I have a pretty awesome T-5 setup. What size tank could I buy for it?

hadesnuggz

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Jun 18, 2009
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It is a 46" T-5 light with 4 daylight bulbs, I was using it for growing plants, but I would like to use it for lighting an aquarium I plan on buying when I get my taxes back. I don't wanna spend too much because I have to use my taxes for a few other things as well.

I want to have a few plants in this future aquarium too.

What size aquariums would be adequate for this light setup?
 
Well one that is 48" so a 55gal, 75gal, 90gal, and probably even a 110 high with 4 bulbs light should go down to the bottom.
 
2 10gs
 
is it HO T5 or just T5? What brand light is it? HO T5 gets hot naturally.
It will be just fine placed on a tank as long as their is an air gap around all sides or has proper ventilation on top. You can always hang the light from the ceiling.

If it is not designed for an aquarium make sure to ensure that no water splashes up on it.

Also, if you only plan on having a few plants you might find that you have too much light on your tank. Read up a little here: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/lighting/105774-par-vs-distance-t5-t12-pc.html
 
It says to replace with T-5 HO 54w bulbs, so its a t-5HO.

It also has two switches so I can only use 2 bulbs at a time which is pretty cool.

And it didnt seem to get too hot when I was using it for indoor plants, but then again, it was in a room with constant airflow.

I could probably just use two bulbs at a time, and maybe get some moon bulbs for at night? Is that possible?
 
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I am figuring its 48" long. In that case, definitely go with the 90 (48x18x24) gallon, the height and depth really make it look nice. You would eventually want to go bigger if you got a 55, and the extra height on the 90 over the 75 really does make a difference in visual aesthetics
 
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