T5 HO Bulb Replacement Question

[NeedBiggerTank]

We have a 48" AquaticLife T5 HO fixture that was purchased new and put into service at the beginning of Feb. I'm thinking it may be time to replace the bulbs, so I have a couple of questions...

1) Replace them all at once, in pairs or 1 bulb at a time?

2) Current bulb config has 2-54W 420/460 Lamps & 2-54W 10,000K Lamps (+ 4 1W lunar LEDs) - replace with the same thing, or is a different combination better?

3) What supplier/LFS/on-line store has the best price on bulbs?

4) Is there a particular manufacturer that is better/lasts longer than others?

Thanks in advance!

Jennie

 

[nightfire]

love to know this my self,i have 3 used bulbs right now and thought of buying a new good bulb to make up a 4 bulb system.....i was told ati bulbs are the best by more then one person

 

[NeedBiggerTank]

The only bulbs I've ever purchased are the Coralife standard florescent bulbs you can get at PetSmart... and I'm assuming PetSmart is not the place to go for T5 HO bulbs!

However, I am curious about bulbs being shipped... is it better to order a spare in case one arrives broken? Or are they packed well? We had a nightmare of a time getting the AquaticLife fixture. Ordered from F&S - 1st one had smashed bulbs - they sent replacement - smashed bulbs in second unit - they sent replacement - 3rd unit had smashed bulbs... gave up & special-ordered from AC.

 

[poolkeeper1]

FYI, T5's are good for up to 18 months of service without losing very much performance. You can change them if you want but it's really just a waste of $$$$ That's why they use them versus M/H
Bill

 

[NeedBiggerTank]

Good to know... didn't realize they lasted that long! But w/o any type of light meter wasn't sure how to tell when they need replacing.

 

[commonstranger]

The bulbs should come in a long cylindar hard cardboard tube and then be wrapped in layers of bubble wrap and then each bulb should be in a thin cardboard sleeve. Ive order numerous bulbs, I think Ive only had one break when they are packed like this. Hope this helps some.