T5 Lighting

Hi Darragh,

I did a bit of research recently as I wanted to upgrade the the lights in my tank. T5s appear to be the way to go if you want a lot of light from a relatively small tube. It's claimed that they give off up to 80% more light than a similar sized T8. They are also more efficient to run.

However, there is a trade off. Both the bulbs and the ballasts are more expensive to buy. The bulbs appear to be up to 50% more expensive, while the ballasts can be up to 100% more expensive (and more if you go for Arcadia).

I eventually went for the Interpet T5 Compacts which suited my requirements as I have a relatively small tank. These may suit your application, but you'd need 4 or 6 of them depending on the size of tank you opt for. The T5 Compacts work out cheaper than regular T5s and give out an impressive amount of light for their size.

Here's a link to the compact bulbs on aquaristic.net:

www.aquaristic.net/shop/shop.php/sid/0f1...f3266c72919.66248941

I went for the Daylight Plus bulbs which are highly recommended for plants.

And a link to the compact ballasts:

www.aquaristic.net/shop/shop.php/sid/0f1...5%20Power%20Compact/

Here is a link to the available T5 tubes which come in sizes up to 1.4m and there are versions which give off the full light spectrum for plants.

www.aquaristic.net/shop/shop.php/sid/0f1...b5980657657.66452466

And a link to the regular T5 ballasts:

www.aquaristic.net/shop/shop.php/sid/0f1...f3266c72919.66248941

Hope this helps.

Darragh,

The only difference is the shape and the ballast used. They are the same technology. The compact T5s also give off more heat due to their compact size. There were reports a year or so back that the rubber around the ballast perishing on the 36w and 55w versions due to the heat. However, Interpet appear to have sorted this out. It's also recommened that the compacts be mounted behind a splash screen as they're not fully waterproof. However, I and others haven't done this and they work fine.

I only have mine in the tank about 3 weeks, but my plants are definitely growing and I know others have had very good results, particularly with the daylight plus version. I have my plants in pea gravel substrate and use Florenette A and Leafzone and they are thriving.

I think the amount of bulbs you suggest below will be fine. However, you should definitely not have them all on at the one time or you will have heat problems. The other thing you need to be aware of is that they don't throw out much light to the sides. I need two of them to get light across the length of my 1m tank (they're in there along with the supplied 25w T8s). The other issue is that they don't come with reflectors. However, you can get the standard Juwel reflectors and mount them behind the compacts as I have done (with a bit of DIY).

You need to do the maths and decide whtere 8 compact T5s works out cheaper than 4 of the standard full lenght T5 tubes.

Hi Darragh,
don't believe all the ads about special bulbs for the planted tank. A lot of rubbish. You can buy warmwhite T5 bulbs in most electrical supply stores these days. They go for about 8€ a pop for a 56w bulb. My LFS does double starter units for T5 bulbs for the same price as T8 units. A twin starter goes for about 45€.

I'm experimenting with LED spots and cold cathode flourescent tubes at present. They use a fraction of the electricity of either a T8 or T5 bulb. Not quiet the right colour that's why you have to add a few LED spots. As I said I am experimenting.

Holger

Hi Daragh
Jewel do a T5 bar called believe it or not a T5 T bar. it is the same as the normal flourecent set up but with T5 Tubes a bit picey but the light penetration Wavelength is is a lot deeper.