# New Direction



## Cocobid (Jan 26, 2007)

I have Coralife CF on all of my tanks, that said I just bought a 30 Cube Oceanic. I wanted to try a different approach to lighting. Any suggestions? There are so many directions and it can be a little overwhelming. I read that the T-5 run cooler....??? But I want to ensure a nice output. This is not an extreme high light need but not low, middle to higher range. 
Please point me in a direction. 
Thanks Karen


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## A_Shea (Jun 2, 2007)

The T5HO would be good. they generaly run a little bit cooler and they are more efficient with the same output or even better than the compacts. Thats what i would recomend going with. im starting to switch over to all T5s.. 2 out of 3 tanks of mine have them. the other has compacts


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## Squawkbert (Jan 3, 2007)

30g cube..... pretty much perfect for a MH pendant.


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## kakkoii (Jan 18, 2008)

I would still go t5, for the same reason as, A_Shea.


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## bradac56 (May 9, 2007)

As long as you don't have anything that can jump or crawl out then pendants look the best
on a cube but if you're thinking about shrimp or fish then go with a good closed T5HO as 
the bulbs will last longer and run better.

- Brad


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## MNMarty (Nov 17, 2005)

bradac56 said:


> As long as you don't have anything that can jump or crawl out then pendants look the best
> on a cube but if you're thinking about shrimp or fish then go with a good closed T5HO as
> the bulbs will last longer and run better.
> 
> - Brad


Uhhh, No. T5HO bulbs do best when _actively cooled_ with fans. If the bulbs run consistently above their optimum temperature they will put out less light (PAR) and have a shorter life.

On some bulbs there is a 'cold spot' (commonly the end with the label) which is darkened for an inch after the cap. This is the best place to aim fans on these bulbs, as it will significantly cool the (tiny amount of) mercury and will also boost the PAR a little bit (5-15% I believe). For other bulbs without cold spots you can just point the fans down the length of the bulb, preferably from both ends.


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## Cocobid (Jan 26, 2007)

It seems there is the T-5 & a T-5 High Output. If I get this right the HO is the way to go. As far as wattage any advise?
Any features that I should look for etc. 
Brands that I should steer away from or ones you just can't go wrong with.
This cube is roughly 20 inches. Price range that one should expect to pay. 
Thanks for all the help.
Karen


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## MNMarty (Nov 17, 2005)

Yes, there are both T5 and T5HO fixtures available. A 'normal' T5 fixture will only drive the bulb to its rated wattage (54W), while a 'HO' fixture generally overdrives the bulbs by some percentage (54W driven to 80W). The difference is in the ballast.

The retailed aquarium T5 bulbs usually start at '24 inches' long and increase in increments of 12 inches. The actually sizes are slightly shorter, I believe the '24 inch bulbs' are actually 22 1/4" long, but with endcaps and standoffs it gets to 24 inches. There ARE shorter bulbs available online, and at some hardware stores, but you will have to retrofit a canopy to use those bulbs.

All this being said, I think you skipped the most important post on this thread already:


Squawkbert said:


> 30g cube..... pretty much perfect for a MH pendant.


Squawkbert wasn't kidding, the Oceanic 30g cube is literally the poster child for a metal halide pendant. You could hang a 175W halide in a good reflector up to two feet above that tank and still get excellent light levels. There are a ton of different ballasts, reflectors, and bulbs; so the right combination may take a bit of researching.

A metal halide will be more than enough light for your tank, but it IS a lot of power for such a small tank. On the other hand, the commonly retailed T5 fixtures will not fit your tank without overhanging the sides.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.

Cheers,
Marty


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## nickman (Feb 25, 2008)

regular output T5 fixtures like those made by coral life run a 48" bulb at 28 watts i believe. A HO T5 runs at 54watt and an overdriven T5 on an IceCap ballast for instance will be more like 80 watts. a 3 footer will run at 21, 39, and ~50watts respectively. 2 footers 14,24 and ?? watts. 

-nick


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

Normally, I would recommend T5s all the way. However, if my memory serves me the Oceanic 30 gallon cube is 18 inches wide making it a bad candidate for T5s. The shortest T5 bulbs are 24" long.

I would go with an AH supply 2 x 36 watt bright kit.


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## ingg (Apr 8, 2007)

I have one of these tanks, you won't find T5's for it.

Options are MH or Compact flourescents. I ended up doing a 2x40 watt Current fixture, MH meant 5+ wpg and no way of controlling the light intensity other than lighting up the entire room with a pendant 2' over the tank. This meant for me, MH was not my first option - if it was salt, it would have been.



> Yes, there are both T5 and T5HO fixtures available. A 'normal' T5 fixture will only drive the bulb to its rated wattage (54W), while a 'HO' fixture generally overdrives the bulbs by some percentage (54W driven to 80W). The difference is in the ballast.


You seem to be a bit confused on T5 lighting. There are NO fixtures, like say a Coralife, and HO fixtures, like say a TEK. The bulbs typically do not interchange (and I'm not sure what would happen if you tried, never seen anyone try and overdrive NO T5 bulbs), and 54 watts is the HO wattage at 48"; they are not overdriven from there. Not sure where you are getting that info from, but you should probably double check your source.


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