T5's and heat

[captexas]

That is surprising Josh. I would not have figured they added that much heat (especially just 2 bulbs!) as they are supposed to use less energy. Flourescents generally do not put out much heat in the first place. Is that with your fans blowing across the top of the tank too? I got 2 fans to use on my canopy but have yet to install them as my tank temp is only maxing at 83 degrees and that is with 800watts of metal halide and 220 watts of VHO on my 75.

[Instar]

The electronic ballast runs cool, thats why they are energy mizers. The bulbs get hot hot. Usually the smaller the diameter of the bulb, the hotter the surface area of the bulb will be and the more radiant heat you will get into your tank or hood.

[GeoB]

I have three T5s and one NO over my 70. They are about 4" above the water. My temp goes from 79 at night to 82 during the day. I keep the room at about 78. The canopy is enclosed except for a 3 inch slot along the bottom of the backside. I just installed two T5 reflectors last night (finally...what a difference in brightness), I'm curious to see if this bumps the temp up any. I have an Orion fan on order (been meaning to do that for a long time too).

What T5 bulbs are you running Josh? I'm thinking about trying one of the blue plus lamps.