Armson November 4, 2005 November 4, 2005 Anybody out there running T5s? I am curious what everyone's thoughts on them are? How do they compare to PCs? Byron
ErikS November 4, 2005 November 4, 2005 Not......................yet............should have them in place by Xmas (crosses fingers). No comparison, they out do PC by a long shot - they're in the league of MH lights. There's a couple of T5 threads on RC - one is a warning thread. One person had issues with LPS/softies - the light was far too much. Note: From what I've read the reflector is crucial, the best are individual reflectors (single reflectors can reduce PAR by as much as 50%)
dhoch November 4, 2005 November 4, 2005 I run T5 on my system and I would definitly have to say I love them. I have great growth (clams, softies and SPS). The one thing that has trouble in direct light is mushrooms (they really need to be shaded from the T5 light). They cast out a lot more light than PCs... Dave
seppler November 4, 2005 November 4, 2005 Dave, I've been seriously considering upgrading to the T5s since I saw them at your house...Can you tell me (and other people who want to know) what brand you have or other particulars that might be relevant? And what kind of reflectors you have? How often do you change bulbs, etc? Thanks!!
rioreef November 4, 2005 November 4, 2005 Anybody out there running T5s? I am curious what everyone's thoughts on them are? How do they compare to PCs? Byron 44322[/snapback] I have 6 48" 54watt High Output T5s. Note there are normal output version and high output, check before buying. 4 are overdriven with IceCap 660. Got my setup from ReefGeek.com with the IceCap upgrade and reflector upgrade. No comparison to PC, they will blow them away. Lots of debate in comparison to MH, obvious differences exist. IMO much more output that VHO. Remember, with T5s you cannot go by a watt/gal comparison. Low heat, deep penetration into tank (I have maxima clam on botton of 24" deep 90g and I loves it there), and long bulb life make them nice, high initial cost. Lots of people complain about not being able to keep mushrooms. I have noticed if you put them in a cave portion, back corner or under a ledge they will do just fine. When introducing new life (fish or coral), be sure to screen the tank over the period of say 10 days. I use fiberglass screen (5 layers) and peel a layer off every couple of days to acclimate. Where your sunglass if you need to look at them while in operation.
Armson November 4, 2005 Author November 4, 2005 I have been setting up this same 75 gallon system for almost a year now. IT is going up this month! I was originally going for 2 x 250w 10K and 2 x 96w PC after doing some research the prices for T5s (end caps, ballast, bulbs, reflectors) is about the same as the PCs. Here is the kicker...... I can fit 4 x T5s into the canopy as opposed to 2 x 96 PCs. So here is the proposed canopy set up. 2 x 250 MH 10K 4 x 54w T5 ho Actinics (All of them will be on only during a short period of time during the day) Here is what I was going to do 2 x 250 MH 10K 2 x 96 w PC Thoughts? Byron
ErikS November 4, 2005 November 4, 2005 4 56w T5s AND 2x250s? :o That's one heck of a lot of light for a 75, you might find that you can "only" keep SPS in the lower portion of the tank.............in the shade. Seriously, you might consider 2xT5 and/or going with 2x150 DE's. I'd guess with the above you'd end up with a pretty short light cycle (not that that's a bad thing) See above - he's got a clam in a 24" tank with 6 T5s........and the clam is happy. T5s put out a LOT of PAR (especially with the right reflectors).
dhoch November 4, 2005 November 4, 2005 My setup is as follows: I have 7 T5 bulbs and 1 VHO bulb wired as follows Bank 1 (Actinics): 1 6' VHO URI Actinic and 1 5' ATI Actinic (on at 6:30 AM and off at 7:30 PM) this is powered by a IceCAP 430 Ballast Bank 2 (Main Lights 1): 2 x ATI Blue Plus 5', 1 x ATI 11K AquaBlue (on at 7:30 off at 6:30) this is powered by an IceCAP 660 Ballast Bank 3 (Main Lights 2): 1 x ATI 11K AquaBlue, 2 x ATI 6000K Suns (on at 10:30 and off at 4:30) this again powered by an IceCAP 660 ballast. All my T5 bulbs have the "sunlight supply" parabolic reflectors... The reason that I went with these was that their width (2") allowed me to fit 8 in my cabinet. Since the initial install I replaced one of the T5 actinic bulbs with a VHO actinic bulb (the VHOs definitly give more pop to the corals and I would recommend staying away from the T5s for actinic supplimentation but instead go the VHO route). My bulbs, reflectors and end caps I got at www.reefgeek.com The ballasts I either bought used or allready had from a prebious VHO setup. The advanage of my setup is that I get a really nice light spread and increasing/decreasing in intensity which I think is a good idea. As allready stated mushrooms have been a problem, and even some of my LPS were initially a little shocked and had to be moved to different locations to be able to deal with the amount of light. Dave
rioreef November 4, 2005 November 4, 2005 Where are you guys getting T5 bulbs, endcaps and reflectors? 44355[/snapback] ReefGeek Talk to Greg, tell him your situation and desires, he will hook you up. Chris
traveller7 November 5, 2005 November 5, 2005 Since the initial install I replaced one of the T5 actinic bulbs with a VHO actinic bulb (the VHOs definitly give more pop to the corals and I would recommend staying away from the T5s for actinic supplimentation but instead go the VHO route). 44341[/snapback] I agree with Dave and would add emphatically, "VHO T-12 Actinic over any currently available T-5 Actinic." Go with 2x95wt or 2x110wt VHO's and be happy.
