Benefits on switching CFL over to T5-HO

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rockhoe14er

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Jul 19, 2010
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what size tank do you have? With CFL i believe they put out the equivalent lighting as a T5NO. The T5HO would basically put out even more light than what you already have. I have a single T5HO over my 29 gallon tank and that works amazing well i'm at about 0.8 watts per gallon.

If i were you i wouldn't switch because you seem to already have a lot of light. I don't think you will save any money but you'll get more light for the same amount of money you already spend.
 

dundadundun

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Jan 21, 2009
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the benefit is going to be more in how many bulbs you purchase at a time if your cfl's are oriented correctly and reflected well. using the light efficiently is where most folks get lost, imo. if they are oriented downward and reflected in a polished dome they should be more than enough. couple that together with the fact that they're fairly inexpensive and available in multi-packs everywhere and there's not much savings and you're in the hole for a fairly expensive fixture if you go with t5ho. the downside... cfl's seem to have to be replaced more often to produce decent light... and finding the right fixture/reflector.

lumens themselves will be almost identical per watt. the gases/phosphors will determine the colors, so given the same gases and lumens, they're essentially the same bulbs. just one's twisted and has a built in starter.
 

dbosman

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Dec 5, 2010
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I have a 4ft 216w CFL 6700k light. I was wondering what is the benefit of switching over to a T5 ho 216 6700k light?
How much electricity would I save? Any other benefits?
If your tank is 12" front to back, one 54 watt T5HO will do the same job.
If your tank is 18" front to back, two 54 watt T5HO will give you great light, better than the fixture you have now.

Power compact bulbs are getting harder (more expensive) as they fall out of favor. The choices in T5HO are incredible.
 

dundadundun

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Mgamer20o0

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Jun 4, 2003
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I have a 4ft 216w CFL 6700k light. I was wondering what is the benefit of switching over to a T5 ho 216 6700k light?

How much electricity would I save? Any other benefits?
be it cf or cfl you wont save any money with the electricity since they will both be using the same amount of power. with good t5ho fixtures you will get more light into the tank for the plants to use. though you may get away with just using 2 bulb fixture depending on your needs.

the spiral cfl bulbs do have a lot of restrike so they are not that efficient. CF really depends on how good the reflector is.
 
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