My uncle recently offered me some Sun Glo T8 15watt lights for my SW tank. Of course these lights would work for just fish, but is the spectrum of light the same as what Id need for decent algae and anemone health and growth? Basically, are these suitable for saltwater use? What separates T8 from T5?
Sun glo 15w T8 lights for saltwater?
- Thread starter Ppuzas
- Start date
I don't think so. The specturm is around 6500k, right? If this is the case then it is too red. saltwater orgainisms thrive with bluer spectrum, around 10,000k. the fish don't care but the other stuff,coral, will.
disclaimer: I am by no means an expert. I am merly stating what has been told to me over the past 20 years.
disclaimer: I am by no means an expert. I am merly stating what has been told to me over the past 20 years.
T8s are larger in diameter and lower in intensity the t5ho. There are also regular t5s, which are lower in output then t5ho.
Depending on the depth, it could work for softies but not an anemone, and you would have to have a lot of them over the aquarium. People in the old days use to throw up a ton of t12s, but could support softies only.
Even if the spectrum is 6500, it will still work, but the coral coloration will be pretty bland.
Depending on the depth, it could work for softies but not an anemone, and you would have to have a lot of them over the aquarium. People in the old days use to throw up a ton of t12s, but could support softies only.
Even if the spectrum is 6500, it will still work, but the coral coloration will be pretty bland.
Ppuzas;4769053; said:
In this case try aquatraders.com. You can pick a light on there pretty cheap that will work for most corals.
As far as anemones go, I would wait until you have a very established tank and quite a bit of experience in saltwater before trying them. They are not beginner animals.
nonstophoops;4770084; said:
+1 on that. Maybe do a Frogspawn or torch coral first and work your way up. Anemones are really tough to do. Good luck
Agreed, theyre a time bomb as they near death, especially in smaller systems.nonstophoops;4770084; said:
Ppuzas;4781286; said:
Very true, and they will adjust to pretty much any light you offer. I have seen them in tanks with standard flourescents. 1 white, 1 actinic bulb. If you end up with really intense light, you can have them under overhangs and in areas with indirect light.