I currently have PCI florescent lights in Corralife fixtures. I'm building a wood canopy this week. I have been hearing a lot about the T5 VHO. What I have heard is T5's use less power and run cooler for the same amount of output or lumen's. I understand the concept of watts per gallon. I run around 4 1/2. What I don't fully understand is lumen's and how much you should have per gallon. If the T5's will save me some cash on my electric bill then an initial investment upfront will be worth it. Any thoughts or examples on this?
Thanks,
Don
T5 or PCI?
Not VHO, HO.
My two cents is that it depends on the fixtures.
I believe that the "hype" you hear around T5 fixtures has to do with rather high quality fixtures - that is, individual, parabolic reflectors wrapped around each T5 bulb.
They do run cooler. They can be better reflected by default because of the linear and thin fashion the bulb is in.
Lumen output, don't know enough on off hand to speak to.
From what I run and what I've seen - my Current Nova T5 fixtures grow things just like equivalently sized PC fixtures would. Nova's have very similar reflection setups to Current PC fixtures, or Coralife Fixtures - that flat, wide reflector for multiple bulbs.
Those with IceCap and TEK fixtures/retrofits (the higher end T5 fixtures mentioned above) seem to do a lot more with a lot less wattage. Whether is is the lighting or purely experience, or a combination of both, I don't know.
My two cents is that it depends on the fixtures.
I believe that the "hype" you hear around T5 fixtures has to do with rather high quality fixtures - that is, individual, parabolic reflectors wrapped around each T5 bulb.
They do run cooler. They can be better reflected by default because of the linear and thin fashion the bulb is in.
Lumen output, don't know enough on off hand to speak to.
From what I run and what I've seen - my Current Nova T5 fixtures grow things just like equivalently sized PC fixtures would. Nova's have very similar reflection setups to Current PC fixtures, or Coralife Fixtures - that flat, wide reflector for multiple bulbs.
Those with IceCap and TEK fixtures/retrofits (the higher end T5 fixtures mentioned above) seem to do a lot more with a lot less wattage. Whether is is the lighting or purely experience, or a combination of both, I don't know.
Dave
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Ghazanfar Ghori
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Look around at some reefing websites. There have been several articles
published comparing Metal halide fixtures and HO T-5 bulbs in terms of the
lumens. That may give you some idea.
T5s generally run cooler = more efficient at generating light. I'd go with
HO T-5's. After seeing them work first hand on the TEK fixture - I think
for tanks less 24" deep, that's the way to go.
published comparing Metal halide fixtures and HO T-5 bulbs in terms of the
lumens. That may give you some idea.
T5s generally run cooler = more efficient at generating light. I'd go with
HO T-5's. After seeing them work first hand on the TEK fixture - I think
for tanks less 24" deep, that's the way to go.
