same page

[papagimp]

I've got 6 x 54 watts of T5's over my 55g and it looks awesome. Couldn't be convinced to go metal halides now even if ya paid me!

[BenB14]

I dont mean to hijack your thread, but I cant get an answer on this question myself. I would like to know if the Nova extreme 96watt T-5 24" fixture would provide enough light to keep a clam in my 37 gallon tank

If anyone knows, and wants to let me know that's great, each bulb would have it's own reflector of course, just want to know if 96 watts is enough for such a deep tank

Thanks

[b0wenj]

I don't know much about that specific fixture but it sounds like from the wattage it has 4 T5 24 watt bulbs in it. If that is the case then it should do fine. I am currently using 4 T5 24 watt bulbs on my 29 gallon tank.....about 19" high from light to sand and I have a clam on the sand. Have had one for about 6 months.

[returnofsid]

Stay away from Nova and go with Sunlight Supply's Tek5 unit. The problem with Nova is that it uses a single reflector over all of the bulbs. Sunlight Supply's Tek5 uses individual reflectors that wrap around each bulb and are then fused together into one reflector. With this "gull shaped" reflector, you get a lot more light reflected to the water...where it's needed. The reflector is the key to good T5 fixtures. Check out http://www.reefgeek.com/ . I think you'll find they're extremely good fixtures. I recently purchased a 6 bulb 48" unit for my 75 and I'd have no concerns with keeping most SPS and even most clams in my tank. I'd probably stay away from the most light demanding acros and the most light demanding clams though.

[WaterKeeper]

Indeed. The slim design of a T-5 allows small, individual reflectors for each tube. Using a single reflector for multiple lamps makes them far less efficient.

[jewilli4]

Hey guys, I am in the process of cycling my 29 gallon tank right now. I am strongly considering going with the T5 lights also. My question is: what combination of T5 bulbs are you using these great results?

By the way, bOwenj, your tank looks great. I can only hope mine will look that good in a year or two.

[b0wenj]

I am using a Pure Actinic, 2 blue plus and 1 Daylight.

Thanks for the comments on the tank.

[fish 511]

sorry willieandreg, do not want to hijack your thread. I had a question. Would 2 T5s be good enough for my 50g thats 13" deep? THANKS

Again, sorry willieandreg, but this seems like a good thread to ask this question on.

[returnofsid]

I wouldn't recommend going with fewer than 6 bulbs. Although it would also depend on what you're wanting to keep in your aquarium. More information would be helpful.

[chrisstie]

I am using the same bulb combo as b0wenj and my light is the teklights fixture. I got it from reefgeek.com if that helps