Lighting Question

[Jerzboi]

I'm looking to up grade my tank's light because it is still the stock aqua lighting which i know isn't very good lighting at all especially if i am going to have a planted tank

I was lookin in Lowes and saw they have a T8 with 6500K rating and was wondering if that is a good plant lighting seeing that it has full color spectrum with a 6500k rating.. though i could be wrong

also what is the difference in t-5 t-8 t-11 and so on, bulb size??? :huh:

thanks!!!

[Ozymandias]

well the difrence for T5 T8 and T11 are as you guessed bulb size. the shop light will work just thay arent vary efficient in my opinion i would look around and go with a T5 HO set up for planted tanks even low light tanks.

[Hebily]

the lower the number the smaller, and more efficient the bulb is. A 3 ft, 39watt t5ho puts out more light than a 4 ft, 48 watt t12.

[Jerzboi]

the 55 gal i just got has 2 light hoods that hold 18" light strips but only hold 19w
so what would be my best bet as far as gettin lighting for my tank? I'd like to be able to support medium light plants

[Hebily]

If you want to use those hoods, try and get 6500-6700k bulbs for them. Really, your best bet will be to upgrade to t5ho fixtures. What is the length of the tank? Is there a canopy on it?

[Jerzboi]

my tank is a 55 gal that is 48" long by 12 3/4"
I won't be able to afford a good fixture. I maybe able to get a single tube light fixture if it is under 125$

other wise im tryin to find the best bulbs to get for my current fixtures
is there any type of bulb that i can get?

[Ozymandias]

you might look into the Fishneedit (http://www.fishneedit.com/info.html) T5 HO set ups there pretty cheap but thay work if your on a budget. for bulbs for your current set up i would say look into something in the 6,500K to 10,000 K range this is usually considered the best for plants

[stratusfearrr]

try looking up currentusa on ebay. i just bought a refurbished 4x39 watt nova extreme t5 HO light fixture, 36 inch. the light fixture runs for $250 new, and they sold it for a hundred. They have EXCELLENT customer service. i'd say it was definately worth the money. that way, you can have the t5 HO setup, which is very efficient

[Jerzboi]

if i get a light with a 6700k rating do i need a certain brand or would any light (i.e. lowes bulb) work?

[Ozymandias]

any brand should work fine

[Hebily]

I second that any brand would work. Just make sure it fits your fixture, and is somewhere around 6500k. You can go as high as 10,000k if you want bluer light that is still a good spectrum for plants. Since I think you said you have a two bulb set-up, I would go with 1 6,500k, and one 10,000k

[FSM]

2x32W T8 shoplight = $20 at lowes. Bulbs are probably $5 each or so.

2x40W T12 shoplight = $10, bulbs are probably similar in price.

T12 bulbs are 12/8" diameter (1.5")
T8 are 8/8" (1")
T5s are 5/8"
etc

T8s are more efficient and less light will be blocked by the bulb (compared to T12)

T5s are the most efficient, but will cost a lot more and you don't need that much light.

[dundadundun]

the number after the "T" in flourescent bulbs refers to the thickness of the bulbs. it represents eighths of an inch. for example a t-5 bulb should be around 5/8" thick. respectively a t-8 = 8/8" or 1" thick and a t-12 = 12/8 or 1 1/2". electricity follows the path of least resistance. in a thicker bulb the current chooses where to go or should i say isn't forced to react with all the gas inside all the time. in a thinner bulb the current is forced to react with more of the gasses to get from point a to point b therefore produces more light with less current.

if you can afford the setup/ballast for the thinner bulbs it will cost you less in the long run because less electricity will produce more light than the thicker bulbs. if you cannot afford it and can get t-8 as opposed to t-12 it will save you money in the long run.

also good reflectors will increase the amount of that light directed into your tank. with the larger bulbs it's harder to fit them in there and still have enough room for lights to create the output you need. this further separates the bulbs in efficiency as t-12 bulbs almost have to be stacked against each other to produce the same light a t-5 with the same wattage and a decent reflector will produce. in turn that leaves no room for reflectors so most of your light would be wasted.

[Jerzboi]

thanks guys! that helped out a lot!
would my 19w light fixtures be able to handle a 32w t-8??

[Ozymandias]

no you would not be able to even if you could fit it your light probably has a ballast that controls how much electricity it uses so even if you get a 32 watt bulb in there the light will still only use 19 watts.

[Jerzboi]

oh ok, i thought that it would not be able to work if it was to high of watts or wouldn have full power as opposed to gettin a 15w

[Ozymandias]

well to be honest i'm not sure it would even fit in the fixture. and if you did get it in i'm not positive of what it would do. what i said above is basically what i have read about it and can understand and in general florescent lighting is pretty specific to the fixture.

[Jerzboi]

oh lol

well thanks anyways

[Hebily]

thanks guys! that helped out a lot!
would my 19w light fixtures be able to handle a 32w t-8??
No. It will not fit. If it did fit, it would not light.

[pam916]

Try Aquatraders, they have some very reasonable priced light fixtures. They have an Odyssea 48" 130 watt power compact light fixture for $45. They also have an Odyssea 48" 108 watt (2x54 watt) T5 HO Light Fixture for $45.

[Jerzboi]

does anyone know if those lights are worth spending the money? there must be a reason why they are that cheap..

[Ozymandias]

in theory the Odyssea lights should works but i thay are not the best bet and i would be worried about heat issues with the PC lights if you want to test out the T5 thought i i don't see much trouble there because thay don't heat up much.

[pam916]

I have not tried the odyssea lights myself so I don't have any idea how well they work or how well made they are, but I thought it was worth mentioning since you said you were on a tight budget.

[Jerzboi]

haha yeah i know, thanks for the thought though :)

[Star_Rider]

T-5 HO

http://www.fishneedit.com/t5ho-ligh.html

Power compact
http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/product_info.php?cPath=71_76&products_id=1196

T-5 HO
http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/product_info.php?cPath=71_136&products_id=1638

I have not used the fishneed it but heard good things.
the catalina lights have been good.
I have the power compact but would like to try T-5 HO

[ibanez]

try these i got this on my tank it is working good. http://www.marineandreef.com/Coralife_48_T5_Aqualight_Nova_48_inch_T5_Aquarium_ Lighting_s/340.htm not a bad price.

[geekboy]

I've fared well with a recently-purchased Odyssea 4x54W T5 fixture. The build quality is fair at best, but it lights the tank beautifully.