T5 PAR results diagram (icecap)

[zachtos]

I tested the PAR in my reef this weekend with my new PAR meter from apogee. I concluded that I EASILY get the same PAR as anyone with any type of metal halide. My bulbs are mostly 2 months old, some are 6 months old. I would call my 'Blend' of lights, 14K average. At about 1" under each individual bulb I get a peak of 1000-1300 PAR. My lights sit about 5 or 6" down from the water surface. There is about 25% less PAR along in the absolute center of the tank because that is where the 3' bulbs butt against eachother. The bulbs seem to have very low PAR on the last 1.5" of the glass tube on both ends. Keep this in mind when you light your tank. I was suprised to learn how hight the PAR was in the center, I thought it was much less, but the lights seem to blend well about 6" down, so the endcap gap in the center doesn't make much difference.

I have compared this to several PAR reading diagrams online and they are able to outcompete metal halides (400W and 250W) in many ways, BUT not by much. The real benefit here, is that I get VERY even distribution among my entire reef, as expected. The MH has some real good hotspots, but has a lot of drop off points too. I still firmly believe in the T5 for energy savings, heat dissipation from reduced wattage. You must use icecap ballasts and individual reflectors or you will have drastically lower PAR MH obviosly has shimmer effect from the point source of light. I have learned how to replicate this by adding a few high powered LEDs along the T5's (more to come on that later).

Notes: my ORP is 360 w/ ozone. I have not used carbon in a few months. All powerheads were on. PAR could be +/-50 at some locations.

Zachtos' Reef

 

[GPhiAce]

sweet, thanks, I was searching for this information.

 

[kaskiles]

Are you using ICE cap individual reflectors, or some other kind? Are you using any fan cooling for the bulbs, or ballasts?

 

[zachtos]

Ice cap 660 ballasts x 3
12 T5 bulbs 36" each with icecap SLR reflectors
**(my reflectors have some rust specs on the by the way, make sure you cover your tank w/ an acrylic cover like mine is now if you want your lights closer to the water)
12 fans blowing on lights, this is important
- fans are 80mm computer case fans ($2.50 ea at newegg.com), they are powered by a simple 12Vdc wall adapter, ($10-20 at allelectronics.com)

 

[tpenn187]

i would like to see a comparison to the same setup with non overdriven bulbs. a friend who was running an overdriven t5 set up, is getting as good if not better par now with his non over driven set up. he is running a different bulb combo which could effect the par. the overdriven fixture was the solar flare, he now has the constellation, and likes it much more.

 

[ganjero]

Im assuming your tank is 72" long. I think coverage with t5 can be good but not better than MH. One advantage could be the different bulbs that you can use in one setup. I run MH in one tank and t5 in the other tank, and I believe neither is better, they are just different and have their own advantages.
You are running about 720+ watts so I don't think there is not energy saving in your tank vs running MH. A setup with 3 LB reflectors and 175w bulbs or even 250w can give you the same coverage with same or even higher PAR numbers and not heat transfer if hung properly.

 

[zachtos]

Nope, my tank is 7' long, odd size I know, hence my dual 3' bulbs. I use the most popular bulbs for the PAR, (ati brand right now seems to be up there in the US) As stated, neigther are better, they are roughly the same (assuming you aren't running over 400W MH). I'm using 825W (verified w/ kill-a-watt) in lighting and fans. If I were to run as a MH setup I would likely need 250W x 3 + 110x2 in VHO's, add in ballasts wattages and I would probably be using around 25% less power currently and I DO NOT REQUIRE A CHILLER. 80-81F max in summer w/ AC set at 74-76F. I can't speak on MH on this system as I have not used it in this setup in particular.

You're probably right, I did only test a few other T5 setups which did not use icecap ballasts. I do not have any of the more expensive rivals to icecap to test, such as the ati powermodules or tek lights. They may be comparable, but I can't see how they could out-compete a light that is purposely being overdriven, unless they do to?

 

[ganjero]

Wells that's different. When saying something is better than x you should list your assumptions, like you are comparing MH but including VHO (which are not neccesary), using a canopy, etc. BTW I use MH with LB and I dont need a chiller neither, nor VHOs.

You have a good system and great PAR numbers, and I like the color. In my T5 system I have an Aquasun and it makes my tank look red, I hate it but Im keeping it for now.

