Recommend me a T5HO fixture for my 5.5 gallon pico

[CC26]

Hello,

 

I have a 5.5 gallon pico which is 40cm long and 25cm high. I currently run a set of Hipargero 30W LEDs over it, but I've been toying around with the idea of swapping them out for a decent T5HO fixture. I'm not trying to get you guys to do my homework for me, but the problem is that I've been googling for a couple of hours now and it seems as if T5s have fallen out of favour in recent years. Almost all of my search results are discussion threads from 5+ years ago, talking about products that have since been discontinued. The ones that are still being manufactured are all too big for my system. In general, it just seems that there are much fewer options for a pico-suited T5 compared to the wide array of LEDs out there.

 

I don't really have a specific budget in mind, but I'm not looking to break the bank either. Thanks in advance!

[MainelyReefer]

Your tank is about 15 inches long, most readily available T5’s are 24” or longer by 12” increments.  Coralife used to make 9” t5 bulbs and a fixture called the Coralife Aqualight mini.  I looked for over two years before I found mine on eBay as they don’t make them anymore.  However the same bulbs are now being used in a fixture offered by a Pico tank manufacturer I saw recently on a thread on this forum.  If I remember I will try to link if I find it.  I run t5’s on half of my reef tanks, the ones I don’t are the ones too small to find a fixture for haha

[CC26]

14 minutes ago, GraniteReefer said:

Your tank is about 15 inches long, most readily available T5’s are 24” or longer by 12” increments.  Coralife used to make 9” t5 bulbs and a fixture called the Coralife Aqualight mini.  I looked for over two years before I found mine on eBay as they don’t make them anymore.  However the same bulbs are now being used in a fixture offered by a Pico tank manufacturer I saw recently on a thread on this forum.  If I remember I will try to link if I find it.  I run t5’s on half of my reef tanks, the ones I don’t are the ones too small to find a fixture for haha

Yep, that Coralife light is one of those discontinued products I mentioned in the original post. So bummed that they don't make it anymore. It would've been perfect for my tank.

 

Anecdotally, would you say that you've noticed better growth in your tanks running on T5s vs those running on other types of lighting (I presume LEDs)? That's the main reason I'm considering this switch and if the difference is negligible I might just not bother.

[CC26]

So after doing a bit more searching I came across this little fixture which would be just the right size for my tank. At that price though, I'm very skeptical about how well it performs. I've not been able to find any reviews on this product, so I'd really appreciate it if anyone here who has any experience with it could chime in. I don't expect them to be top-tier quality, but I mainly want to know if they'd still be an upgrade over my current lights or if I'd be better off sticking with the LEDs. Thanks!

[CC26]

@GraniteReefer After doing some more research, it seems that the cheapest option for me would be to pick up a Fluval T5HO Quad 24" fixture and mount it suspended above my tank. Could this work? I'm aware that it would be overkill for sure, but to the point of redundancy, or detriment? Would really appreciate some advice here. TIA!

[RedCrow]

I think the improvement in LED technology is a major reason why tanks under 10 gallons have really taken off in the last few years. Before LED was commonly available, there really wasn’t anything decent in terms of lighting. There’s only so small T5s can go, and halide would cool the tank. I’d stick with LED if it were me 

[CC26]

2 minutes ago, RedCrow said:

I think the improvement in LED technology is a major reason why tanks under 10 gallons have really taken off in the last few years. Before LED was commonly available, there really wasn’t anything decent in terms of lighting. There’s only so small T5s can go, and halide would cool the tank. I’d stick with LED if it were me 

If I were dead set on trying T5s, what would the ideal wattage be for an SPS-dominant tank with these dimensions (40cm×25cm×25cm L×W×H)?

[MainelyReefer]

8 hours ago, CC26 said:

@GraniteReefer After doing some more research, it seems that the cheapest option for me would be to pick up a Fluval T5HO Quad 24" fixture and mount it suspended above my tank. Could this work? I'm aware that it would be overkill for sure, but to the point of redundancy, or detriment? Would really appreciate some advice here. TIA!

