Paging Casey... (Nice Crocea pic)

[Blorton]

Whatcha think? It's a little retracted since I'd just switched off the actinics for the pic, but is otherwise doing great!



He's maybe 12" below a four tube tek t5 setup and went in late yesterday. Took me several days with the CA and Mg test kits and Kent Turbo Calcium plus Tech-m to get CA levels up over 400. Sheesh. Going for a CA reactor in the near future.

Anyways, it's a beautiful clam I picked up from a sell-off and I thought I'd share...

Cheers!
Dan

[Casey]

Very nice Dan let me know how the T5s work out for ya,I have mine on order.

[Blorton]

Originally Posted by Casey

let me know how the T5s work out for ya,I have mine on order.

Really? Wow. I figured you'd stay MH till you keeled over. Which one did you go for?

As you know, I did a lot of thinking before I pulled the trigger on this light. After finding several reports on RC of good growth on a number of light demanding coral species, I went for it. Heck, even with the low CA levels my tank while I worked up the levels, I had some tiny hitchhiking softies on the live rock that has taken off like a rocket. I'll see if I can't get a pic of one later.

Cheers!
Dan

[Casey]

I wouldnt say no on the T5s I have never had them so I have no experience with them ,they are fairly new to our hobby over here in the usa,I went for an Odyssea ,Post all you can we love pics.
lighting > T5 high output fluorescent > ODYSSEA




36" 78W T5 HO Fluorescent Fixture II

[jeepjon]

Aren't T5's just stretched out PC lights? Basically, if you look at it...a 48" T5 is ~55 watts, as is a 24" PC...if you Cut a PC in half at the base, and stretched it out, wouldn't that be a T5?

Basically, what I'm saying...is don't T5's put out the same amount of light in a different configuration as a PC? I thought you COULDN'T keep clams under PC (although I have seen it done and done it myself)....

Isn't it more of a question of how much light gets to the clam, and not the source?

Maybe I'm dragging up old topics...maybe I'm bitter...maybe I'm tired...

Jeepjon goes off into distance mumbling and rambling wondering why he has insulted the great people on this site by being sarcastic and rude in his posts....

[Blorton]

Originally Posted by jeepjon

Aren't T5's just stretched out PC lights?

Nope, not even remotely the same technology. PC's have the following shortcoming compared to t5's:

1) Much hotter operation
2) Require cooling fans in the fixture
3) Bulbs only good for six months, as opposed to a year+ (Some report t5's are good for out to two years, but I have doubts about that.)
4) T5's have much higher PAR values - credible sources have done measurements that show the levels at a 24" depth to be in the ballpark with 250w MHs. PC's simply can't do that.

There are others, but you get the idea.

Cheers!
Dan

[jeepjon]

So...basically I'm completely wrong. Good to know!
I know T5's are really hot themselves...but they don't need a cooling lamp? I would think that would mean a hotter tank in the long run, because nothing cooling the bulbs, more ambient heat...then hot tank! (of course, probably nothing compared to halides...but you usually use a fan with halides.

Anyway, I'm rambling.

[Casey]

I will let you know when mine come in,Im gonna run clams and SPS under them then we will see.

[robsmith32]

some use a fan on t5's, such as is suggested by ICECAP, They last a lot longer, the actual lifespan is supposed to be 4 years if not overdriven, and about 1.5-2 years to get to the 10% drop in par.
Must use Individual reflectors to have them optimally. I'm really looking into a setup with icecap dy ballast not the vho ballast even though I already have a 430, Icecap reflectors and 12k bulbs.

[Loverotties]

Blue is my fav. color!

[xtopher]

that's a good looking crocea

[teen]

blorton: if u dont mind me asking, what size tank do you have, and what is the wattage on the t5 lighting you just bought?

[Blorton]

The tank is a 75. The fixture is 4x54watts. two 10k's and two "actinics".

[orlenz]

Originally Posted by jeepjon

Aren't T5's just stretched out PC lights?

Well, yes and no, it is the same technology just a bit more advanced.
the main differences between the pc and t-5 are the bulb configuration, with the pc the way they are shaped you can not use individual reflectors on each tube, so you lose a lot of par.
any decent t-5 fixture will have individual parabolic reflectors for each tube, without that you may as well jus run PC's.
having the tubes so close together also reduced airflow between the tubes increasing heat, resulting in lower par ratings and decreased life.
another difference is that most of the t-5 bulb manufacturers are using more revelutionary phosphors to coat the inside of the tubes, thus the longer bulb life.
lastly t-5 HO's are run on at a higher miliamp rating than the PC bulbs.

[jeepjon]

I see...so...any people having luck with clams and T5's? I was just wondering if anybody had updates. I was looking at the Current Nova Extreme...but it doesn't have individual reflectors...so I wasn't sure how good it was.
Thanks,
Jon