quazi November 8, 2005 November 8, 2005 OK, now a loaded question - if T5 are great, and deliver a lot of light (and I assume PAR), is this an adaquate substitue for MH? I am looking @ a 120 and I would prefer not to deal with the large canopy that a MH system requires.
dhoch November 8, 2005 November 8, 2005 OK, now a loaded question - if T5 are great, and deliver a lot of light (and I assume PAR), is this an adaquate substitue for MH? I am looking @ a 120 and I would prefer not to deal with the large canopy that a MH system requires. 44478[/snapback] In my opinion yes it is... the lack of a large canopy is one of the reasons I went with T5 (low profile canopy)... easy retro as well. I should probably do an open house if people are interested in coming over one saturday afternoon, but being in the Frederick, MD area, it can be quite a drive from No VA. Dave
Larry Grenier November 8, 2005 November 8, 2005 Hey Dave Since you have all T5s, how is the Actinic porton doing? Of the 8 bulbs, what color temps do you have? Hope you don't mind all the questions. I'd love to visit you some time and see your setup. Quazi... road trip! :2thumbsup: I'd also like to see how you keep that big acrylic scratch free
dhoch November 8, 2005 November 8, 2005 Larry, My sig is not quite up to date... If you read through the postings you will notice I pulled out one of the Actinic T5 bulbs and replaced with a URI VHO Actinic (I like their Actinic much better than the ATI actinic)... More pop to the corals... My bulb mix can be found in an above post, but I'll paste it in here as well: Bank 1 (Actinics): 1 6' VHO URI Actinic and 1 5' ATI Actinic (on at 6:30 AM and off at 7:30 PM) this is powered by a IceCAP 430 Ballast Bank 2 (Main Lights 1): 2 x ATI Blue Plus 5', 1 x ATI 11K AquaBlue (on at 7:30 off at 6:30) this is powered by an IceCAP 660 Ballast Bank 3 (Main Lights 2): 1 x ATI 11K AquaBlue, 2 x ATI 6000K Suns (on at 10:30 and off at 4:30) this again powered by an IceCAP 660 ballast. Dave
Larry Grenier November 8, 2005 November 8, 2005 :oops: ........ silly me Interesting... the ballast powers 1 T5 and 1 VHO :idea2: hadn't thought of that.
dhoch November 8, 2005 November 8, 2005 Yup.... No issues.... Thinking about switching the other T5 actinic to URI VHO, but where it is in the hood is going to make it a pain in the butt. Dave
Larry Grenier November 8, 2005 November 8, 2005 Soooo I can't use the old WPG rule. Anyone know of a PAR comparison or study between T5s and the other types?
dhoch November 8, 2005 November 8, 2005 The PAR meter the club has (which I did measurements with) showed my T5s (all on) were casting more or equivalent PAR (at multiple depths) than measurements taken directly under 250W MH bulbs. I haven't posted the updated spreadsheet but I should be able to do that sometime in the next two days. Dave
Larry Grenier November 9, 2005 November 9, 2005 Very kool, I, I, I mean hot, I, I, I mean shweeet :2thumbsup:
JMsAquarium December 1, 2005 December 1, 2005 Now, check this thread from RC. This guy only has T5s. Interesting eh? Dave, your turn to post pics
fishface December 5, 2005 December 5, 2005 Yeeooow!! I read every single post in the thread. Every. One. In the last question, someone asked him how long he's been at this, and he says it's just 2 years. Man, although there were no "before" pics, the results are astounding. 2 years! FF
JMsAquarium December 5, 2005 December 5, 2005 Dave, My thoughts precisely. Since I am due for new bulbs, I am so much tempted to go for it. This Swiss guy has a tank that speaks for itself, dhoch also runs T5s and is pleased with it and so is Matt (I believe).
Guest maestro774 December 5, 2005 December 5, 2005 Yes, I'm running T5's only on my 90g and I'm pleased with the performance. Some softies, even at the bottom of the tank, can't take the intense amount of light, but all the SPS I have are growing well.
JMsAquarium December 5, 2005 December 5, 2005 And another great thread from RC, called The T5 Q&A thread
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now