T5 Super Actinic vs VHO Super Actinic

[DrHank]

Can anyone tell me how T5 Super Actinics compare to VHO Super Actinics?

I'm using 4 250w 14K MHs for primary lighting in my 200gal and I'm thinking of changing my supplemental lighting. Currently I've got a 2 pair of 36" URI VHO Super Actinics but am considering changing to 36" URI T5s to decrease current draw.

I'm wondering if I would loose a significant amount of illumination by making the switch. If anyone is familiar with both, I'd appreciate your opinion.

 

[Clownfish518]

Tricky question. Yes, you get more light out of T5s because T5s are narrower bulbs, and the reflectors can focus and reflect more of the light down into the tank. VHO loses a lot of light because the light it emits gets reflected back through the bulb. So you get more light per watt into the tank, but not because of the bulbs or ballast but rather the reflectors. The bulb technology is pretty much the same.

So instead of running say 190 watts, you can run 4 bulbs for 156 watts and get a little more light.

You also get a wider selection of bulbs with T5. I run 2x150w 14k MH on my tank (just 40 gallons), and supplement with T5. But instead of using actinic bulbs (420 nm), I use blue (450-460 nm) bulbs, ATI Blue + as supplementals. Actinic bulbs in general are not very bright. A UVL Super Actinic T5 54 watt bulb produces 210 par. A comparable ATI Blue Plus bulb produces 330 par.

Blue bulbs do elicit fluorescing. IMO the tank is brighter, and I like the contrast with my Phoenix bulbs better. I am not sure what 14k bulbs you run, but that is another advantage of T5. There are some good bulbs out there and you can play with the spectra to get an "wow" look in your tank.

Although to be honest, I cut my teeth on VHO and UVL bulbs, and it took me a while to seriously look at the other bulb manufacturers, ATI and Geisemann bulbs are just as nice

Hope this helps some

 

[Woodstock]

Great info Clownfish!

 

[DrHank]

I'm switching over from Coralife 250w Mogul14Ks to SPS 250w 14Ks and like the change very much. They are running on magnetic ballasts. I'm thinking that by switching from VHO to T5s I can reduce not only the wattage but extend bulb life. This is all while keeping the photo period on my MHs the same.

I love the blue and fluorescence that my VHO URI SAs produce all by themselves. I don't want to loose that but I would like to switch to T5s for the decreased wattage (god knows I'm paying for 1,000 watts of MH) and increased tube life.

Thanks for your input.

 

[novanosis]

consider ODriving the bulbs, all you need is good cooling and i think you will get what your looking for...

 

[Adam Black]

I've always liked the look of Vho over t-5 actinic.

 

[Clownfish518]

Overdriving bulbs, which is essentially what VHO does, significantly shortens bulb life.

Speaking of bulb life, you might want to look at Phoenix 14k bulbs next time you make switch. Somewhere on Sanjay Joshi's site, I would post it if I could find it, they did testing of MH bulbs and did an 18 month test of 6 Phoenix bulbs and they lost very little output during that time. Phoenix bulbs have a good mix of color, PAR, and longevity.

UVL makes the same bulbs in T5 I believe that they do in VHO. Their Super Actinic is a super bulb

 

[Adam Black]

Wow that's pretty cool to know about the phoenix bulbs. I think I will try them next time. I've only ever had the superactinic vho bulbs and there great, but the few times I've seen them in t-5 they didn't seem as purple. Clown how long before a superactinic vho bulbs shifts colors? A friend of mine said you need to change them every six months but I thought you could go way longer than that.

 

[Clownfish518]

Actinics have the shortest life span of the bulbs for some reason. Much past 6 months they lose like 30% of their PAR levels if I remember the test data correctly.

 

[novanosis]

i know it shortens the life, but I also hear that if well cooled it might not be as short. I was suggesting the OD since he wants as bright as possible.

 

[DrHank]

Thanks folks. I appreciate the input. I'll definitely look into the pheonix bulbs.