The thread lives on! Ok, so perhaps a bit of additional food for thought. I mentioned in an earlier post that T5HO tubes would eventually get more difficult to source, particularly those with the specific phosphors that benefit our hobby. And fine, if you're ok with that possibility, then you'll be in good shape for a few more years, perhaps even longer. However, if not mistaken, the USA gov't has pretty much legislated the old Ben Franklin filament bulb out of existence. In Canada we're usually a few years behind that type of stuff, but the US is arguably the biggest economy in the world & when Uncle Sam says you can't sell a normal light bulb here anymore, manufacturers take notice!
I'm just guessing, but I have the feeling that fluorescent lamps, with their mercury content will come under the same scrutiny fairly soon, once LEDs have been accepted for general household use. And that's happening at a very quick pace. I can recall only a year or two ago, the LED bulb shelf at your local hardware store was pretty minimal, if there even was one. Mind you, LEDs are not totally clean either unless they're using lead free solder, but mercury is nasty stuff & released whenever a fluorescent tube bursts. The lead in solder connections is more or less contained as a solid and is easier to recycle & reuse.
So for you folks with the banks of T5HOs over your tanks and those considering a return to that technology, be careful with them & please do dispose of them properly. Don't just toss them into the trash, even the broken ones.
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