T5 vs. PC

[TheReefGeek]

I have never run T5 lighting, how does it compare to PC?

[danny zubot]

I've never run them either but the consenses is that they use less power for the same amount of light. In all reality though a T5 is just a staight PC bulb, so watt for watt they should be the same. I'm not a light guru though so I could be wrong.

[tbone]

don't forget bulb light last alot alonger as well.

there's a big thread over @ RC

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=561864

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=679852

[exee]

I just got a T5 Tek-Light to replace my PC system and I like the colors on my T5 system waaayy better then with the PC lights. The T5s seem brighter but that could also be because there are more bulbs over the tank than before :P

[TheReefGeek]

How many bulbs? Over what size tank? What color temperature bulbs? How are your corals reacting? What are you keeping under T5?

[tbone]

I just got a T5 Tek-Light to replace my PC system and I like the colors on my T5 system waaayy better then with the PC lights. The T5s seem brighter but that could also be because there are more bulbs over the tank than before :P

whats the spec on it, and where did you get it from

[Quagmire]

Im using T5s.Its been awhile since Ive used PCs But I can honestly say they are better than the 175 MH I was using,which in turn was much better than the PCs it replaced.BTW my PCs were only 2x 65w and my T5s are 4x 54w.One advantage T5s have ove PCs is the straight tube allows better reflection. Along both sides of the whole tube,rather than only the outside of a bent tube.Also the proper reflector will make the differance between a T5 comparable to VHO and a T5 comparable to MH.Look for a fixture with a reflector that curves around the top of each bulb.

[DanG]

I went from 2x96w PC's to 4x54W T5's on my 40g. 2x10k and 2xactinic. I'm keeping a very happy frogspawn, a very happy and constantly reproducing candy cane coral and a blue/green/purple acro, and some GSP. Make sure if you go T5's that you get the M shaped reflectors, not the V shaped ones and make sure they're the HO T5's and not the NO ones.

[Gools]

I don't know about T5's compared to PC's but I was more happier with my NO 40w URI's, they made my tank brighter, and I had better colour compare to my T5's now.

[Ruth]

Check out this guys tank - he only uses T-5's. The thread has some good information on T-5 lighting as well as an absolutely amazing tank.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=700454&highlight=zeovit

[TheReefGeek]

Where do I get these good T5 reflectors from? I am building the canopy myself.

[TheReefGeek]

Great link Ruth, thanks!

[Quagmire]

I fell in love with that tank the first time I saw it :) It had alot of influence on my decision to go with T5s

[exee]

my system is 6 bulbs over a 72 gallon tank. corals are doing find under it seem to have adjusted to it ok. I don't have SPS though so I don't know how they would have changed due to the change in lighting.

My bulbs are
2 atinic + bulbs
3 Blue + (11000k)
1 daylight (6500k)

its very bright :P looks a bit goofy over my system as its a bow front and the ends of the light stick out a bit over the narrow parts of the tank. It came with some thigns to help you hang it, I just had to get some chain from home depot and was good to hang.

I got the light from Fin-Ominal Fish in Richmond. They got it from Ocean Aquatics i think, they have the systems on their website.

i wil try to post pictures of my setup soon

[DanG]

My lights came from Saltwater connection and it's the retrofit kit. Ballast, waterproof end caps and 2 reflectors. It's made by Coravue.

[TheReefGeek]

I have decided to blast this tank with a 400w XM 20K MH, I had the ballast lieing around so it was cheaper this way, just needed a reflector and bulb.

Thanks for all the great T5 info though, I will definately have to consider it for future tanks.

[StirCrazy]

actually PC's are a T4 not a T5 and are inherently more intense than T5's if you compare apples to apples. if you want to compare the two you cannot use a HO T5 as it is a higher current using bulb. at any rate I have seen a couple T5 tanks and after all the hype I was not impressed with the T5's... they did nothing that VHO or PC couldn't do.

Steve

[danny zubot]

Well there you have it, thanks Steve.

My beef with any florescent light is that you can achieve the light shimmering effect inside tank that MH gives you.

