t5 or not

N

NATIVEVAMAN

Member
I think the harness comes in the box with the ballastask when you order you will need them.Ryang is talking about 48 inch bulbs we are talking about 36 inch and they are 60 watts look at the uvl bulbs on the DIY Reef site and it will tell you.
 
N

NATIVEVAMAN

Member
Cheeks,2.1 amps is not a lot.I can show you lots of pics of tanks that look that good and they change bulbs ever 18 to 24 months.I would say your friend is wasting a lot of money.You mean the bulbs go out before you replace them?The most basic of lighting tests indicate that metal halide bulbs lose so much of there color after 6 months that they are useless.There are s few that do better than that (a very few) but there are no mh bulbs on the market that hold there color for two years,none.
 
TangMang232

TangMang232

Member
okay native, so i got my list down. I did find the chart of bulbs. Basically i will have it the way you suggested, 2 bulbs in front and 2 bulbs in back that are actinic, and then the daylights inbetween. I like that setup i think. I can swith around if need be.

now is there a set distance that i should have from the top of the water? and what about the reflectors? does it matter what wattage there rated for or should i just get some that are 36inches long??

also, where it says quantity, is that how many bulbs they have left, or is that when purchasing a box. 21.95 does not seem right for a box of 12 actinic bulbs lol.
 
R

RyanG

Member
NATIVEVAMAN said:
I think the harness comes in the box with the ballastask when you order you will need them.Ryang is talking about 48 inch bulbs we are talking about 36 inch and they are 60 watts look at the uvl bulbs on the DIY Reef site and it will tell you.
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You are definately right Native My appologies for bad info.
 
N

NATIVEVAMAN

Member
You could put the bulbs right down on the cross brace if you want,but you will need and acrylic shield to do that because of salt creep.I would build the canopy so that you have enough space between the top of the tank and the bottom of the end caps to put in a fan.that would be about 4 inch's.I dont think you will have enough room to put your balasts inside the canopy,its a bad idea anyway and i just thought I would mention it in case you were tempted.The reflectors are about 30 inch's long and should be part of the kit.LOL,thats the # of bulbs in stock.
 
C

cheeks69

Wannabe Guru
RS STAFF
We havent even gotten into the PAR discussion good job guys. T5s give out the same PAR as MH at significantly lower wattage. If you make it even watts the T5 put out way more PAR(Photosynthetic Active Radiation the stuff that makes corals grow)
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Could you please post any PAR tests that have been done that would indicate this ?

I would say your friend is wasting a lot of money.You mean the bulbs go out before you replace them?
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No they don't go out but lose intensity drastically especially when overdriven.

The most basic of lighting tests indicate that metal halide bulbs lose so much of there color after 6 months that they are useless.There are s few that do better than that (a very few) but there are no mh bulbs on the market that hold there color for two years,none.
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This I would have to completely disagree ! I have been using MH for 4 years and although I would agree that they as with any other bulb will lose intensity over time to say they are useless in 6 months borders on the rediculous. Now if your using the HQI Ballast which overdrives the bulb then yes this shortens the lifespan of the bulb BUT the PAR #'s you get with this Ballast is unmatched !

BTW have you read the lighting tests done by Joe Burger and Sanjay Joshi ?
 
mempho reefer

mempho reefer

Member
Got these PAR ratings on another reef site. Very useful info:

ATI
Sun Pro 357
Aquablue 336
Blue Plus 311
Actinic 137

D&D/Giesemann
Midday 325
Aquablue 324
Actinic Plus 264
Pure Actinic 157

UVL
Aqua sun 345
Actinic White 293
Super Actinic 210

AquaZ
Sun Pro 285
Ocean Pro 323
Blue Pro 266

Helios
Daylight 309
Super Blue 225

Current Sun Paq
Daylight 10K 272
Blue 252

GE Daylight 340
 
N

NATIVEVAMAN

Member
Cheeks,you are mistaken,they are t-5 vho.There is a bulb manufacturer who is making a new mh bulb that they say will last 1 year and there selling point is it lasts twice as long as other bulbs on the market and they want 140$'s for it.I have used metal halide since the first one came on the market,a lot longer than 4 years ago,and I knew then they didnt last like people said they would you can actually see a difference.You can use a bulb for 5 years if you want I dont care.I realy dont believe you believe a mh bulb will last two years.I will agree with you that t-5 ho does not equal mh in par.But t-5 vho comes very close and as more bulbs come on the market for t-5 vho it will surpass mh.Many people in the USA are learning what the europeans have already learned,that metal halide is not the only answer,and in fact it isnt even really a good answer.5 years from now people will ask,what is metal halide?And some of them will even be using t-2 lighting.Metal halide is simply an old technology rusting away.
 
lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
Where did the par readings come from? Who did the testing?
I always like to know the source before giving the information weight.

On the lasting ability I have to jump in here. Just my experience. I have 150 hqi lights. My first set of bulbs lasted 2 years and were not out when I replaced them. With that said, when I replaced them the entire tank perked up and everything looked much happier.

Just my experience not scientific at all.
Meanwhile the T5 lights I have I have only had for a couple of months so I have no idea on those.

Personally I want the LED lights.
Then I will be looking forward to a reduction in my electric bill in addition to not replacing bulbs.
 
N

NATIVEVAMAN

Member
For me the bulb going out is not the issue.The phosphers that give the bulbs color weaken rapidly in the intense internal heat of a metal halide bulb.In fact most will turn visably yellow.One give away if you cant see the yellow shift is algea growth,they really like that yellow.
 
lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
And I never got an algae bloom at all in that tank. Now I do have 3 tangs so possibly they keep things under control but the only thing I have is corraline.
I am curious to see if I have algae now that I replaced bulbs.
The corals were definitely more happy along with the clams. Everything was actually fine in the tank. I just noticed an almost immediate reaction from the critters in my tank.
 
C

cheeks69

Wannabe Guru
RS STAFF
There is a bulb manufacturer who is making a new mh bulb that they say will last 1 year and there selling point is it lasts twice as long as other bulbs on the market and they want 140$'s for it.
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I don't care what a bulb manufacturer says, show me some tests ! If MH bulbs were useless in 3 to 6 months I think my SPS, Anemones and Clams would've been dead a long time ago. We had an Administrator here who had an SPS dominated tank with Iwasaki bulbs and she replaced them every 24 months and her corals were magnificent with amazing growth levels. This wouldn't be possible if the bulbs lost their intensity as quick as you say they do.

you are mistaken,they are t-5 vho
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The link you posted specifically states T5 HO.
 
N

NATIVEVAMAN

Member
Cheeks if there are so many tests out there that prove your point why dont you show me one.You ask me for test results and give me anacdotal information about someone else's tank.I have to say that I have read a few articles that include information about mh lighting but I dont save the articles.And since I freely admit not having any data perhaps you might be willing to enlighten others reading this thread and show us some data?I mean you brought up the idea of proof are you not willing to show us some?
 
N

NATIVEVAMAN

Member
Thats exactly why I dont read a lot of those articles.Its all spectral analysis.You would have to stand behind me and poke me with a pin to keep me awake lol.
 
TangMang232

TangMang232

Member
Native, i have been trying to find a "kit" but seem to be on the edge of retarded lol. All i can seem to find are the HO kits that have the 430 ballast or whatever number and a 660 ballast. I want both 660 ballasts correct.
 
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