T5 Light Spread
 

I was just wondering what kind if linear light spread comes off T5's moving away from the end caps? I'm setting up a 7' tank and it's going to be primarily LED lighting but i'd like to add some T5's to give it a bit more pop. I'm just trying to determine if I should go with 2 banks of 36" bulbs for a total of 6' spread evenly or if I can get away with one bank if 60" bulbs. Thanks for your help.

I would think you could get away with the 5 foot unit. That leaves 12 inches on each side. I currently run a 4 foot ATI over a 5 foot tank and my spread is great. I would think you'd be able to get away with 12 inches. You'd have lower par at the corners, but as long as you are smart about coral placement you should be good.

And if you're using LED's as your primary and T5 just as supplemental, you definitely won't have a problem.

My t5's run 4" short on each end, by looking at the tank you would never know it, light spread on mine are grrrreat!

I just realized that they don't make dimmable ballasts for the 60" bulbs, unless I'm mistaken, so the point is moot. Too bad. 4 60" bulbs would've been a lot cheaper than 8 36" bulbs.

Might be possible with icecap 660 but there isn't a traditional ballast for dimming 80W T5s

Any recommendations for the cheapest place to order DIY T5 lighting equipment without sacrificing quality?

do they make 6 foot bulbs? the way I would do it is find out whats going to cost less for bulb replacement and go that way.

Steve

5ft is the biggest but not dimmable. I know I'm being anal but the rest of the setup is dimmable and it would drive me nuts if these weren't.

or you could just have them come on when the intensity of the LEDs is bright enough that you wouldn't really notice them.

Steve

They probably wouldn't be on for very long then which wouldn't make them that effective don't ya think?

by the sounds of it you are only using them like a supplemental light anyways just for a little more "pop" I believe you said, so won't matter how long there on as long as they make the color how you want it for the main part of the lighting cycle.

did you think about adding different LEDs to your set up to give you the extra "pop" your looking for?

Steve

So far I've got RB, CW, WW, Red, Green, UV, and Ocean Coral Whites. I'm adding the T5's to fill in the blue spectrum a bit and try and get some of the colors out of the corals that only T5's can get.

what about TV and normal blue? there is no color that only T5's can get its a matter of finding the right LEDs and putting them in the right concentration, or just go MH :mrgreen: but ya it might be cheeper to add T5's.

I myself find florescent type bulbs have a flat pastel look I have never liked aside from actinic, but I haven't seen a good actinic bulb sense the URI Super actinic VHO.

Steve

+1 to what Steve suggests. Now that you're into LED, better off tweaking the ratio of colours on them for more blue spectrum rather than adding T5 fluorescent lamps, especially if you're wanting to control dimming. Flourescent lighting by it's inherent design was never a good candidate for dimming. Pretty sure there's a spectrum shift if they're not run at the designed voltage/current. Then there's the fact that the spectrum on them changes in a relatively short time regardless, requiring the periodic lamp changes associated with the special T5s made for our hobby. They'll be increasingly more difficult to source as well, since the technology shift to LED is making many manufacturers shift gears away from flourescents.