What about this T-5 Set up????

Well the ebay page is not working for me. Sorry What bulb are you running in the 250w is it SE or DE?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6924145#post6924145 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dwdenny
Well the ebay page is not working for me. Sorry What bulb are you running in the 250w is it SE or DE?

I know ebay in general is not working right now.

Its a DE, its the aqua medic ocean light and I am running a 15k bulb.
 
If it isnt Icecap, Aqualux, Tek, or Aquatinics, I would not advise it. Most of the T5 stuff out there is JUNK. Unforunatly I think these craptastic models out there are giving T5s a bad name because people get one of them and see how bad they suck and they think that a good unit cant be THAT much better. Well I got news for you all... the good units are THAT much better. You cant cheap out with T5 or they will suq in a big way. Trust me, Ive been there done the cheap route. Useing the exact same bulbs out of my crappy unit, I put them under icecap reflectors and Triad ballasts and my light probably doubled.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6924205#post6924205 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Horace
If it isnt Icecap, Aqualux, Tek, or Aquatinics, I would not advise it. Most of the T5 stuff out there is JUNK. Unforunatly I think these craptastic models out there are giving T5s a bad name because people get one of them and see how bad they suck and they think that a good unit cant be THAT much better. Well I got news for you all... the good units are THAT much better. You cant cheap out with T5 or they will suq in a big way. Trust me, Ive been there done the cheap route. Useing the exact same bulbs out of my crappy unit, I put them under icecap reflectors and Triad ballasts and my light probably doubled.

Okay eveyone one talks Icecap, however aqualux does not use icecap ballasts, so should I not order aqualux's ballasts that they offer?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6924888#post6924888 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tomzpc
The important thing is a quality individual reflector for each bulb.

So the ballast is not nearly as important as the reflectors?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6924947#post6924947 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chuckdickson
No, Ice caps put out more watts but watt for watt the individual reflectors are what make T5 so great.

Well I am trying to stay on the budget, and the Icecaps are 150.00 each and I am not sure how many the bulbs each ice cap can run...
 
I wouldn't spend the extra money on the ice caps. There is some debate on if the over driving the lamps with Ice caps reduces the life of the bulb
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6926128#post6926128 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chuckdickson
I wouldn't spend the extra money on the ice caps. There is some debate on if the over driving the lamps with Ice caps reduces the life of the bulb
Sweet that is what I wanted to hear.
 
if you want cheap and good t5ho order everything you need for aqualuxlighting.com use their CDR reflectors, an advance or workhorse ballast ( i use a w5 to run my 3x39 retro) and all the other items you need, but dont skimp on the endcaps, get waterproof ones. plus if you have a better deal on bulbs or whatever , aqualux will meet that price so you dont have to pay for shipping from 2 different vendors.

i got my entire retrofit from aqualux for $170 delivered, with 2 ati blue and one ge day bulb. if i went with reefgeek, i would only havve been able to get 2 tubes of retro for that kind of money, not 3 like i got with aqualux...
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6927250#post6927250 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by horkn
if you want cheap and good t5ho order everything you need for aqualuxlighting.com use their CDR reflectors, an advance or workhorse ballast ( i use a w5 to run my 3x39 retro) and all the other items you need, but dont skimp on the endcaps, get waterproof ones. plus if you have a better deal on bulbs or whatever , aqualux will meet that price so you dont have to pay for shipping from 2 different vendors.

i got my entire retrofit from aqualux for $170 delivered, with 2 ati blue and one ge day bulb. if i went with reefgeek, i would only havve been able to get 2 tubes of retro for that kind of money, not 3 like i got with aqualux...

Yeah that is what I am doing! It is going to cost me 200 for everything. This seems to be the best place to go.
 
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