more blue gorg, and more - Page 7

sumpfinfishe · #61 05-09-2003, 04:41 PM

Incredible stuff!

A few years back I went to Hamburg and also to the Berlin Aquarium, I had totally forgotten about the banana thing until now!

One of there marine bio's told me that they also fed banana's to there open air natural 1000gl tank as well.

I wonder if my fish would like a banana split from DQ as there on sale right now

I only wonder about pollution

Will try to post a pic of that tank if I can dig it up from the archives

cheers, Rich

StirCrazy · #62 05-09-2003, 05:46 PM

Just a couple notes I feel should be added here.

1, exelent info link but it does show that compard against MH lighting to acheive the same amoun t of light T5's will cost more to buy and will cost more to run. So there is no cost benifit when compard to MH.

2, the T5's that are being hyped are not the same T5's you can buy in a hardware store, but rather a HO version of the T5. I think a standard T5 for a 48" bulb is rated at 28 watts, but the HO T5 that the aquarium industry is trying to push now is a 54 watt or higher tube. same idea as NO T12 and VHO T12.

I have looked into the T5 stuff and as it sits right now you can get the tubes and such from some lighting places but they are not easy to get or cheep enuf throught comercial lighting suppliers at this time to make it worth the trouble as they are not ordering a large enuf amount to get the good price breaks.

I am thinking about bringing in a couple to try on the bottom tank as the PC's on there will need to be replaced pretty soon. This way I will be able to do some testing on the PAR output of them against other types of lighting.

Steve

Canadian Man · #63 05-09-2003, 05:55 PM

Here is some info I found out.
The 24" 6500k t5 bulb and fixture is 14w and puts out 1375 lumens.

newgeek · #64 05-10-2003, 12:45 AM

I saw some t5's at Pisces, they seemed to be priced reasonably but you could not just buy bulbs you had to purchase the set up which had 1 6500k and 1 actinic. Not sure what the wattage of the bulbs was, they had a 4 foot for 55.99 and 2 footer for 32.99. Hope that might help someone out.

Have a great evening everyone,
Kelly

marine newbie · #65 05-10-2003, 06:17 AM

Hi,

was reading this thread and while browsing the web came across this website that sells the t5 HO lamps. http://www.sunlightsupply.com Don't know if they sell to the general public or if they ship to Canada

Bartman · #66 05-10-2003, 09:00 AM

There might be some cost advantage to T5's if they actually last 2 or 3 years.

StirCrazy · #67 05-10-2003, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bartman

There might be some cost advantage to T5's if they actually last 2 or 3 years.

The first link you posted showed a 20% drop off after 2 years, that seams consistant with other floressent tubes, like VHO and PC.

so if we are changing out VHO actinics after 1 year I would suspect you will be changing out the T5 actinics after 1 year. The article you posted claims 18 months, so I am guessing that is what they are basing there cost figures on.

what I would like to see is some direct comparisons against VHO bulbs as the T5's will not be suitable for deeper tanks that have SPS at various levels (acording to the manuafactuer).

Steve

Bob I · #68 05-10-2003, 04:43 PM

.

Quote:

what I would like to see is some direct comparisons against VHO bulbs as the T5's will not be suitable for deeper tanks that have SPS at various levels (acording to the manuafactuer).

Steve

Sure, but it also true that some people keep only shallow tanks, and do not think you need SPS corals to have a reef tank.

smokinreefer · #69 05-10-2003, 05:25 PM

i believe the point was made, to give us an idea of how strong these bulbs are compared to MH bulbs...basically saying they may not be able to replace the role of MH lighting in the hobby.

after all, the hype surrounding these T5, is that they may be the "new" reef lighting trend.
and no, MH are not strictly for sps tanks.
so, sure it may be a viable option for you shallow tank keepers, but for others who need stronger lighting, (for sps or not) it just may not cut it.

smokinreefer · #70 05-10-2003, 05:45 PM

from what i have read, it doesnt look like T5 is going to be "the" lighting option for everyone to strive for...

from the german tank info...

Quote:

32 x T-5 used all together each 54 w

on an ~12' tank,
would compare to 16 x T5, on a 6' tank, which would mean 864Watts.
kind of what i run now, with a mixed tank as well, but, only difference with me, is that i am able to keep high light corals on the sandbed, but then again, my tank is not as deep as the german one. so this isnt really the best comparison...oh wait, Brads tank is deeper than mine and he is able to keep high light corals near/on the botom as well.

also...from the link provided...

Quote:

you ought to use three 54w T5s to replace each 150w metal halide.

it does look like they are recommending a watt per watt comparison as well.

i guess we will just have to wait until someone has used them long enough to give some realworld observations.