Why not T12 VHO's ??????????

H

hollywood300m

New member
How come reefers are not using T12 VHO lamps anymore?

Is it energy consumption?

Is it intensity vs. size?

Is it Temperature differences?

It seems like everyone is blasting their tanks with a million watts of light for all applications...other than keeping SPS.

Am I wrong? I love my softies and growing coralline, but should I jump aboard the T5 wagon?

Somebody convince me, or tell me that I'm not losing my mind
 
I agree, not many new tanks are going up w/ pure VHO these days. SImply put, there is no reason to. T5 is brighter, lasts longer and is cheaper to run. T12 bulbs wont be around much longer I am afraid. Apparently the chemicals inside them are quickly being regulated. Its only a matter of time before the EPA says no more T12.
 
Well, i'm perfectly content with my VHO only 125 setup. There are reasons to do such a thing especially if you're looking to cover a 6' span.
 
I also use only VHO for a softie and LPS reef. I may upgrade in the future (especially now that UV/URI is making HO T5 bulbs), but until recently VHO was the king of color.
 
VHO are nice... my buddy has a pure VHO tank. I think many out there underestimate how well they can do w/ SPS as well. But I must admit, most folks are not installing VHO new anymore. Most just use T5 instead. If the T5 super actinic is as good as the VHO version, there will be no reasons left to install VHO over T5 IMO.
 
Anyone know if I can run T5's with a workhorse7 ballast?
I was planning on running two 48" vho's to supplement my halides, but now I am thinking T5's.
 
T5 and T12 bulbs have the same stuff in the bulbs.
A T5 and T12 should last the same time with similar ballasts.
T5 are great with the reflector.
There is a limit to the number that will fit over a tank due to the T5 reflector limitation.

Any thing can be grown under VHO that can be grown under MH. The differance is how fast it will grow. With equil wattage over the tanks T5, T12-VHO and MH should all be capable of similar growth.
 
From IceCap:
I recently switched over to T5HO and think it's a big improvement in light delivered where you want it. The new lamps GE has in 6.5K, and I'm told the new UVL T5HO line, are Eco in that at end of life the mercury bonds with a metal surface in the lamp. You also use less glass to make them. We found that even overdriving them they were good for two years. Because of the thin design, it's easy to direct the light where you want it. As to not having room for enough lamps, you will not need as many.

Andy
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7355160#post7355160 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rstark33
Anyone know if I can run T5's with a workhorse7 ballast?
I was planning on running two 48" vho's to supplement my halides, but now I am thinking T5's.
Click to expand...

yes you can.

my 3x39t5ho retrofit has been run soley on one workhorse 5 ballast from day 1.


that was right around 1.5 years ago. and i still have the original bulbs in it, and they are doing fine.

whaledriver, AFAIK, t5 and t12 bulbs do not have the same contenets inside the glass.

all I have heard is what horace has said, that its only a matter of time until t12 are not made anymore due to regulations.

heck, even most industrial fluorescents are not t12 anymore. t8 and t5ho are replacing t12. and some stores, like home deathspot, have switched from MH lighting in their stores, to t5ho. the HD stores are now brighter as well.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7355226#post7355226 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Whaledriver
T5 and T12 bulbs have the same stuff in the bulbs.
A T5 and T12 should last the same time with similar ballasts.
T5 are great with the reflector.
There is a limit to the number that will fit over a tank due to the T5 reflector limitation.

Any thing can be grown under VHO that can be grown under MH. The differance is how fast it will grow. With equil wattage over the tanks T5, T12-VHO and MH should all be capable of similar growth.
Click to expand...

Not sure where you got this info from bro, but pretty much everything except the last part about growth is just plain wrong man.

