T5 lighting
 

I'm trying to search the board for information about T5 lighting set-ups. But, the search rejects 'T5' as being too short. I tried 'T5 lighting' and it just searched on 'lighting'.

Does anyone know how I could find threads on this topic?

www.saltwaterfish.com/vb has some helpful threads. Try a search there.

There's a couple of us who are running T5's. What did you want to know about them?

I would like to know also, so if I may follow along for the ride.:wink:

I'm setting up a 60G cube tank for seahorses which will include some seagrasses. I had planned PC lighting but have been told this might not be enough for the seagrasses. As an alternative, I was considering T5 (to avoid the heat production I would get from an MH pendant).

I was trying to reserach the usefulness of T5 for this setting (e.g. would 4x24W bulbs be a better lighting source for seagrasses in a 24" deep tank than 3x55W PC?)

Also, I was looking for information about pre-built T5 units which are available in Canada without having to buy from the US. My search of my usual vendors hasn't revealed anything except DIY parts.

:sad:

Ocean Aquatics, J&L, and Hidden Reef are all carrying T5s out on the West Coast. Nobody is carrying them in Ontario? I have no experience with sea grasses, but they work well for my corals- plenty of light if thats what your looking for. If sea grass needs as much light as SPS, fit as many tubes as you can over your tank, with the proper reflectors.

I went from 2x96W PC's on my 36" tank to 4x39W T5's and it is a lot brighter and I do have a lot better growth. Plus it's 4 bulbs, not 2, so I have a bit more flexability when it comes to how much blue and white I have in the tank.
For output without a reflector, T5's and PC's are fairly close, but the reflector is what sets T5's apart. The proper reflectors are M shaped.
If you're looking for a retrofit kit (one that will be hidden in a canopy), check out www.saltwaterconnection.com. That's where I got mine from, and I'm really happy with them. It's an all in one uint, the endcaps are mounted to the ballast and the reflectors just clip onto the bulbs. If you're looking for a fixture, check out http://www.prairiereefsupplies.ca/index.php?id=95

So really what you're saying is that there is little actual output difference between comparable wattage fluorescent lamps but it is the geometry of the T5 that allows the use of superior reflectors?

Call me skeptical but I would like to see some actual wattage for wattage, and PAR for PAR comparisons of halide vs fluorescent. I am doubtful of large heat differences. Sure it will be more concentrated with the halide since it is more of a point source than a line source (fluorescent) but will it be a factor over total water volume...

Considering the shorter lifespan of fluorescent lamps, replacing 4 T5's every year (or less) vs one halide every 2+ years, I would think watt for watt, halides are cheaper in the long run.

Here are my experiences with T5 lighting - 432 watts on a 120 gallon tank.

I have had the lights for I think 3 years, maybe I am wrong and it is 2 years.

In my tank I grow mixed softies/SPS/LPS/anemones.

LPS grow great under my T5's whether high or low in the tank.

I have two SPS, a purple monti cap and an orangish/purplish montipora digitata, they both grow great under the T5's near the top of the tank.

BTA's grow fine around mid-hight in the tank.

Softies grow OK. Mushrooms shrink and shrivel away even at the bottom of the tank, I think it is too much light for them.

The downsides to T5's are:

Bulbs difficult to get and harder to ship than MH bulbs, and for a comparable wattage replacement MH bulbs would be cheaper than T5 bulbs.
More expensive than comparable MH units nowadays, since I have noticed the MH prices seem to have come down a lot in the past few years.

If you want to buy a T5 setup try Ocean Aquatics.

If I were going to do it again I would just go with MH.