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T5's and SPS


p.o.t.u.s

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believe it or not t-5s with the proper reflectors are just as strong as a 175 watt halide but they dont make them in lenghs of less that 2 feet so you gotta have something like a 20 long. Make sure you put the sps/other high light organisms in the top of the tank and they'll grow well. Check rc there was a 16 page thread on t-5s and it showed pictures of how well sps could actually grow under t-5s.

 

good luck

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This is interesting. Watt for watt, how do T5's compare with MH's in terms of lumens? For example, say I got a 24" PC/MH hood, 1 150w MH + 2 65w PC. Would a 4 bulb or a 6 bulb T5 24", 24w/bulb setup equal the light of the MH/PC system? How does the light output compare? The cost of the two systems is pretty similar.

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Well, I'm not sure the comparison has been done! A couple of factors that play in.....1) much lower heat output of T5 2) you run the T5's 3" off the water, 3) twice the bulb lifespan!

 

So, in terms of cost, T5's would be cheaper in the long run when you factor in, energy usage, cooling, and bulb replacement.

 

You'll notice that Dan's corals have a "pastel" color tone to them....not the vivid green, purple or blue, that you see under MH, but a insane colors nonetheless. Another factor, covergae area of the lights. MH tend to be the brightest in the middle and drop off as you go toward the sides. With a full T5 hood (like Dans's) you can pack the sides with frags as well because of the better coverage.

 

All that being said, water quality is just as important (read Dan's thread!). I feel that MH gives you some buffer zone when it comes to water quality. When running T5's or VHO (or PCs) you lose this buffer and any change in water quality can result in rapid browning or worse!

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I saw some guy on slatcreep.com who has 4 24 watt ho t5s w/icecap reflectors on his 10g. I think alot of sucess with t5s has to do with using the proper reflectors (which cost $).

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Well Technically they are the same as PC bulbs. The U tube PC bulbs we use here in the USA are T5 bulbs as well. T5 defined as the diameter of the bulb in eighths of an inch. The main advantage of the T5 over T8s is the smaller diameter bulb and higher bulb temps..

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i thought the main advantage is that you can use those individual reflectors that maximizes the output. And, bulb temps? what are you talking about?

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Bulb temps.........I can touch a PC bulb that has been going all day. Would you touch a MH bulb that has been going for an hour? NO!

 

The consequence of bulb temp, is increased tank temp with MH.

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sorry, when I mentioned bulb temps, I was referring to bulb temps of T5 compared to T8. The higher the bulb temp of Fluoros, the more lumen output... Sorry for any confusion..

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