The 9” of overhang of extra light will be ridiculous.  Stick with LED or track down the small T5’s if you are determined to get them on the tank.  Here is the unicorn you seek

I know there is a Pico aquarium maker who has a fixture using these bulbs and has led wedges between them for their new line of AIO picos.  There is a thread on this website about them hold tight someone will chime in with the answer.  Your easiest answer might be getting something like a current strip light or equivalent to have a more spread out light, they come in 12” size and can be had for cheap.  Though I’m not sure any of the options are going to vastly out perform the hipargero.  My mini aqualight is so miserably weak the few times I have plugged it in, I have questioned if it could even run my 2.5g.

[MainelyReefer]

I think the tanks are called tinitanks maybe reach out and see if you can score a hybrid fixture

 

[CC26]

Hey, thanks for the reply. I appreciate it.

 

50 minutes ago, GraniteReefer said:

The 9” of overhang of extra light will be ridiculous.

Just to clarify, is this detrimental to the corals at all, or is the light bleed simply not aesthetically pleasing? If it's the latter, I can say I honestly wouldn't mind too much.

 

If 4×24W is overkill for my tank, another option that I came across since I last posted is running 2×24W using a T5HO fixture designed for hydroponics off eBay/Amazon. The reflectors on those probably aren't amazing, but then again the Fluval fixture I mentioned in my previous comment also has a poor reflector, and for such a small tank I really doubt it matters too much anyway. Any thoughts?

[Ratvan]

1 hour ago, CC26 said:

Hey, thanks for the reply. I appreciate it.

 

Just to clarify, is this detrimental to the corals at all, or is the light bleed simply not aesthetically pleasing? If it's the latter, I can say I honestly wouldn't mind too much.

 

If 4×24W is overkill for my tank, another option that I came across since I last posted is running 2×24W using a T5HO fixture designed for hydroponics off eBay/Amazon. The reflectors on those probably aren't amazing, but then again the Fluval fixture I mentioned in my previous comment also has a poor reflector, and for such a small tank I really doubt it matters too much anyway. Any thoughts?

It's not so much detrimental as the fixture will be nearly twice the width of the tank, you could probably light two of your tanks side by side under the above fixture

[Cannedfish]

I'm so confused on why you are try to do this? It seems like 30W of LED is more than enough light?!  

[CC26]

14 minutes ago, Ratvan said:

It's not so much detrimental as the fixture will be nearly twice the width of the tank, you could probably light two of your tanks side by side under the above fixture

Cheers mate, I might just go for it then. It's cheaper (and much easier to find) than the smaller ones anyway, not to mention better bulb selection.

 

Do you reckon 2×24W would be sufficient? I saw a 10 gallon tank running 4×24W somewhere in the stickied T5HO thread here on this forum, and my tank is just a little over half that. It is my understanding, however, that lighting can't always be scaled linearly with volume a la the old 'watts per gallon' rule. Plus, since some of that wattage is being wasted lighting outside of my tank, I was wondering if 4×24W would be more appropriate after all.

[CC26]

12 minutes ago, Cannedfish said:

I'm so confused on why you are try to do this? It seems like 30W of LED is more than enough light?!  

My SPS aren't doing as well as I'd like. I test my water parameters weekly, dose accordingly, and keep up with my water changes, so I really doubt that it is a water quality issue.

 

Now, I'm not saying that lighting is definitely the issue here - it very well might not be - but I just want to eliminate it as a possible factor, and I think that the best way to do that is by running tried and tested, good ol' T5HO lights. That way, if I continue to have issues with SPS, at least I can be 100% certain that my problem isn't the lighting.

[Ratvan]

13 minutes ago, CC26 said:

Cheers mate, I might just go for it then. It's cheaper (and much easier to find) than the smaller ones anyway, not to mention better bulb selection.

 

Do you reckon 2×24W would be sufficient? I saw a 10 gallon tank running 4×24W somewhere in the stickied T5HO thread here on this forum, and my tank is just a little over half that. It is my understanding, however, that lighting can't always be scaled linearly with volume a la the old 'watts per gallon' rule. Plus, since some of that wattage is being wasted lighting outside of my tank, I was wondering if 4×24W would be more appropriate after all.

I honestly don't know, I've been considering running a 2x24w set up to supplement my Kessil but not got a lot further then that

[CC26]

1 minute ago, Ratvan said:

I honestly don't know, I've been considering running a 2x24w set up to supplement my Kessil but not got a lot further then that

Okay, thanks anyway. I've asked for advice on a couple of aquarium Discord channels I'm in as well so I'll see what people have to say. I'll update you in a few months if I get good results.

