Lighting Question

[jg2269jg]

Hey guys and girls
i currently run halides and vhos on my 110 reef but i am liking what i here about t-5's. So i have like 5 months left on my vhos but do you guys think i should switch out my vhos for the t-5's. And then i am in the midst of starting designing my 210 and i was thinking of lighting, do t-5s penetrate better than vhos or halides i see alot of people using just t-5s on there big tanks and if that was true what do you think of using 3 250 watt halides on the top of the reef and then t-5s in the front of the reef i was thinking staggering 6 to 8 t-5s in the front of a mix of actinics and whites. Sorry if this is confusing but bear with me thanks Jeff

 

[jazzsam]

I use T5 on 1/2 of my 240 gallon and I love them.

 

[Phyl]

We used to have T5s on our tank as actinic lighting and when we upgraded the tank it came with VHOs. I like the pop that the VHOs provide MUCH more than the T5s. As supplemental lighting I'd stick with the VHOs.

 

[blange3]

We used to have T5s on our tank as actinic lighting and when we upgraded the tank it came with VHOs. I like the pop that the VHOs provide MUCH more than the T5s. As supplemental lighting I'd stick with the VHOs.

What she said!

(Of course VHO's are my ONLY lights!) ;D

 

[jg2269jg]

hey guys thanks for the info. Question i see alot of people using the t5s as there lighting on big tanks do they for lack of better terms give off better light or go deeper than vhos or is it just personal preference why people add t5s to vhos Thanks Jeff

 

[Hawkeye]

T5s are the "new" technology so it's understandable that some folks will want to light their tank solely with them. In addition you could avoid having two ballasts.

I think it ends up being personal preference. Some folks like the pop from the actinics of VHO and the "shimmer" effect of MH. I don't think either choice is necessarily "better", but I do agree if you are just looking for T5 actinics - then you're better off staying with VHOs.

Andy (was affiliated with Icecap but no longer) wrote this in 2005: "If the ambient temperature around a lamp is 150F or more you will lose output and lamp life. T-5's again are the only exception and can tolerate higher operating temperatures...Even though super actinics (of VHO) lose output faster, the amount of light at that end of the spectrum is so over the top, that you could use them till they don't phosphoresce to your liking and forget about the lamp's age."

 

[jg2269jg]

so phil519 WHAT???? i am sorry but are you saying that you like t5s or vhos better hahaha i am confused i really am pretty intellegient when it comes to this hobby of ours but the lighting thing is up in the air to me still thanks

 

[Hawkeye]

LOL. Sorry.

The answer is...ready..."It depends".

If you want actinic lights - then the suggestion is to use VHO. I dunno how long before you re-lamp your VHOs - but in essence Andy is saying there is no specific timeline needed for actinics - just re-lamp them when you think the color is not as blue as you like.

If you are looking at 50-50 bulbs, then the T5 is a better choice for the following reasons - it does penetrate to 24" or so (whereas with VHO, 24" is probably it's limit...) and it is not impacted at all by the heat from the MH. Therefore relamping of the T5 isn't needed as frequently as the equivalent VHO bulb.

I like VHO's for actinic.
But if I had to choose bulb that wasn't actinic, I'd go with the T5.

Does that help? It's just one person's opinion...

 

[jg2269jg]

Hey phil that makes alot more sense i just helped my friend retrofit t5s to his tank tonight i think they look really good compared to his old lights. will i change mine i am not sure we will see i have about 6 months before next light tune up