Electricity questions

[drtito]

After reviewing the prices on lamp fixtures I have come to the conculsion that I could do most of the work my self or in shop and most important cheaper.
So my question is how many T5s should I use ?
(I have a 6 foot tank 21 inchs deep)
What brand make a GOOD T5 ?
(price, life of bulb, and reliabilty)
Are the T5s lights the same as a home units?
(can I wire them like in your home,office, den.)

 

[reefraff]

Originally Posted by DrTITO
http:///forum/post/2691180
After reviewing the prices on lamp fixtures I have come to the conculsion that I could do most of the work my self or in shop and most important cheaper.
So my question is how many T5s should I use ?
(I have a 6 foot tank 21 inchs deep)
What brand make a GOOD T5 ?
(price, life of bulb, and reliabilty)
Are the T5s lights the same as a home units?
(can I wire them like in your home,office, den.)
On a tank that is only 21" tall you could use the 80 watt T5's which are about 60" long. Reefgeek sells pre made retrofit kits you install in a canopy. The price is hard to beat. These are a little spendy because the ballasts for the 60" lamps are expensive so you end up using Ice Caps which are a great product but are $$$ too. You didn't mention how wide your tank is front to back but for an 16 inch tank you want to use 6 lamps if you can fit them. The Tek II reflectors are about 3 1/4" wide so you can only use 5 lamps if you go with them. The only alrternative is to get Ice Cap reflectors made for the 36" lamps and use two per 60" lamp.
The ballasts wire up for regular old house outlets.

 

[drtito]

Originally Posted by reefraff
http:///forum/post/2691243
On a tank that is only 21" tall you could use the 80 watt T5's which are about 60" long. Reefgeek sells pre made retrofit kits you install in a canopy. The price is hard to beat. These are a little spendy because the ballasts for the 60" lamps are expensive so you end up using Ice Caps which are a great product but are $$$ too. You didn't mention how wide your tank is front to back but for an 16 inch tank you want to use 6 lamps if you can fit them. The Tek II reflectors are about 3 1/4" wide so you can only use 5 lamps if you go with them. The only alrternative is to get Ice Cap reflectors made for the 36" lamps and use two per 60" lamp.
The ballasts wire up for regular old house outlets.
It is 18 wide so 6 is a good number if bulbs for my tank.As for the ballist I fuigerd i would buy/use one from work. Is there a differnce in light from home compraed to ice caps ballist?

 

[wattsupdoc]

You need to be sure you use a T5HO ballast. Advance makes a fine ballast.Workorse is another good brand. Ice cap will overdrive them which is fine, even more PAR, but bulb life is shortened., YOU NEED TO USE A GOOD REFLECTOR PER BULB. If you have the correct items just laying around, it would be cheaper to build your own. But get a good brand of reflectors and quality bulbs. ATI is the top choice for T5HO lamps. UVL geissman are some others. Any bulb from any of those three are a good choice. Ice cap and sunlight supply make top reflectors. I'm drawing a blank, but it seems as though ATI makes a mini reflector......cant recall right now, I'd look into them though. We did a 125 AGA build a while back and 6 sunlight supply(TEK) reflectors fit perfectly over it.

 

[drtito]

Originally Posted by wattsupdoc
http:///forum/post/2691955
You need to be sure you use a T5HO ballast. Advance makes a fine ballast.Workorse is another good brand. Ice cap will overdrive them which is fine, even more PAR, but bulb life is shortened., YOU NEED TO USE A GOOD REFLECTOR PER BULB. If you have the correct items just laying around, it would be cheaper to build your own. But get a good brand of reflectors and quality bulbs. ATI is the top choice for T5HO lamps. UVL geissman are some others. Any bulb from any of those three are a good choice. Ice cap and sunlight supply make top reflectors. I'm drawing a blank, but it seems as though ATI makes a mini reflector......cant recall right now, I'd look into them though. We did a 125 AGA build a while back and 6 sunlight supply(TEK) reflectors fit perfectly over it.
Could I use mirrors as reflectors on the canopy walls and cellings instead?
I have some lights now but I need more and wanted to build it my self I have a hardware store and I have ballist and whatnot but, dont know if I could use what I got. Dose the light housings need to be water proof to a certin degree?

