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T-5 > Pc
- Thread starter Mini4x
- Start date
merk1_99
Salting away
In swapping from PC to T5 I would reccomend raising the unit higher off the tank if possible. Also would reccomend putting layers of non metal screen on the top of the tank. 4 bulbs on a tank is still a huge upgrade and will bleach corals, unless you are running a couple of full actinic bulbs....also in the future when getting frags, be cautious adding frags that come from tanks running less than 250's MH. Frags from tanks running 150-175's are always at risk of bleaching under 6-8 T-5 bulbs. Enjoy the new lights.....
Jill & Brian
Reef Hiatus
I switched from 4x96 w pc to 5 x 54W t5 about 3 weeks ago, and I agree on the wow factor. There has been significant growth on all of my corals in the 3 weeks since the swap. I wish the tank was large enough to fit more!!!. I am considering upgrading 1 of the ballasts to an IC 430 to overdrive 3 out of the 5 lights .....
-Brian
-Brian
merk1_99
Salting away
Use window screen from Home Depot. Plus I would consider down the road swapping the true actinic outs for Blue +'s. True actinics provide no useful PAR output for the tank. And with an 8 bulb unit I would try and get a GE 6500 Daylight bulb in there. Not sure if you have one in your config. The GE 6500 provides the most PAR. Plus in my opinion it will help color up you SPS fast.....Good luck.
merk1_99
Salting away
I just suggest the screen method as a light acclimation process. You get enough screen to cut up and cover the tank with 4-5 layers, and then every week remove a layer. Which therefore allows more light into the tank. So in 4-5 weeks your lights are running full blast over the tank.
What t5 fixture are you running? Personally I don't use the glass tops on my tank for two reasons. The first being gas exchange. With a glass top there is less gas exchange(ie tank temps are higher) and secondly I never cleaned them frequently enough so it was constantly baking the salt onto the glass making them more light inhibitive. Living on the third floor with the rising heat of apartments below I need all the evaporation possible to keep my tank at 80 degrees. I have the Tek lights. Someday I will get the acrylic shield for my fixture. Keeps your bulbs clean while making it easier to wipe off and clean. Its all a matter of what works for you. If you like the glass covers and don't mind taking them off to clean them then go for it. I would just suggest that you have a sump so the gas exchange can take place in the sump. You may already have a sump, as I don't know what your setup is.
What t5 fixture are you running? Personally I don't use the glass tops on my tank for two reasons. The first being gas exchange. With a glass top there is less gas exchange(ie tank temps are higher) and secondly I never cleaned them frequently enough so it was constantly baking the salt onto the glass making them more light inhibitive. Living on the third floor with the rising heat of apartments below I need all the evaporation possible to keep my tank at 80 degrees. I have the Tek lights. Someday I will get the acrylic shield for my fixture. Keeps your bulbs clean while making it easier to wipe off and clean. Its all a matter of what works for you. If you like the glass covers and don't mind taking them off to clean them then go for it. I would just suggest that you have a sump so the gas exchange can take place in the sump. You may already have a sump, as I don't know what your setup is.
merk1_99
Salting away
Do you have individual bulb reflectors? Or a sheet reflector for them all. Depending on which reflector you have is how much PAR is output to the sandbed. Please do not use watts as a determining factor on the the amount of light output by a T5. It is about useful par. The fact that you went from 260w's PC to 216w's T5's doesn't mean that they are equivalent in useful PAR output. Good T5 bulbs and individual reflectors can emit as much useful par as a 175w MH, to 250 w MH. Now I don't know the numbers on usable PAR output on a PC bulb but I am going to guess that they are on the low- medium output side. You may be able to find thaqt info on RC if it will let you search.
I'm curious, there have been several mentions of the fact that the T5's put out more PAR than the PC bulbs. While I don't doubt that that may be the case, do you guys have some data where these numbers are listed? Who is testing these bulbs?
Jill & Brian
Reef Hiatus
Greg, I read a thread on RC by Grim Reefer where he did par comparisons of different T-5 Setups using different ballasts, but he did not compare them to PC's. I believe he did compare them to a couple of different MH setups, but I did not read too far into the thread.
