ho t5 lighting??

fanker

Active Member
ya well i have had, vho, pc and mh...the pc didnt do anything, the vho were just regular floresant bulbs over driven that werent doing anything. than i had mh the best lights but to much heat and cost to much, so i heard of t-5s in 2001 and i have only 5x28w t-5s and i can grow what i want. and im getting a 4x54w fixture that can grow clams on my sand bed of my 55g.
 

fanker

Active Member
actually they run much cooler because of there long and thin bulbs,, but il give the fact that the only thing that makes t-5s the second best lights u can get(imo) is because individual reflectors
 

chilwil84

Active Member
current usa nova extreme 399 on the doctors site shipped with all bulbs and legs no retro no work just plug and play
 

fanker

Active Member
yes thats a good deal but i dont think current comes with individual reflectors, so there pretty much just well crap.
here u go this is what i say
go witth t-5s they are better than VHO and WAY better than pc. PCs are a thing in the past they dont even compete with anything in par. heres the rundown.
t-5s last longer than other bubs but not 2 years.
Power compact (PC): multiple, sometimes folded T12 flourescent lights. (T number is equivalent to 1/8In diameter bulb so T12 is 12/8 or 1.5 in diameter while T5 is 5/8 in diameter) Only one end cap per bulb. Good lights for fish only but not good for corals. Cheap front end cost. Expensive bulbs, 10-12 month bulb life.
VHO (Very High Output): Disclaimer; . T12 flourescent but overdriven (Overdriven is when you pump more wattage through a lower wattage bulb = more intense light but shorter life) 2 end caps. Bulbs moderately priced, median front end cost, Good for fish only or reef tanks.
T5 HO (hight output): 5/8 in diameter bulbs, slightly higher front end costs, bulbs last longer, and are cheaper. Runs multiple bulbs on either single or seperate reflectors. Separate reflectors can increase light utput by up to 40% Also run fewer watts for same light output = lower electricity bill. Smaller bulb means more bulbs in same area = higher light output. Great for corals tanks. PAR better than VHO and PC but less than MH. Probably overkill for fish only tanks. Also runs slightly cooler than the rest. probably the best for reef tanks
MH/HQI (metal Halide): Point source bulb (like a street light), High wattage, very high light output/intensity/PAR. Expensive front end costs, bulbs, etc. Run hot! Great for all high light animals (Acropora/clams/SPS etc.) very good but expencive and t-5s are really up with them with PAR. go with the t-5s
 

saltfan

Active Member
Dude, you need more reliable info.....VHO bulbs will last 12-18 months, and you don't need a reflector with them, you can buy the bulbs with an internal reflector. And this is all depending on the depth of the tank anyways. Metal is always the best way to go, there is no arguing them.
 

saltfan

Active Member
Originally Posted by chilwil84
current usa nova extreme 399 on the doctors site shipped with all bulbs and legs no retro no work just plug and play
THats the sale price, normal price of $499 for the same fixture when not on sale.
And go figure that I can buy 2 retro kits of VHO with what we talkin here, 140x4......not 8, and only 4 bulbs come in that fixture you are talking about, not 8 like the above conversation...
 

saltfan

Active Member
Originally Posted by chilwil84
mine came with 8 and it has been on sale for almost 6 months
One 72" light fixture? Can't be the smaller ones, or can it. I never saw a T-5 with 8 unless your talking about a 72" fixture. But I haven't seen em all I guess.
 

wattsupdoc

Active Member
I got a 36 in T5ho with 8 39 watt bulbs. I think fankers info's off alittle. Probably about the right track but not exactly right IMO. But watta I know? I wonder... :thinking: where did the PAR ratings he's rweffered to come from? I havent seen any par rating on T5's any where and I would like to know where these came from in order to make a comparison.(I understand PAR>>photosynthetic available radiation, just dont know where fanker found these at. Or does he have a par meter?
 

drewdog82

Member
The nova extreme by current has a parabolic reflector and I have the 4x54 unit on top of my 55 because of all the very nice tanks I have seen with this exact same set-up..
 

fanker

Active Member
nova is a good light fixture but dont get me wrong its not the best, see the onlt real thing that makes t-5s so good in par because of the individual reflectors, so its direct par to the tank.
 

fanker

Active Member
ok, shane myspace isnt working so i had to use this, and the results are in, u can keep sps and clams in ur cube with the 4x24w
so go with the ts
 

shiby1510

Member
well if they are soo good because of the individual reflectors... why not just buy the cheap odyssea ho t5's and then just rip them out of the housing and make your own reflectors?
 
J

jtizzle120

Guest
Ok so after reading this whole post i have been looking at the T 5's on the docs for about 2 weeks now cuz they are on sale i want to get the one with the 8 bulbs for 399...but now you guys are saying they are not that good becasue does not have individual reflectors...so now i am confused on what to get for my 72 gallon bow...sorry for buttting in on this thread..im just T'5 curious
 

fanker

Active Member
8x54w it wayyyy to much for a 72g go with a 6 at the most from tek ********* has them for $309 but with bulbs its probably the same.
but the ones i have now came with individual reflectors, and the ones im getting are individual reflectors. the ones i have now are the ballast and bulb and reflector all in one and there i think $30 each, but im buying the TEK fixture,
and jtizzle u should get the 6x54w from tek
 
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