t5 lights
- Thread starter findgnemo
- Start date
crumbletop
New member
I'd go with a Tek retrofit from reefgeek.com. I wouldn't recommend the IceCap ballast, but I do recommend their SLR reflectors. T5 bulbs don't last as long on IceCaps then on normal ballasts unless you have a good fan setup to keep the bulbs cool. You can call reefgeek and substitute the IceCap SLR reflectors for the Tek reflectors for $2 each, I think. I'd get 4x54W.
If I were you, though, I'd go the the lighting forum and read up a bunch on the T5s before you order. That way you can make sure you are ordering the right bulb combos, etc.
Jack
If I were you, though, I'd go the the lighting forum and read up a bunch on the T5s before you order. That way you can make sure you are ordering the right bulb combos, etc.
Jack
or i just came across this
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=IcecapT5
according to ice cap you still get over 2 years with the ballast over driving them . thats more light and almost the same lifespan
of couse you want to use fans to keep them cool . i think the best operating temp is 90 degrees for t5s that is another reason they put out more light then vho vho i think is around 70 degrees and theres some math you can do to figure out how much light you are loosing for each degree over the optimum
( plus cant beat ice cap best customer service of any company if you have probloms they repair the ballast free no questions asked. i sent mine in many times ( each time my fault cause i was trying to dim the bulbs.. )
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=IcecapT5
according to ice cap you still get over 2 years with the ballast over driving them . thats more light and almost the same lifespan
of couse you want to use fans to keep them cool . i think the best operating temp is 90 degrees for t5s that is another reason they put out more light then vho vho i think is around 70 degrees and theres some math you can do to figure out how much light you are loosing for each degree over the optimum
( plus cant beat ice cap best customer service of any company if you have probloms they repair the ballast free no questions asked. i sent mine in many times ( each time my fault cause i was trying to dim the bulbs.. )
reefgeek84
In Memoriam
You have to keep in mind that with the "2 year" quote they are talking running dead...no one keeps lights this long due to the shift that happens as the bulbs get older...there is a huge debate on this somewhere.. most people will replace their t-5's at about the year mark.
crumbletop
New member
IceCap's figures don't fit with real world use. People are routinely seeing only 6 months from their IceCap driven T5s unless properly cooled. In addtion, for basically the same price of 4x54W on IceCap you can get 6x54W normally driven and not have to worry about cooling at all. Not to mention that overdriven T5s with SLR reflectors on a 55 gallon tank would fry all the inhabitants (too much light).
Jack
Jack
Last edited:
crumbletop
New member
Don't think that matters for T5, and the other comments apply regardless of bulb. FWIW, I'm talking about Giesemann, UVL (URI), GE, and ATI bulbs...
From IceCap:
UVL (f/k/a URI) is releasing this week a new line of T5HO lamps designed to run (for a 46" lamp) at 54 or 85-watts per lamp. They will have the same selection as their VHO line of T-12 lamps.
Regarding two years of reef service, the original tests were done with GE 6.5K 54-watt lamps. I ran them for 1 year 24/7 with at least 4 on/off cycles per day. Half the year they ran next to each other but we found by spacing them out they ran brighter. Not all aquarium sold T5HO lamps are made as well as the GE's (what's the world coming to?) and I've seen inexpensive lamps loose much of their phosphorus and darken when overdriven and not fan cooled. I don't think they would have survived much better with HO ballasts. I've been running engineering samples of super actinic UVL lamps for 2 months and they still look like new. BTW, the GE's I worked with produced over 90% (actually 94%) of initial output at the end of what equaled 2 years on a reef application.
90% or more is reef safe for at least two years of service in a well vented hood. Spectrum shifts are only a problem with MH bulbs. I use one 120MM variable speed fan on my 180G and blow room air following the path of the lamps with my temperature probe on the back of a SLR (reflector).
Andy
UVL (f/k/a URI) is releasing this week a new line of T5HO lamps designed to run (for a 46" lamp) at 54 or 85-watts per lamp. They will have the same selection as their VHO line of T-12 lamps.
Regarding two years of reef service, the original tests were done with GE 6.5K 54-watt lamps. I ran them for 1 year 24/7 with at least 4 on/off cycles per day. Half the year they ran next to each other but we found by spacing them out they ran brighter. Not all aquarium sold T5HO lamps are made as well as the GE's (what's the world coming to?) and I've seen inexpensive lamps loose much of their phosphorus and darken when overdriven and not fan cooled. I don't think they would have survived much better with HO ballasts. I've been running engineering samples of super actinic UVL lamps for 2 months and they still look like new. BTW, the GE's I worked with produced over 90% (actually 94%) of initial output at the end of what equaled 2 years on a reef application.
90% or more is reef safe for at least two years of service in a well vented hood. Spectrum shifts are only a problem with MH bulbs. I use one 120MM variable speed fan on my 180G and blow room air following the path of the lamps with my temperature probe on the back of a SLR (reflector).
Andy