From my personal experience, I switched from 4- 96W PC bulbs to 5 - 54W with individual reflectors. Even with a drop of 114W, the t5's are considerably brighter than the pc's. My wife started complaining that they were too bright
As far as my tank inhabitants, the corals have shown a distinctive increase in growth rate, and better coloring. I have not changed anything other than the lights.
I think that the individual reflectors make a huge difference, Without then, I would say that t-5's would compare watt to watt with PC's, as PC's are simply bent t-5 tubes. The reflectors allow for much more light to penetrate into the tank.
-Brian
From my personal experience, I switched from 4- 96W PC bulbs to 5 - 54W with individual reflectors. Even with a drop of 114W, the t5's are considerably brighter than the pc's. My wife started complaining that they were too bright
As far as my tank inhabitants, the corals have shown a distinctive increase in growth rate, and better coloring. I have not changed anything other than the lights.
I think that the individual reflectors make a huge difference, Without then, I would say that t-5's would compare watt to watt with PC's, as PC's are simply bent t-5 tubes. The reflectors allow for much more light to penetrate into the tank.
-Brian
merk1_99
Salting away
If I can get on RC sometime I will find some data. But like all data found on RC and the internet everywhere it is open to interpretation and debate. Like Brian I have seen marked increase in growth, and SPS coloration but once again that is only subjectively my opinion and anecdotal evidence. I will tell you I have had issues with acclimating frags taken from tanks running less than 250 MH. I have had 2 incidents of bleaching from two different tanks lit by 175's.
I'm not sure if the comparison to a PC bulb simply being a bent T5 tube is valid. I think I read something someplace they were different in other things beside shape...
Anyways being the skeptic I am. I am looking into purchasing a PAR meter so I can do my own tests. I'm curious about what kind of par my T'5's are putting out, plus I'm curious to their product life....I keep hearing 18 months to 2 yrs? But I can not find anything to tell me if that is true.
I'm not sure if the comparison to a PC bulb simply being a bent T5 tube is valid. I think I read something someplace they were different in other things beside shape...
Anyways being the skeptic I am. I am looking into purchasing a PAR meter so I can do my own tests. I'm curious about what kind of par my T'5's are putting out, plus I'm curious to their product life....I keep hearing 18 months to 2 yrs? But I can not find anything to tell me if that is true.
merk1_99
Salting away
I'll be honest when compared to pc I don't find T5's to run all that much cooler if at all. Also a MH is hot but is that because it is concentrated on a tight area so it is more concentrated? Where as a T5 the heat is spread out throughout the lenght of the bulb....I don't buy the heat issue. The only reason i can see that it gives off less heat is because it uses less energy. Well thats my 2 cents...
Josh have you ever seen a tank run with T5's either HO or overdriven with good reflectors....They are bright and make the tank "pop."
Minix I would just reccommend you look into good individual parabolic reflectors. I am willing to bet if you can get the ice cap or similar on them you won't need to run all eight bulbs....I have 6 and there is plenty of light for my acro's....
Good luck
Josh have you ever seen a tank run with T5's either HO or overdriven with good reflectors....They are bright and make the tank "pop."
Minix I would just reccommend you look into good individual parabolic reflectors. I am willing to bet if you can get the ice cap or similar on them you won't need to run all eight bulbs....I have 6 and there is plenty of light for my acro's....
Good luck
redpaulhus
Who's Paul ? :)
Can anyone recommend some good DIY info on T-5's (which ballasts to use, etc) or point out some good retrofit kits ?
I might try replacing the lighting on one of my FW planted tanks with a pair of 54w T-5 bulbs...
I might try replacing the lighting on one of my FW planted tanks with a pair of 54w T-5 bulbs...
OP
OP
Mini4x
Sea Box!
redpaulhus said:
I used to run my planted tank with regular T-8 6700k bulbs.. but 4x overdriven with one 4F32 ballast per bulb.. I still have the fixture, it was a standard AGA dual strip hood. What are you running now, you might be happy with just going OD.
http://www.yankeetoys.org/mini4x/pets/reef/odno.html