Aquarium lighting

[israelm]

I went to home depot and found some really cheap and nice lights that would be perfect for an aquarium.

they have all these different T`s. T5 , T8 , T12. i know about T5 aquarium lights but what is the difference.

Can i use them.

 

[fishbum]

T5,T8,are all different bulb diameters.As long as you are not having live plants,you really do not need to worry too much about that.The lights you pictured will be fine.

 

[israelm]

i am planing to have some plants in the tank. what would be the best one. thanks for the info

 

[sick_lid]

You can get the fixtures, and just get different bulbs for your needs from your lfs..

 

[israelm]

yeah but bulbs are expensive so it would kinda defeat the purpose.

 

[sick_lid]

Well if you want plants, it would be your only option. Atleast you'd be saving some cash on the rediculously priced fixtures in stores

 

[israelm]

yeah that's true. alright tanks for the info.

 

[sostoudt]

yeah but bulbs are expensive so it would kinda defeat the purpose.

thats why the bulbs are expensive because they grow plants. you can get some growth from regular bulbs but IME the plants dont seem to grow as big.

whats the cost of the t5 fixture because they usually are kinda expensive for the fixture alone

 

[israelm]

you can get a 24in for like 10-20 bucks depends on how nice you want it. you can even get a 8ft one for 40 bucks. its not stylish but it works.

 

[sostoudt]

you can get a 24in for like 10-20 bucks depends on how nice you want it. you can even get a 8ft one for 40 bucks. its not stylish but it works.

do they come with ballast(if you need one)

heres a site with some you can look over they come with reef bulbs i think one 10k and one actinic.
the bulbs are pretty low quality. but these are the cheapest new lighting you can buy. odyssea its like rc cola