T5 Vs. Compact Fluorescent

[papijames]

monkey see, monkey do. I see lot of people showing tanks with Power Compact lights and T5s. I'm ready to upgrade my lighting but need help. What should I get for my 55gal? now it's a FWLR but thinking about migrating into the coral world. I need your advice. Also do I only need a 36" fixture, or the 48" will be better? also which one of those lights gives out less heat? "MOST" i buy a fixture with fans included, or is there another way around it?
Thank you in advance

[FireWater]

With the right t-5 lighting system you will be able to keep almost anything you want. I went back and forth about the lighting on my 90g and finally purchased a 6X54 watt t-5 retro kit with individual ice cap reflectors. The t-5 bulbs last longer and I believe they run cooler than PC bulbs. I would reccomend running fans as this will help cool the bulb and give you better efficiency and lighting. As far as length goes I would stick with whatever covers your tank from end to end.

[Paul28]

I have powercompacts right now and im switching to t5 dont wast your money on compacts t5 has way more choises and alot better light output and you can put alot more of them under your canopy

[Mr_Cool]

Go with the 48" t-5's. They run cooler that the CF, but you'll still want to put a fan or two on them. I bought a couple of computer fans from Altex that work great. They're quiet, and keep my water temp. 2-3 degrees cooler than what it was without them. I put them on a timer with the lights so that they're only on when the lights are on.

You could probably go w/ two 2x54w retrofits in a 55 gallon to start. Then add another if you need it.

[papijames]

Thank you all for your replies. By the way MR Cool what size of Fans do you use? any picture of your set up that I can see?

[Darth-Tater]

James, buy or build the canopy then we can put 2 48" t5 lights in it and can add more later.

David

[crossxfire2]

I am a die hard pc fan, but that's because I haven't tried anything else, lol! I keep softies and some other stuff, including a condy anemone. Well, pc lights run VERY hot. I don't know how hot t-5 run, but pc's will burn your hand. You get more color options with t-5. I don't see why t-5 increases light output, maybe because you can fit more t-5 bulbs on the same aquarium than pc bulbs. Even though I've never tried t-5, go with them. They are the latest and greatest technology, and you can't beat that.

[chark]

The difference in the output is largely due to the reflectors for t5s.

[coraline79]

t-5ho is cheaper, cooler, last longer, easy to upgrade, easy to customize, and in my case, having had both, the color is out of this world in comparison.

[Kristy]

...and in my case, having had both, the color is out of this world in comparison.


So true!

[Mr_Cool]

Sorry about the poor pics. It's kind of hard to get in there to get a good one. I have one fan at each end of the tank, and they blow across the end of the bulb near the endcaps and circulate the air out the back of the canopy. I didn't keep the packaging, but I think they rated at around 22 decibles. They're really quite and put out pretty good air flow. (I think it was something like 27 cfm, if that's the correct unit.) One of the best parts about these, though, is that they come with a "quick disconnect." That is, I made a connection to a 12 volt DC plug, but the other end is not connected to the fan. It has a small connector instead. The fan has a small cord with the other connector. So, you just put the two connectors together and bingo. (I know that sounds confusing, but I don't know all the technical terms for these electronic components!) What I like is I can disconnect the fans if I want without worrying about unplugging everything. Oh! I lied. The BEST part is they were only like $5 a piece!

[papijames]

[quote=Darth-Tater;593098]James, buy or build the canopy then we can put 2 48" t5 lights in it and can add more later.

Dave I'm gonna need help with that. who do you know in here that can build a canopy for my 55gal?

[Darth-Tater]

Hobogato builds stuff also SAwoodworking a maast sponser.

David

[checkerkitty]

T-5s are the way to go. We had a mix of MH and PCs on the 240. PCs really aren't that great. They are also easy to break and we had a number of retro kit sockets burn as well. The bulbs are pricey, also. Ace was happy to ditch them in favor of VHO bulbs. But he is using them for actinic only. I have a mix of MH and T-5s on my 180 and have been happy. We're still trying to get the bulb combination right, but it's just trial and error. Look at reefgeek.com for bulbs. Also, over at Reefcentral there is a discussion on T-5s. I'll try to find it and post it in this thread.

Christy

[papijames]

checkerkitty I did see those t5 at the site. I still don't know which one happens to be cheaper. to buy a set of T5, or to get in touch with Ace and have him build me a canopy, then for me to buy the parts to insert in it.

[longhorna95]

T-5s are great! I have a 75 gallon with 4-65ho and I cant complain. T-5s put out a more concentrated source of light then compact which penetrates the water deeper a lot like metal halide but does so with a lot less heat effect to the water. They do have more color range like coraline79 allready said. Make sure to do your home work on your corals about placement and light requirements, it will save you a lot of money in the end.

[papijames]

once I get my lights I will start asking questions about the type of corals to get. I'm not going hardcore, just a little nice piece to get a "wow" whenever someone comes to the house