 

[wattsupdoc]

you'd be better off doing MH with the mirrors as reflectors. You got some 250w MH ballasts in your store? Mogul base sockets? All you need then are three 250w bulbs, about 60 bucks each. BAMMO!

 

[drtito]

What I want to know is can I use the same hardware for my canopy as I use in home eletricity.? Do I have to protect it with special gear like water proof tape or end caps for the bulb end that are salt resintent?
Can I use the ballist I have in stock that match the bulbs or are they a special SW tank ballist?

 

[wattsupdoc]

NO, they are not a special ballast. You need to use waterproof tombstones. Enclose any ballast you install. IT IS HOWEVER AS I STATED BEFORE A HO BALLAST. Advance makes a fine ballast. THESE are likely to be in your hardware store..... But it has to be HIGH OUTput.....As I said.
I have been trying to help you as I went through a similar process. The mirror reflector will be a decent single reflector. But if you do just a little research on lighting, you will find that T5's need an INDIVIDUAL REFLECTOR to be optimum. You can cut the mirror,into 1.5 in pieces and make upside down V shaped dividers of it, which would be better, but still the individuals would be more productive. BECAUSE they are truly parabolic. A single reflector will by no means compare to individual parabolic 99% reflective reflectors.

 

[drtito]

Now I see. so the tomestone will be water proof and the ballist sucured above and covered. I think I know how to reflect the light some more but.......individual parabolic 99% reflective reflectors....might have well bin the flux capaciter, I dont know what that is it a type of reflector?
and thanks..... did you see the l.e.d. thread?

 

[wattsupdoc]

googleis your friend........You NEED THESE period.
Yes... There are several LED threads going around. Great technology, however getting the rated life out of them is another story all together. All the LED's I have purchased thus far have not had a very long life.Oh the diodes might have, had it not been for other factors. Like small leak that lets moister in on outdoor rated lamps.....other elements that cause premature failure. Still though a very good technology. Not as efficient as plasma though thats the real technolgy and future in lighting.
You will not be able to make as good of a reflector as these are. Unless you wanna bend and polish aluminium. Plus you'll have the satisfaction of knowing your gettiong the best efficiency out of your bulbs.....Why would you spend 20 bucks a bulb to not use them to their potential??? What happens when you have unexplainable deaths? Or growth isn't just there. Trust me dont cheap out on the reflectors.

 

[drtito]

I cant find one my size. Do you got a brand name for one of them??

 

[wattsupdoc]

One what? What do you mean your size.
I'll say it again, you'd be better off doing MH. And this comes from someone who used to pound T5HO's Hell I got hammered nine kinds of was back then. But the MH's would be a cheaper way to go......
Again, REFLECTRORS FROM ICECAP OR SUNLIGHT SUPPLY.
BULBS FROM ATI GIESSMAN OR UVL......

 

[reefraff]

1) Mirrors make crappy reflectors. The light must pass through the glass, reflecto off the background and pass back through the glass again. Not good
2) Workhorse ballast DO NOT meet the recomended specifications for T5 lamps. They work but not great

 

[wattsupdoc]

Originally Posted by reefraff
http:///forum/post/2693598
2) Workhorse ballast DO NOT meet the recomended specifications for T5 lamps. They work but not great
I've not heard this before, I have workhorses, they are fine. Also the sunlight supply retro kits that I have installed have been workhorses..... So where does this info come from?

 

[drtito]

Originally Posted by wattsupdoc
http:///forum/post/2693564
One what? What do you mean your size.
I'll say it again, you'd be better off doing MH. And this comes from someone who used to pound T5HO's Hell I got hammered nine kinds of was back then. But the MH's would be a cheaper way to go......
Again, REFLECTRORS FROM ICECAP OR SUNLIGHT SUPPLY.
BULBS FROM ATI GIESSMAN OR UVL......
I take you word for it . But I still want some blue in it.
I will figure it out. Same applys to the M.H. bulbs. as the T5s right.?

