Mobile Bay Reef Keepers

I'm debating adding some T5 lighting so i can cut back my MH. After talking to Billy the other day I started thinking about it and wanted to maybe put a setup together myself.

Does anyone know anything about these..?

From what i saw you can run 4 54 watt bulbs on one of those workhorse 7's.

can anyone point me in the right direction for cheap endcaps and everything else I'd need. From the little research i've done it looks just like a vho set up so easy to install. What bulb mixture would you run with 4 bulbs?

I have seen a couple of T-5 tanks in Atlanta. Definitely nice.

Phil

Isn't B&B's new setup on T5s?

Rich at Progressive had some pretty awesome T-5 setups, retro fit. I was impressed on how small the ballast were.

Rich has a 4 bulb set up for something like $250. I am pretty sure all you would have to do is mount it in the canopy and plug it in. It looked like they were 5 foot bulbs but I didn't ask. Since he just joined here maybe he can be a little more specific.

Rich is using the URI VHO's for his Actinic's, and T5's for the white's. The T5 Actinics still don't look right (kinda purplish).
They're probably the most economical setup you can run though, the bulbs last a long time.

The set up he had was for sale over in his dry goods section. Most people don't use the actinic T-5's the blue plus bulb is far more popular. Fat Fish uses T-5's on his coral tank with 175w halides.

I just like how compact they are. For anyone doing a new tank and wanting godly amounts of lighting I feel they should look into them. They have to produce less heat and pull less power than Halides. You just do not get the shimmer effect.

I want them with the halides just want to cut back the halides a bit. I'll probaby wait until next year and look into them at that point.

T5's actually give a pretty decent shimmer effect... not as much as halides tho definitely... How long do the bulbs last? Rich is a big fan of T5 setups, he always has retrofits in stock.

ShagMan wrote:How long do the bulbs last?

I read two years when they were first getting popular. I am not sure if that has changed since then.

Were Rich's retrofits individual reflectors or one big sheet reflector?

Phil

one big sheet type reflectors, at least the ones I looked at.

Dang! Thought I might be able to make a local purchase.

Phil

Call him up and ask.