[RedCrow]

I found the 11” coralife fixture here. Looks like they have a wait list though, so no guarantee they’ll ever have them in stock again 

[MainelyReefer]

2 minutes ago, RedCrow said:

I found the 11” coralife fixture here. Looks like they have a wait list though, so no guarantee they’ll ever have them in stock again 

When I was searching for that fixture they cancelled my order and Stated they won’t be getting any in if IRC.  Lots of the less busy sites have old pages they never remove as sometimes it leads to someone finding their site and just purchasing something else.  This fixture is fully discontinued and not being manufactured so if it’s not old stock it won’t be in stock

[CC26]

4 minutes ago, RedCrow said:

I found the 11” coralife fixture here. Looks like they have a wait list though, so no guarantee they’ll ever have them in stock again 

Forgot to mention one very crucial detail. I'm in the UK which limits my buying options even more. 😭

[Ratvan]

44 minutes ago, CC26 said:

Forgot to mention one very crucial detail. I'm in the UK which limits my buying options even more. 😭

Yeah, smallest I could find was a 60cm t5 system from iquatics on Amazon. Additionally maybe have a look into Orphek light bars. T5 looks with LED performance

60cm is smallest size 

https://orphek.com/or2-150-120-90-60-reef-led-lighting/

[debbeach13]

I like the flexibility of T5 bulb choices. Not sure I could live with all that extra spillage. I would probably cave in and get just LED or if I could afford it go with the tiny tank hybrid. T5 - LED. The old little current fixture was the bomb back in the day.

[Thrassian Atoll]

Is that small 11” T5 fixture able to grow sps? Does anybody still make bulbs that small?  There’s a ton of led options that would fit perfectly that have been proven to be efficient at growing anything.  Shadowing is the big downfall for leds, but on a tank that small I don’t know if that would be an issue.

[CC26]

47 minutes ago, debbeach13 said:

I like the flexibility of T5 bulb choices. Not sure I could live with all that extra spillage. I would probably cave in and get just LED or if I could afford it go with the tiny tank hybrid. T5 - LED. The old little current fixture was the bomb back in the day.

I get it. The reason I wouldn't really mind the spillage is because the tank is at the other end of the room away from my desk, so I have my back turned towards it whenever I'm working.

[CC26]

30 minutes ago, Thrassian Atoll said:

Is that small 11” T5 fixture able to grow sps? Does anybody still make bulbs that small?

I think I'm going to go with a suspension mounted 2×24" fixture running ATI bulbs (not decided on which specific ones yet).

 

30 minutes ago, Thrassian Atoll said:

There’s a ton of led options that would fit perfectly that have been proven to be efficient at growing anything.  Shadowing is the big downfall for leds, but on a tank that small I don’t know if that would be an issue.

That's true, but then we're going into high-end LED territory in which case T5s are cheaper (and, in my personal opinion, still better). I also want a lot of plating montiporas so the shading might be an issue even in a tank this small.

[mcarroll]

On 5/8/2020 at 9:57 AM, CC26 said:

My SPS aren't doing as well as I'd like. I test my water parameters weekly, dose accordingly, and keep up with my water changes, so I really doubt that it is a water quality issue.

 

Now, I'm not saying that lighting is definitely the issue here - it very well might not be - but I just want to eliminate it as a possible factor, and I think that the best way to do that is by running tried and tested, good ol' T5HO lights. That way, if I continue to have issues with SPS, at least I can be 100% certain that my problem isn't the lighting.

Changing out lights might be the worst way to test that theory, as strange as that may sound.  You're not really considering your corals, and they don't want this switch AT ALL.  Of that you can be 100% certain.

 

I don't want to stop you from doing what you really want to do if you just really want to run T5 lights like it was 2005 again....but to me it sounds like you really want your corals to do well, but you're caught up in the rat's-nest-question of lighting.

 

It's not your lighting.  Come out of the rat's nest.  😃

 

But if you want help with figuring out what it might be, I need to know more about what corals you're talking about, what they actually look like, what you see as "not doing as well as I'd like", what your test results have been like, the tank's overall history, et al.

 

Post as much of that info as you can, if that sounds of interest vs this lighting mess you're getting ready for.  😉