t5 ho lighting

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R

Russ84

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 7, 2008
48
0
0
Australia
hello guys
i am going to get a new light for my birthday. it is for a 140g 6x2x1.8 tank
i wont be needing really high light but just enough to grow low light plants(anubis nana jarva moss ),blyax japonica and tiger lotus. Most of the lights i have been looking at in the lfs are around $600 but i found this light on a online site. please tell me what you think. it is very much cheaper.
Also if i wanted to grow ground cover plants would this light be sufficient?
thanks
http://www.guppysaquariumproducts.com.au/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=307

i was goin to get the 6ft light but it wont fit under my hood.
thanks
 
get a glass hood, good prices on that light.i think thats better then www.fishneedit.com . cheaper is not always better but it looks REAL similiar to fishneedit lights....wonder if they are made by same maker? i read decent reviews about their (cheap plastic parts)t5's and better about their mh lighting.make sure its sealed or has water proof endcaps.i was going to get t5 for my birthday but was given a pc before i made up my mind to go to t5's...cant just say "no thanks i want t5s" soooo...wyldfya is great about chimming in and he will let you know,somebody let me know if im wrong but im sure the bigger you go (tank)the lighting req. goes down a bit so i would think it would be ok
 
Cheaper isn't better. Getting light bulbs is the biggest issue. T5's have not found a set standard for length yet. You will also need 2 more feet of lighting. If you had an 8 set of 54Ws and 24Ws you would be able to grow quite a bit. This would be considered high lighting, and you will have to have co2 (pressurized).
 
Be wary of CA. They got in a lot of trouble back a couple years back when they had copied the Eheim canister too closely, and took a loss. Replacement of parts, and continued bulb purchasing capability is important when looking at lights. $149 is cheap, but when you get a one time use fixture, that is pretty expensive.
 
fishneedit.com has good lights for cheap! and CA lights have gotten much better, they actually have a pretty good rep............better than some of the cheap stuff out there!
 
The Hagen HO t5s are great. They have water sealed end caps so no electrical issues, no glass cover so no heat is kept as well as no light reflection/filtering so you get the best of the light. Preferably do not put a glass lid under these lights. A) they reflect/filter too many spectrum's the light produces. B) it holds heat. Hot glass isn't fun to touch. I work for a LFS and use these lights religiously on plant tanks I maintain in my store. They are great! Much better then the coralifes and much brighter so in deeper tanks it looks great! The units come in 24, 36, and 48 inches though both single and double bulbs, go double you will notice the difference. As for the choice of bulb the most vibrant is the life glo its a pure white and makes fish and plants look great! No need for the 6.7k. Also they do have retrofit kits available. OH and big tip they did not put ON/OFF switches on the normal units, so a timer is required for ease.
 
Tihsho;2049592;2049592 said:
The Hagen HO t5s are great. They have water sealed end caps so no electrical issues, no glass cover so no heat is kept as well as no light reflection/filtering so you get the best of the light. Preferably do not put a glass lid under these lights. A) they reflect/filter too many spectrum's the light produces. B) it holds heat. Hot glass isn't fun to touch. I work for a LFS and use these lights religiously on plant tanks I maintain in my store. They are great! Much better then the coralifes and much brighter so in deeper tanks it looks great! The units come in 24, 36, and 48 inches though both single and double bulbs, go double you will notice the difference. As for the choice of bulb the most vibrant is the life glo its a pure white and makes fish and plants look great! No need for the 6.7k. Also they do have retrofit kits available. OH and big tip they did not put ON/OFF switches on the normal units, so a timer is required for ease.
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For planted tanks the 6700K is necessary. The power glo bulbs are the wrong kelvin temp, and do a poor job of growing plants.
 
WyldFya;2049739; said:
For planted tanks the 6700K is necessary. The power glo bulbs are the wrong kelvin temp, and do a poor job of growing plants.
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Beg to differ. The Life glo bulbs are amazing. I have them on a total of 5 tanks. 2 which I maintain at my store and 3 I personally own. The life glows are a white spectrum that does great for plants. Kelvin temp is not always an issue as long as your wpg and co2 saturation (for high wpg tanks) is right. I'd try using the bulbs before knocking them. I do a lot with plants and the lights work great, no complaints at all.
 
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