I am not trying to bash T12 because they do a fine job, but they are simply obsolete in every way when compared to the T5 bulb. The only reason anyone is hanging on to them is because of the SA bulb. If it wasnt for that, VHO would have been history a long time ago. I have a strong suspicion that the new T5 SA will blow away the VHO. If thats the case, VHO wont be around much longer. There simply wont be a market for them any more. Who would want to run a 110w bulb that lasts half as long as the T5 version that runs at 54w and puts out probably half as much light?
 
vho = more wats for the same amount of bulbs.
i know you can fit more bulbs of t5 style over a tank but that also means more ballast

t5=54 watts i think while a vho is 110
im used vho on my old tank and on my new tank
if the epa has probloms with what is in the bulbs they could just change the chemicals in the vho t12
anyways im using vho till the bulbs start to become extreamly hard to find .
i think t12 and t5 put out same light but one is more compact

either way its gonna be expensise and annoying to change over to t5 if you already have vho and the vho endcaps

( oh also t5 isnt reliably dimmable yet)
 
with the advent of the SA UVL bulbs, the only thing vho has on t5ho is an 18" length (t5ho are only down to 24"). there already are dimmable t5ho ballasts. they are pricey, but they do exist.

if you look at it as pure watts, then vho has that over t5ho. But we dont care about watts, we care about PAR, and a 4 tube vho puts out nowhere near the PAR that a 4 tube t5ho with good reflectors does. Seeing as we dont care about watts that doesnt matter. Actually, we want less watts to keep our energy bill down, unless you work for the power company:lol:
 
I've never had a PAR meter or even a LUX meter to test the actual output, but I can say for certain that my 432 watts of T5 HO (with individual reflectors) produces quite a bit more light than the 660 watts of VHO that I used to run over my 90, and that is without overdriving the bulbs. More light for less energy seems like a no-brainer to me.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7356391#post7356391 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by goda
vho = more wats for the same amount of bulbs.
i know you can fit more bulbs of t5 style over a tank but that also means more ballast

t5=54 watts i think while a vho is 110
im used vho on my old tank and on my new tank
if the epa has probloms with what is in the bulbs they could just change the chemicals in the vho t12
anyways im using vho till the bulbs start to become extreamly hard to find .
i think t12 and t5 put out same light but one is more compact

either way its gonna be expensise and annoying to change over to t5 if you already have vho and the vho endcaps

( oh also t5 isnt reliably dimmable yet)
Click to expand...

Again, Im sorry to say this but you have much to learn about T5 before you can make the statments above.

Although VHO bulbs are 2x as many watts per bulb for the same length T5, they put out probably HALF as much PAR. So your statment about T5s putting out the same light, except in a smaller bulb is just plain not true. In fact its WAY OFF base. As for the T12s being reengineered...NOT LIKELY. They have been around forever, and they havent evolved much, if any in several years. While they used to be the standard in lighting, they are a whole generation of technology behind. Also depending on your ballast, you may not even have to get a new one for the T5. If your using workhorse or Icecap ballasts, both will work for T5. My suggestion is before making sweeping statements about T5, do some good research on them. I think you will be surprised what you find out. They REALLY ARE that much better.
 
Just out of curiosity, where are the PAR readings? I don't doubt that T5s are brighter in this regard, however, I have never seen any measurements to substantiate it.
 
There are posts out there, but they are mainly in regards to T5 vs MH. In many cases T5s are actually higher PAR than even 250w MH. If T5s beat out MH in many situations, you can bet ur arse that they blow VHO out of the water. There is a post somewhere around here where the PAR was taken right at the bulb from VHO and then the PAR was taken at the sandbed w/ T5 and the T5 was still brighter if i remember correctly. The Grim Reefer did some tests a while back... here is one of them http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=724967&perpage=25&pagenumber=1
 
I was just getting ready to do a search on t-12's and ran across this:eek:

I got a used 75 so I could move my corals out of my 46 bow . I have been looking at lights and I like the Sun-tek 6 bulb unit or the Finnex [leaning toward Finnex as it comes with bulbs, cheaper] I don't think I will be able to get these lights however until I sell my 46...Soooo I was in Menards, looking at lights for my basement when I saw these hanging fluorescent light units..Some of which used t-12 or t-8 bulbs. This lamps where CHEAP!!! And one was kind of stylish;) I realize these are normally used in work areas but could I use aquarium bulbs in these fixtures temporarily until I get my new lights?
 
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