Ultimate 20G Setup Journal - Pic Intense

T8's are bigger in diameter than T5's, the T number refers directly to the diameter of the tube, although T8's and T12's come in VHO, whic is even more powerful than the HO T5's the larger diameter makes it impossible to fit as many into a hood.
 
By more powerful what do you mean by that? The number of watts coming out of the bulb? If so that doesn't really mattter as much as the quality of the light being produced, and how much is penetrating the surface of your tank. I have seen both T5's and VHO's on aquariums and you can see a big difference with the T5's.

chocolateblnt- your joking about the T8 diameter right?
 
I have heard Icecap ballast and Tek Reflectors. I forget which bulbs i have heard, but i go back and try to find which ones.
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I think I read somewhere that there isn't a need to overdrive the T5's with the icecap ballast on tanks less than 18" deep. Right now I'm planning on the setup in the link I posted above. I still need to figure out which bulbs though. Anyone know where there are some pics of T5 lighting using the different bulbs?

Great tank... I'm enjoying the ride.
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Thanks dlauver! Glad your tagging along.


I'll be ordering my pump today (Mag 7 from ReefGeek). Once it comes in I can do my first water test! Stay tuned...
 
... from what I've heard the newly redesigned T8's are supposed to be smaller ... not the T8's out right now but the ones comin out in the near future. I know the T scale and the bigger the bulb number the bigger the diameter but my point was that the new ones are going to shift that scale.
 
chocolate, where did you hear about the new T8's? I may not be buying lights for a little while so I am interested in learning more. Any links to information?
 
I like the setup and approach your taking. Im planning on a 20h myself but need to gather the funds first. Thanks for the added inspiration
 
Glad I can help you along ggenz. Just work on your setup a little at a time. I can tell you that putting together this tank has been much more rewarding than my 10G was. I rushed through it too fast. There is a lot I would have done differently. While I'm dying to get water in my new setup, I've avoided a lot of mistakes by pouring through RC threads before making decisions on how to do things.
 
Yeah good choice DSparks on moving slow. Do you plan on doing the same thing with adding items once u get it running, so that you can get pod reproduction and correline first?
 
Cute kid BTW DSparks andnice tank aswell

chocolateblnt

I think you got some misinformation, they can't shift the scale, its based on hard numbers, the T-12 is 3/2s times as big as the T-8 and the T-8 is 8/5ths the size of the T-5, if they were comeing out with something that was narrower than a T-5 they would call it maybe a T-4 or a T-3, it could be that they are shorter and higher watts but not narrower, it would be totally garbageing a very valueable measurement, like comeing out with a new and improved inch.

Could you find any information, maybe the person who told you this, because they need to be straightened out.

dlauver

Not all T-8's are NO's they make VHO's in T-8's and T-12's, The NO lamps and ballasts are different, but they use the same endcaps.

Edit: http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/lighting/l/aa031300c.htm
 
Well I didn't say/mean change the scale, as you imply I said, I just said it would "shift" it one way or another upon the release of a newer improved T bulb, hence the word/definition of "shift" and not change... I'll try to get some more info on them from my local reefer.
 
Yeah good choice DSparks on moving slow. Do you plan on doing the same thing with adding items once u get it running, so that you can get pod reproduction and correline first?
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I do plan on moving slow once it's up and going. While I threw my 10G equipment together, I did add corals slowly. For instance, the first coral was added about 2 months after the tank started cycling. I may take it even slower with this tank since I'll be adding more sensative corals.

Cute kid BTW DSparks and nice tank as well
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Thanks Opcn. I'm very proud of both of them ;)


I purchased a Mag 7 and some tubing from ReefGeek last night. I also bought some loc line from ModularHose.com. Hopefully both orders will be here by the weekend so that I can do my first water test. I think I'll start with the SCWD I already have and see how it turns out. If it looks promising I may hold off on the OM Squirt for a later date (hey, you always need a tank upgrade to look forward to). So if all my orders arrive, and I can get to Lowes for more plumbing parts, then I'll have some progress pics for you all this weekend.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6672714#post6672714 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sidjam

your saying that power compacts are comparable or better than MH for sps?? i don't agree with that. you may be able to keep some sps alive, but they will not thrive and will probably brown out. i do agree that T5's can be a good alternative to MH's.
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sid, I have also been studying up on T5's and I'm hearing from many sources that in a shallow tank (under 18") T5's are as good as MH. With the right setup you can grow just about any SPS. According to my research it's crucial that each bulb have an individual reflector, which boosts the amount of light going into the tank up to 300%.

Also, the T5 bulbs have a higher PAR rating. I can't say I understand exactly what that means, but it has to do with how much the light penetrates the water (i.e. how deep it can get).

They also generate a lot less heat. And you have the ability to easily mix bulb colors in a smaller setup like mine. With all of this in mind I've decided to go with the T5's. Honestly, I'll miss the shimmer effect. But I can live without it to avoid the simmer effect.
 
i had thought about going with t5's myself. i already have a icecap 660 ballast that would have overdrove them nicely. yes i have read that they do work the best with seperate reflectors. heat can be an issue with MH and that is their only downside. so the T5's should work great for you.
 
Thought you might be interested in this. This tank is unbeleiveable and only has T5 lighting There is alot of good info about T5s and it really changed my mind about T5 lighting. :D

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=700454

I am also upgrading my 10 gal to a 20H and love the work you did with your tank. I wish i could do stuff like that, for now i am just aimlessly searching the web for somone who does custom RR tanks lol
 
Welcome to the thread Amber!

Wow, awesome tank. Thanks for the link Amber. That's exactly what I needed to see to completely convince me to go with T5's. Absolutely amazing!
 
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