T5 vs T6 Whats the difference

[madreefer14]

whats the difference between the two and do they put out about the same light. Looking for lights for my 37 hex tank. MH IS NOT AN OPTION! need to keep flourecent. Saw some T6 on aquatraders that will fit my tank well.

[luke33]

I think you should ask around on people's opinions who have purchased lights from aquatraders before you make your decision. Just IMO, i think you will get some good feedback.

[pjf]

I believe that the economical Coralife Aqualight T5 light strips will fit on your 30” long tank (http://www.marineandreef.com/shoppro/power_aqualightT5.htm). I saw one of these fixtures at a LFS above a soft coral fragment tank but I honestly have not used one. The reflectors on these tiny fixtures are small but they do sit very close to the water. They have normal output T5 lamps but NO is usually more efficient (lumens per watt) than T5HO lamps. They are inexpensive so I would buy one simply to try it out if I had the need for one.

T6 lamps are almost as thin as the T5 lamps but fit existing T12 fixtures. They are made in the same lengths and with the same medium bi-pin connectors as regular normal output T12 lamps. I am ordering actinic T6 lamps from www.naturallighting.com to replace the T12 lamps in my fixture. I’ll let you know next week how they work out.

There are T6 lamps that have non-compatible single-pin connectors but they are designated as FxxT6 where xx is a number.

I understand that the T6 lamps also come in T6-HO and T6-VHO versions if you have the ballasts to drive them. The T6HO lamps that I am ordering will work with my regular ballasts but at a lower light output. If I want to, I can replace my ballasts with higher power ballasts to drive the T6HO lamps to their potential.

[thriceanangel]

Aquatraders lights suck. I bought their t5 and the bulbs required a bulb an inch and a half shorter than the standard 48" bulb to fit in the fixture. So you had to buy their bulbs. Their endcaps are cheap, and two of them melted. And when it was shipped it had 2 broken bulbs.

THAT BEING SAID. They are very cheap. And if you're a DIY'er or look at it like you are buying a cheap retrofit, or DIY fixture. Then the price for Bulbs, Ballast, and sockets is about as good as it gets. Just don't use the fixture by itself- unless you don't mind watching your tank while you roast marshmallows over the flaming lighting fixture.

Also they are not UL fixtures.

[madreefer14]

Thats pretty much what I was thinking about aquatraders but I wanted to get some oppinions. Im assuming that if their lights arent UL rated then the rest of their stuff is probably not either. I'll likely go with a retrofit from reef geeks for my 37 half hex. Ive purchased one for my 55 canopy and it fits just fine. When I do buy the lights I'll likely get an ice cap 660 and swap out the ballast from my 55 onto the 37. I'm pretty much keeping the 37 for lower light corals and I'll make the 55 for sps and clams and just overdrive the bulbs on the 55. pjf, I'd appreciate that alot. Ill check out the link you gave. I'm always looking to save money in this hobby but I dont want to shell out good money for shoddy equipment and end up spending more in the long run. And yes im very much a diy kinda guy. Get more satisfaction from the hobby that way IMHO. Has anyone tried any of via aqua's Helios lights. are they any good.

[madreefer14]

Pjf, just checked out the link you gave me and I found a problem. I tried a similar approach with lights of america on a 6500k 500 watt bulb. I had two under my canopy and I must say I did not care for them and niether did my coraline alge or anything in my tank for that matter. It gave a very yellow hue to the tank, they ran quite hot and significantly raised the tank temp so I added a coupleof fans and then my light output suffered. Your going to run into that proplem when you get to the lower k rated bulbs(yellow water) But who knows, that may be what your after. Personally i'm looking for actinic 03 and something more in the lines of a 10, 12 or 18k bulb.