[TheReefGeek]

Steve, do you think VHO or PCs could maintain the tank that Ruth linked to on RC?

[StirCrazy]

Steve, do you think VHO or PCs could maintain the tank that Ruth linked to on RC?

well judging from that page he is running all HO T'5s so it is hard to say. Most of the T5s we see are just NO versions and yes a VHO or PC would do a better job.

as for his tank, this is one problem I have with internet and posting pics.. is the picture an exact representation of the tank or is the saturation bumped up a little and the colors enhanced. Or is he rather well off and can hand select premium corals. what are his nutrients his Alk, ect.. I had found that when my Alk was at 13 my digitata went from real nice color to stunning color so there is a lot more than lighting that affects color.

One advantage of the T5's is the physical amount you can pack under a hood but this is also a disadvantage once a year when you have to replace them:mrgreen: it would be far cheaper to go with MH and also get a lot more intensity.

I have tried almost every lighting combination in the last 4 years and I could have saved about 5 or 7K by going to MH right away. Its a good thing T5's weren't around then or I probably would have waisted money on that set up also:redface:

If you look at the cost for a T5 set up (about 500.00 in Victoria for a 4 bulb NO t5 setup) and look at a dual 250 watt HQI setup running SE bulbs they are about the same. I would only guess at the price of a true HO T5 set up here as I haven't seen one, but I would estimate about 6 to 700.00 in Victoria. I can run to J&L and get everything I need for the HQI set up for say .. hmm 300 for the dual ballast, 100 for reflector with dual socket assembly's, and say 160 for two bulbs.

a T5Ho set up is (say a 8 tube 48" set up) 33 bucks per tube 264.00, 16.00 per endcap and stand off so 128 if they come in pairs, 141 each for 4 ballast to run an 8 bulb setup so 564.00, and then reflectors say 100.00ish

so in the end the MH which will give you a lot more intensity costs about 560.00 where initial set up of the T5 costs 1056.00

the big thing is on going costs, 160ish a year for MH replacement and going from the recommended 9 month life for T5's you are looking at 352.00 per year based on 9 month change out or 264/year if you run them for 12 months.

is it going to save you any money on your power bill? if the 4 foot ts'5 are 55 watt then you are talking about 60 watts +or- less ..... nothing to worry about in my opinion as it will never off set the difference in bulb price or even come close.

Steve

[TheReefGeek]

The costs of T5 are a little lower than that, but point well taken.

And with MH some people like to put VHO actinics with them for color, so that adds some cost.

I might regret going VHO on this little tank, so I will build the hood planning to upgrade to MH in the future.

[StirCrazy]

The costs of T5 are a little lower than that, but point well taken.

And with MH some people like to put VHO actinics with them for color, so that adds some cost.

I might regret going VHO on this little tank, so I will build the hood planning to upgrade to MH in the future.

the costs for the T5's were taken directly off J&L's website.

there is a difference when you use VHO on a MH tank for color, (I do this) I change them out about every two years or when they burn out as they are only to alter the color.

going VHO isn't all a bad thing.. personaly I don't like the color of a VHO lit tank but I do like VHO actinics for MH lit tanks. it all depends on a look. also if you are going with a smaller tank you could very well get away with VHO for a lot of stuff. one thing I would put forth, if you haven't already bought your lights, go VHO for your actinics and PC's for your 10000K. the 10000K of a PC is whiter than VHO, and more intense. I did this at one stage and had several SPS growing under them although I never did get the colors I experenced with MH lighting.

Steve

[TheReefGeek]

Well your ballast cost is high, wont an icecap 660 run 4x28" tubes?
But it doesnt matter, T5 is not cheap obviously.

If I stick with VHO, I might do 4x75w, 3 of them 10k, 1 actinic. THis should be able to keep LPS corals, and maybe SPS on the top.

[DanG]

The T5 retrofit kit that I bought can be found for $115 for the 36" kit with waterproof endcaps, reflectors and 2 bulbs. It's the 39w HO kit.

[TheReefGeek]

Where abouts?

