Alright Newbie; Let's shed some light on this subject.

[divecj5]

After posting the above, I hope WaterKeeper still looks at this thread....well at least I hope so

[WaterKeeper]

Nope

[divecj5]

Well then I guess you were a little surprised to see this thread pop to the top then weren't you

I guess this knob is a day late and a dollar short then....do you possibly have any direction that you can point me in? If not, I understand and will try and swim around in the Lighting forum some more and post this question over there. Thanks anyway for all the information I have gained already.

Adam

[WaterKeeper]

Only kidding Adam,

With a true FO or FOWLR the light intensity is not all that important. NO ligthing will work but I would suggest using at least some 03 actinic and a full spectrum tube in the 5500-8000 K range.

T-5 requires a different type connecter than T-12. You would need to change out receptacles and ballasts to accommodate the smaller lamps. It would pay off in the long run as you progress in the hobby. To start out, you can use the NO system and always retrofit the hood to use T-5.

[divecj5]

Of course after reading everything that I could get my hands on from your threads, I knew that you were kidding. Thanks for the suggestions and I think that I will just stay with the NO hood for right now and just include the 03 actinic and the full spectrum tube as well.

If I were to retrofit the hood in the future, would I need to get something like the mod kits that different places sell? Just curious so that I can see what I get to look forward to in the future.

Thanks again Tom for all the help. It means a lot to someone just starting out.

Adam

[divecj5]

Just wanted to add this to the post above: So would something along these lines work for what I'm trying to accomplish and also allow some room to "grow" in the future:
http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewIt...roduct=CU01020

Regardless the brand, I just wanted to get a general feel and see if this is something that could be used in the future.

Oh yeah, checked out your gallery to see if I could FINALLY get peek at your tank and low and behold, I get pics of Martha, Stooges, and various other people and things...I should have known

Thanks,
Adam

[TropTrea]

While discussing T-5 you mentioned the following. If you do not mind my comments here.

Originally posted by WaterKeeper
Like wow!!! Sanjay actually reads Newbie threads. Not often my threads get visited by the Brass.

So be it with a thinner fluorescent tube, more electrons hit the coating per square inch in a thin tube than a wider tube. This makes the light appear brighter but it really does not increase the overall output, just the brightness to the observer.

What your saying is a basic truth with one exception. Both the T-5 and T-12 bulbs do give off the 3 same amount of light per watt however today most T-12 bulbs are 34 Watt while the T-5's are 54 watt. With the effeciency being the same the T-5 then produces about 58% more light.

The next issue with T-5's is that with the skinnier tube diameter it is easier to fit more bulbs into an aquarium hood, and still have an effeciently designed reflector system. (Woops you have not gotten to mirrors and reflectors yet)

But still look at this way if you have 5 T-12 bulbs you can fill that same space with 12 T-5 bulbs. Now if your getting the same effeciency per watt that aquarium hood would give you 3.8 times as much light.


Then on another issue:
I realy like your writing style here. A touch of that old military humor, yet your getting us to think things out.

Dennis