Just switched to T5's

[reeformadness]

Overall, I am happy with the upgrade. I previously had 4 T-12 VHO's (3 super actinics, 1 aquasun) on an ice cap ballast. I am now overdriving 3 T5's (1 UVL aquasun, 2 ATI aquablues) and I kept 1 UVL T-12 super actinic. All are 46.5" being run on my icecap 660 ballast. I will now be saving 90W/hr in electricity. That's only about $2/mo in my area but every little bit counts. My first impression was WOW! They were even smaller then I expected and they are BRIGHT! I never have used reflectors in my hood so I'm sure that is part of it. Either way, the light is nearly blinding when you look directly at it and they certainly are pushing more lumens than I had before. I'm not sure how this will equate to PUR and growth in my corals though. My first disappointment is the temperature of the bulbs. I guess people mean that the tank won't get as hot when they say that they run cooler, but the surface of the bulbs themselves will nearly burn you. My biggest disappointment would be in the amount of fluorescence in my tank now. The overall color is GREAT, but some things that were fluorescing (sp?) are not anymore. My T-12 super actinic is old so maybe changing that out will remedy the problem. I also may consider switching out one of the aquablues for a T5 super actinic just to try one out for myself. I hear they do not compete with T-12 super actinics but it might be the best trade off between color and energy efficiency. With all the bulbs out there I'm sure I can get the color I want, and therefore, my opinion is that T5's are superior to T-12s and PC's (except, maybe with super actinics.) I will try to get some before and after pics up this weekend with the same exact camera settings.