 

[wattsupdoc]

My 135(6 footer) is running 2 250 watt XM 10,000k's and 4 39 watt superactinic UVL T5HO's for supplement. I like the look myself. Icecap ballasts firing the MH, Workhorse on the T's. No reflectors at all on the T's, just the spider reflectors that the MH use, then the hanging fixture is painted white. I might do some reflectors on the T's but it isn't necessary, the actinic look is nice in the evenings. I ran just 2 39 watters at first and the look was nice enough. With reflectors would be plenty I imagine. Also the Radium 20,000k and the Phoenix 14,000k bulbs are the rave these days. The color and PAR are very nice on those two.
Ballast choices as well as reflector choices have an effect on effectiveness of the setup. Take those into consideration when deciding. Really the magnetic ballasts deliver quite a good punch, you should be able to get those for around 60 bucks each. Heck probably half if your a retailer. Then doing a simple reflector will work, but better reflectors do have more of an effect that you might think.If you have a wallpack or similar you can dismantle you would be able to get a decent reflector and ballast kit right there. As long as it's MH it's all good.
If you do T5's just be sure you use good reflectors for at least your bulbs you are using for growth. Preferably all of them. As stated b above doing the 60 in jobbers and staggering them is a good approach.

 

[drtito]

Originally Posted by wattsupdoc
http:///forum/post/2694485
My 135(6 footer) is running 2 250 watt XM 10,000k's and 4 39 watt superactinic UVL T5HO's for supplement. I like the look myself. Icecap ballasts firing the MH, Workhorse on the T's. No reflectors at all on the T's, just the spider reflectors that the MH use, then the hanging fixture is painted white. I might do some reflectors on the T's but it isn't necessary, the actinic look is nice in the evenings. I ran just 2 39 watters at first and the look was nice enough. With reflectors would be plenty I imagine. Also the Radium 20,000k and the Phoenix 14,000k bulbs are the rave these days. The color and PAR are very nice on those two.
Ballast choices as well as reflector choices have an effect on effectiveness of the setup. Take those into consideration when deciding. Really the magnetic ballasts deliver quite a good punch, you should be able to get those for around 60 bucks each. Heck probably half if your a retailer. Then doing a simple reflector will work, but better reflectors do have more of an effect that you might think.If you have a wallpack or similar you can dismantle you would be able to get a decent reflector and ballast kit right there. As long as it's MH it's all good.
If you do T5's just be sure you use good reflectors for at least your bulbs you are using for growth. Preferably all of them. As stated b above doing the 60 in jobbers and staggering them is a good approach.
radium and phoenix are M.H. I will pick one.then buy 2.
as for the T5s I think a true blue or actinic ,you said you use 4. do you think its over kill or just right?

 

[wattsupdoc]

The actinics wont be needed at all with either of those two MH lamps. Unless you like the look of actinic only, which I enjoy more than anything. They reportedly both have a very beautiful blue color to them. I chose the XM 10,000k's for growth. But either of those two will get decent growth and nice color. 4, 3 footers are just right for me. I don't know about the other shades of actinics, I've only used super actincs by UVL. I really enjoy them. You could time them so they run before and after the MH but not during. Or during if you wanted.

 

[drtito]

I figure 2 M.H.(one on each side ) and 2 antinic 6 foot .....the whole linght of the tank. what do you think.?

 

[wattsupdoc]

That's essentially what I have. But you'll only find 60" T5's. Those will be just fine though. Realize that with just 2 MH there may be a bit of a shady spot in the center. However, Mine is just fine like this. Most would use 3 MH on a 6 foot tank. I don't see the need myself as the MH's are set in about 18 in off the ends of my tank. Leaving a 3 foot spot in the middle. Light from each MH overlaps the other so it definitely "looks" even.