# Got new T5HO - Not sure how I feel...



## Skizhx (Oct 12, 2010)

Ok, so basically my coralife T5NO fixture on my 29gal broke on me. It was a high-light CO2 injected tank. The fixture was a 30" 2x18W (36W) T5NO fixture. Luckily it was still under the extended store warranty so I was able to take it back for store credit towards a new fixture.

They didn't sell these fixtures anymore, so I ended up getting an AquaticLife 2x24W (48W) T5HO dual lamp light fixture. I was extremely excited to be getting a T5HO fixture.

http://www.bigalsonline.com/Fish_Lighting_Light-Fixtures_T5-HO-T5_Dual-Lamp-T5HO-Light-Fixtures.html?tc=fish

Since the old fixture was defective, I had to leave it with them, so I cannot compare the two fixtures side by side... However, my immediate thoughts...

- The legs don't work for me at all... I can't open my lid without taking the whole light fixture off the tank, and they raise the light so much that all I see when I look at my tank is a reflection of a T5HO blub beaming into my eyes and a whole lot of light shinning on my floor. And yes, I do have the fixture on the right way. I'm actually pretty sure my tank is receiving less light than before because the reflector is reflecting a lot of the light onto my floor instead of into the tank. So I've taken the legs off. I do have a glass lid on my tank so it's not going to fall in or anything.

- The T5HO bulbs are much shorter than the T5NO. My T5NO bulbs were almost as long as the entire 30 inch fixture. The T5HO's are much shorter. Wouldn't this result in dark corners? I feel this is exactly what's happening but maybe I'm just imagining it? Without my old fixture to compare, it's really hard to say.

- This fixture is at least twice as wide as my old one. As a result, I've had to actually push my CF fixture back more. So my lighting is rather cramped and awkward now. This might not be a problem in the near future, but it's a PITA for the time being.

- I'm going to be building a canopy soon, and this fixture is compatible with suspension mounting, also up to 3 fixtures can be joined to each other. However I think only 2 fixtures will fit above my tank's footprint... Still, I feel that the ability to join fixtures and use suspension mounting is convenient for my plans.

So what would be your opinions on this? Originally I was running the tank with 36W of T5NO and 65W of CF. I wanted to bump up my lighting a little more when I built my canopy so I could get some surface cover while still maintaining high light levels for the plants below. I now have 48W T5HO and 65W CF.

I'm thinking that maybe I'm just not used to the T5HO since I was running 2 6700k bulbs before, and the T5HO came with a 6000k and a rosette bulb, so maybe that's changing the way I'm perceiving the amount of light I'm getting out of it just cause I'm not used to it.

My options I think are either I keep this fixture, and buy another one, so I'll have 96W T5HO running when I build the canopy...

Or I return this fixture, get a T5NO, and run 108W of T5NO using more bulbs, but the bulbs will be wider and will run closer to the full length of the tank.

Any opinions on this fixture in particular? Or suggestions for me to consider? I'm sort of on the fence with this one...


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## Bunbuku (Feb 10, 2008)

I have the 24 watt x 2 "freshwater" version of this same light 60-P. For me the legs sit right on the edges of the tank. 

I can confidently say it grows plants as well as my 150 watt Aquamedic MH light. Its just not as "pretty" to look at in that ADA sort of way. 

Yes I have CO2 also and can grow Syngonathus, Toninas and other demanding plants with this fixture.


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## Skizhx (Oct 12, 2010)

Yes, this is the "freshwater" version, with the 6000k and the roseatte bulb... Did I accidentally link the "saltwater" fixture? >_<

Anyways, I'm glad to hear your experience that it works well...

Perhaps it is just the different bulbs that are misleading my eyes to thinking it's a little dimmer... I took a look at the bulbs from the bottom, the 6000k is DEFINITELY brighter than the T5NO, but the roseatte bulb looks comparatively dull.

If I build a canopy around it I wont really see the fixture ever, so actual appearance of the fixture probably isn't that important...

One thing I am somewhat concerned about though is the corners of the tank... Am I just imagining that it's darker than with the T5NO's? Or does the shorter tube length of the bulb not really make a difference?


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