VHO vs. T-5?
- Thread starter zeroc
- Start date
stanlalee
Active Member
Originally Posted by ZeroC
I emailed Hellolights and they still haven't replied about what the lumens for 3 VHO lamps and their t-5 counter parts.
lumens are irrelavant. lumens measure light 1ft from the light source in air. Will tell nothing about penetration capabilities. Lumen reading doesn't take into account reflector efficiency either. PAR testing is whats relavent which is tested at a user specific depth in the same tank for both sources. If a reflector or bulb works better than another it will show up on PAR readings in a direct comparison.
I emailed Hellolights and they still haven't replied about what the lumens for 3 VHO lamps and their t-5 counter parts.
lumens are irrelavant. lumens measure light 1ft from the light source in air. Will tell nothing about penetration capabilities. Lumen reading doesn't take into account reflector efficiency either. PAR testing is whats relavent which is tested at a user specific depth in the same tank for both sources. If a reflector or bulb works better than another it will show up on PAR readings in a direct comparison.
fishfreek
Active Member
Stanlalee, hit it right on the head! That being said, t5 kicks VHO butt. I switched some time back from 4x95w VHO to 4x39w t5 in my 37g mixed reef and after i switched, some of my shrooms melted and even a few LPS corals bleached out because of the change to a much more intense lighting. If you do switch, take it slow and acclimate your corals to the new lighting scheme.
stanlalee
Active Member
Originally Posted by ZeroC
I guess at this point using 8x54w T-5s could i keep a clam in a 55, 75, or 90? And what about Acros?
there is nothing you cant keep with that lighting on any of those tanks. You could bring that down to 6x54 and the same applies (Orbit Nova excluded. not that it cant but I dont know for sure. I know its often dismissed for not having individual reflectors and most of the clamp on individual reflectors dont fit it). I would start with TEK as a minimum and go up the chain from there.
You have to realize in most cases watt for watt T5 has better PAR performance than MH and they really dont start to equal out til past the ft mark. even at 20+ inches the few examples I've seen (250w MH one side,5 T5's other side) the T5 was just as good and the corals grew better. granted this was with 20K bulb and batwing reflector (there are better bulbs and reflectors that could have changed the results) but that represents what typical MH users might have. No matter MH is still your Daddy lol ( you will never know glitter lines and the joy of trying different spectrum bulbs like socks).
I guess at this point using 8x54w T-5s could i keep a clam in a 55, 75, or 90? And what about Acros?
there is nothing you cant keep with that lighting on any of those tanks. You could bring that down to 6x54 and the same applies (Orbit Nova excluded. not that it cant but I dont know for sure. I know its often dismissed for not having individual reflectors and most of the clamp on individual reflectors dont fit it). I would start with TEK as a minimum and go up the chain from there.
You have to realize in most cases watt for watt T5 has better PAR performance than MH and they really dont start to equal out til past the ft mark. even at 20+ inches the few examples I've seen (250w MH one side,5 T5's other side) the T5 was just as good and the corals grew better. granted this was with 20K bulb and batwing reflector (there are better bulbs and reflectors that could have changed the results) but that represents what typical MH users might have. No matter MH is still your Daddy lol ( you will never know glitter lines and the joy of trying different spectrum bulbs like socks).
zman1
Active Member
General T5 information -How the manufacturers calculate life span of T5 bulbs. They don't say per se how long for quality of light. Burnt out doesn't always indicate there wasn't a color/spectrum shift over time.
[hr]
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
[hr]
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
mscarpena
Member
ZeroC I have 4X110 watt VHO's and I am going to switch to T-5's as well. As far as I know all you need to do is change the end cap and bulbs. I have an ice cap 660. I am going to do it 2 bulbs at a time to reduce the stress on the inverts. Should be a cheap change. Any company will try to get you to buy there retro fit kit and will be more expensive. Good luck
mrdsmack
Member
I have T-5's on 120 long. The par reading on the bottom with two super actinic bulbs on is 30. I did the Ice Cap retro kit with UVL bulbs, 6 bulb. The bulbs at testing time was only 5 weeks old. I forgot the rest of the par readings. They were not that impressive in my tank I lost a lot of corals with the switch from MH/VHO to T-5. I could not switch slow, went from a 225 to a 120, and this might have something to do with it. jme