 

[Obi-dad]

Those numbers agree with the readings I took when I was only using T5s over my tank. I actually had higher numbers with certain combos of bulbs (more white bulbs).

I have since swapped out a couple T5s for MH, but only because I missed the shimmer of a prior tank I had with MH. As someone who has used both, and taken PAR measurements, T5s rock, no question.

 

[Entropy]

I agree with the shimmer comment. That is pretty much the reason I haven't converted to all T5's yet. I am running T5 actinic now (switched from VHO), but I haven't been able to give up on the shimmer effect.

 

[zachtos]

You can get shimmer effect by adding a point source of light. I achieved this recently by taking some of my high powered project LED's and laying them across the top of the tank while the lights were on. Results are identical to MH shimmer. I will eventually make this a permanent mounted device and create a new thread on how to get shimmer. I've seen shimmer adding threads but none that walk you through how to use high powered LED's properly and cheaply. I can do that easily, but can't handle the barrage of questions related to electrical design.

The main purpose of this post is just to have a visual diagram for those looking for T5 par photos, and especially so this will show up on google image searches eventually, and help others!

=)

 

[jerome736]

Can you link to the LED thread?

 

[8BALL_99]

Good numbers but I agree, Your using 825 watts of light and also have about 265 bucks worth of bulbs to change. You also have to consider your running 12 cooling fans that use a little bit of power and will need to be replaced here and there. Don't get me wrong your numbers are as good as a MH Setup, But your costs and heat are also the same if not more. I don't think one is really better then the other. I think for some tanks T5s work well for others Mh might be better. Then you have some that are in the middle that work well with either. I think in most cases it just comes down to preference.. I have a few T5s and have tried T5 only tanks in the past. I still like MH better myself. But to each his own. I think on shallow narrow tanks T5s really make the most since cause you can really cut down on costs. But for larger tanks where the price is about the same I think MH is the way to go..

 

[redfishsc]

This is great info, and I thank you for taking the time to post it!

Could you show us a pic of what the Icecap retros look like with the fan setup?

Also, how often do you change your bulbs?

 

[redfishsc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14465229#post14465229 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 8BALL_99
I think on shallow narrow tanks T5s really make the most since cause you can really cut down on costs. But for larger tanks where the price is about the same I think MH is the way to go..

Right now I run only T5's for that very reason. I am about to set up a frag tank (20 long) and will use T5's in it for the simple fact that it's shallow and long, and th T5's give me even spread of the power.


Personally if I were setting up a 20"+ deep tank, I would use MH simply b/c they can punch deeply and seem to do it with lower wattage than would be needed for a comparable PAR T5 setup. Plus I'd only have two bulbs to keep up with, which is good for my lazy rear end.

 

[zachtos]

I agree, I think my T5 costs the same per year if not slightly more the MH. I chose T5 mostly for color capabilities and at the time, I thought heat would be a big concern.

I'm pretty positive T5 go just as deep with PAR as MH. MH will just have a zone right underneath the bulb that has a higher PAR deep, but it wont spread evenly like T5.

zachtos LED thread - haven't updated it in a long time since revision4

These are all old photos, I have more fans now, and they blow in from the sides now instead of the ends.

 

[redfishsc]

Cool pic, thanks!

You say you have the fans blowing from the sides and not the ends; are you blowing them still across the endcaps?


Also, how long do you typically run your bulbs?


Thanks for sharing all this with us!

 

[Rickyrooz1]

Thanks!

 

[zachtos]

I run my T5's 10 hours per day.

I have 12 fans blowing perpendicular to the bulbs on both sides. They blow across the endcaps on both ends, and one fan in the center zone of the bulbs.

I also have a 1/4" thick acrylic cover on the tank to capture all the salt mist so I don't have to clean my bulbs and reflectors anymore. I did not do this before and it started to rust my 2 year old reflectors fast ($20 x 12 = $240 from rust, ouch!!!)

 

[redfishsc]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14470148#post14470148 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by zachtos
I run my T5's 10 hours per day.

Lol, sorry. What I meant to ask was how many months do you run them before you pitch them?


The acrylic is a great idea, and I'm sure it helps you hold back the evaporation levels with all those fans running.