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Old 09/20/2007, 07:36 AM
BeanAnimal BeanAnimal is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Pittsburgh
Posts: 11,710
Quote:
Originally posted by jasonh
Well here's my two cents. T5's are expensive.
Not when the big picture is looked at. You get MORE light for less power with the T5s.

Quote:
First thing I would do is go look at some FW Planted tank stuff. Those guys like to overdrive stuff it seems
Nobody said you could not overdrive NO lamps. The point is that they are fat and innefficient. You can get more bang for your buck with T5 bulbs and properly designed reflectors.

Quote:
Then maybe see about getting some polished aluminum and making a decent reflector. It seems that's where T5's REALLY have their advantage. Most I've seen on here is T5's don't work well unless they each have their own decent reflector.
Diying your own reflectors is a 100% waste of time. The SHAPE of the reflector and placement of the bulb is what makes the reflector work. T12 and T8 bulbs DONT work well without individual reflectors either. The problem is that individual reflectors for bulbs of that diameter would be HUGE.

Quote:
Heck I'm tempted to try this myself...I could use a little supplemental lighting for my 20g on the cheap.
Then buy a single T5 and SLR reflector. They are cheap.