Looking for 36" T5's online or in Calgary

[albert_dao]

Of note, I sell HOT5 retrokits YAY!

[kwirky]

Originally Posted by JOSH

thanks for all the opinions. The tank I'm considering building will only be 12" deep, 36" long and 16" wide. I doubt i'll require the lighting strength of MH. I would prefer to use T5 as as I understand it they are cheaper to run, bulbs last a long time and the bulbs are cheap to replace. I would like to keep mainly lps and some sps.

thanks again for your help

Hey Josh,

For your application, I would suggest starting with a two bulb HO T5 setup for your application. Trust me, T5's are BRIGHT.

I have 4 bulbs per foot and it's so powerful I can't keep corals in the top 6" of my tank. If your tank's only 12" deep, I'd suggest way fewer bulbs.

Sunlight supply DOES make a 3', 2 bulb, T5 Tek retrofit fixture that'd be round $130. I think that would be almost perfect in build quality and price. Ask around at the LFS's if they'd order you one, or e-mail jlaquatics.com and ask if they'd special order one.

Start with two HO bulbs with individual parabolic reflectors, and it'd be fine for what you're starting off with, then upgrade down the road if needed. I can pretty much assure you you won't have to upgrade though

btw how come most T5 threads get SO heated?

[JOSH]

Thanks Guys, couple more questions...

How long can I expect a T5 bub to last?
Will a 2 3' long bulbs cover the width of a 16" tank?

thanks again

[Moogled]

According to the Lighting Research Center:

How long do T5 lamps last before they burn out?
Lamp manufacturers claim that T5 and T5 high output (T5 HO) lamps last 20,000 hours (Philips Lighting 2001/2002; OSRAM SYLVANIA 2002; GE Lighting 2001/2002). This average rated lamp life is measured at temperatures between 15°C (59°F) and 50°C (122°F) when operated on electronic programmed start ballasts on a three-hour switching cycle—3 hours on and 20 minutes off—and designated as the number of hours after which 50% of the lamps fail. The 20,000-hour lamp life of T5 lamps is the same as the lamp life of most T8 lamps, although newly developed prolonged-life T8 lamps have lives of 4,000 or 10,000 hours longer than T5 lamps. Lamps operated on longer burning cycles will have longer life spans. Shorter burning cycles (frequent switching on and off) reduce lamp life. Use of ballasts that do not meet lamp requirements set forth by the lamp manufacturers may also result in reduced lamp life.

http://www.lrc.rpi.edu/programs/nlpi...s/lat5/pc8.asp

[JOSH]

so they should last about a year according to my math.

[Ruth]

IIRC reading some of the threads on those outstanding European tanks that run on HOT5 they are changing them every 6-8 months.