[DanG]

www.saltwaterconnection.com

Jayson (the owner) pops in here from time to time.

[TheReefGeek]

What corals do you keep under those lights?

[DanG]

I've got a tri colour acro, some gsp's, a gbta, a couple of heads of frogspawn and a large fist sized colony of candy cane coral. All are very happy.

[Quagmire]

well judging from that page he is running all HO T'5s so it is hard to say. Most of the T5s we see are just NO versions and yes a VHO or PC would do a better job.






My set was $500 for 4x 54w HO T5s.
But I do see your point on the cost breakdown.I found my T5s much better than my 175MH,But maybe thats because they are HO,and the 175 dosn't have a very good reflector.My next tank I plan on useing 150 MH(Shallow tank).All the lights have their uses,so I dont feel Ive wasted money on any of my fixtures.Just need to stay within their limits.

[StirCrazy]

My set was $500 for 4x 54w HO T5s.


which is almost exactly 1/2 of the 8 bulb set up I used in my comparason.

Also I should note the cost comparsion I did was for buying all the parts and putting it in your self.

Dang your 39 watt kit you quote is for two bulbs but are they both 39 watt bulbs or two 20 watt bulbs? but for clarity I was quoting a 55 watt bulbs also.

Steve

[StirCrazy]

I found my T5s much better than my 175MH,But maybe thats because they are HO,and the 175 dosn't have a very good reflector.

I found a 100 watt light bulb better than my 175:mrgreen:

but realy though I got almost as high of a par reading from my 36" PC's as I did from my 175. I personaly wouldn't recomend a 175 for anything.

Steve

[exee]

my setup was $459 for 6 bulb HO setup which included individual refectors for each bulb. BUt bulbs were not included with the unit and had to be purchased separately,in the end the total came out to like 500 something or 600 i can't remember exactly.

[Fishguy52]

does anyone know of a good t-5 unit that is not to expensive, i am on a student bugdet. are the corallife t-5 anygood.
i have a 70 gallion 51"x20"x16"

[AndyL]

The Coralife T5s are not HO, not any better than the standard strip light that came with your tank...

If you guys follow the European reef sites, they're changing out the bulbs every 6 months - just like PCs, VHO, etc - That gets expensive. Don't forget they've been using T5HO for years, it's just started to trickle over into the US/Canada, don't assume that the "years of bulb life" quoted takes into account color shifts etc.

Andy

[jevan23]

Odyssea makes a cheap unit, 48" long, external ballast, 2x 54W T5HO, i'd reccomend changing them yearly, the color will last longer in these than PC's, but dont expect miracles. good lumen output also, which is really what your after. an average T5HO (4') puts out about 5000 lumens, where your average VHO puts out 5400, and the T5 uses half the power of VHO's.

[Skimmerking]

I run my T-5's with my ICE CAP 660 2 48" bulbs and man it s bright over my 170...
I love them great color too and the actinic's are realy bright too .

[Squiddy]

exee: Please post pictures of your tank lit by your T5's!

asmodeus: What bulb combination are you using? Those actinics, are they Pure Actinic or Actinic+?

I am running a 6 x 54W HO T5 retro kit that I built into a DIY hood. The whole setup with bulbs cost me $586, shipped from ReefGeek. I will take some pictures of my tank when I get a chance but I would love to see some other pictures of Canadian T5 powered reefs.

I am using 1 Daylight, 2 Actinic+ and 3 BluePlus(11000K) bulbs and I think my tank looks very bright, but also a little washed out. I wonder if I could supplement the T5's with 40 or 50 super bright blue LEDs... hmmm :mrgreen:

[TheReefGeek]

asmodeus, what are you using for reflectors for your t5s?

[Skimmerking]

Well the bulbs are 12 K i bought them from Ivan on aquaria .ca.

THe reflectors that I'm using at the PFO reflectors i ahve 2 2' foot ones going the lenght they are screwed to gether works pretty good .

I aslo have the reflectro that i bought for them doug borrowed them and using them for his actinic's.. I loved them when i had them on my 62 gal.

the actinic that i ran were the pure actinic they were really bright too.