# 20H tank light suggestions?



## spcyamada (May 13, 2005)

Hello all,

I've been trying to find a good light system for my 20H tank. I've acquired all the necessary equipment except for the most important one, lighting. Can anyone recommend a good light source for a 20H? The length of a 20H is 24". I am looking for T-5 HO setups, though open-minded about PC lighting. I've used both in the past and prefer the T-5 lights. Any recommendations on a good place to buy lights and on a particular model?

Thanks in advance!


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## longbowaj (Nov 25, 2007)

if you already have a tank hood i would recommend http://ahsupply.com/

they have good customer service as well so feel free to ask them questions.


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## spcyamada (May 13, 2005)

I actually used AHsupply in the past on a 20L. It was alright, but not the greatest. I've been looking at this a lot. http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1485 as a solution to the light problem. I still prefer T-5 over PC. Before I moved to California, I had a 75 gal with tek lights. I guess I've become spoiled after that. Thank you for the suggestion though. You got me taking a second look at AH Supply.


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## trag (Jan 9, 2008)

Are you interested in building your own light? I have not tried them, but a ballast for two ~24" (21.6") linear T5 HO bulbs is here: http://www.ballastwise.com/item.asp?PID=26&FID=15&level=1
for $20. You can get the miniature bi-pin (G5) sockets here: http://www.1000bulbs.com/T5Miniature-Bi-Pin/ for from $2.75 to $3.50 each. If you have any interest in screw-in compact flourescents (the type folks are replacing incandescent bulbs with) you should check out the latter link for those also. They have a truly stunning selection, with color temps from 2100 or 3000K (can't remember which) up to 6500K and wattages from 13W or so up into the 20s.

T5 HO bulbs in the 21.6" length use 24 watts each, so a pair of them will give you 48 watts of lighting on that 20 gallon tank. That is probably sufficient, but you could probably squeeze four of them on there. A decent approximately parabolic reflector for two T5 bulbs should be about 3" wide, and a 6" width of reflector is managable on a 20H.

The tough part of DIY lighting is the reflector, of course. I suspect that using plastic rain gutter painted white on the inside would be about as good of a solution as most things. Personally, I'm about ready to try bending mirror surfaced stainless steel into this shape: http://www.gardenbanter.co.uk/showthread.php?p=434064 That jpg is for T8 bulbs, so for T5s one would scale it down by 5/8, which gives a 3" wide reflector for two bulbs. It should take approximately a 5" width of sheet metal to make that 3" wide reflector, so I bought a 48" X 85" sheet of mirrored stainless on Ebay and paid the seller to shear it into 5" strips before he shipped it. I'm still trying to figure out how he got 21 5" strips out of 85", but what-the-heck, it worked out to my benefit.

Anyway, I hope those suppliers are a help. Oh, I don't have my links for light bulbs handy here, but I did notice that thatfishplace.com has started carrying T5 HO linear bulbs, now. Depending on the size and color temperature you want, it can pay to google/shop around a bit. The 6500K bulbs seem to always be easy to find for about $15 each in any size, but some times you can find the bulb you need for prices closer to $5. The 54W/46" is especially easy to find at lower prices. The 24W/21" is a greater challenge.

Graybar Electric has pretty good prices on the GE brand T5 HOs, but they only sell in boxes of 40 unfortunately.


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## spcyamada (May 13, 2005)

Thanks guys for the advice. I'm not sure if I want to do DIY again for lights. I've tried AH kits in the past and wasn't too pleased with how the overall tank looked. The plants did grow nicely though. I think I will stick to premade fixtures only because I don't really have all the tools ready. I've made a DIY stand and suspended light rack in the past which turned out real good. Just didn't like the DIY lights for some reason.

Thanks!


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## jazzlvr123 (Apr 29, 2007)

I have a 25 gallon high and ran 130 watt double compact fluorescents over it for about 3 weeks and realized that it wasn't giving my Hc what they wanted. I guess it didn't penetrate enough light to the substrate of my tank. so I finally broke down and got a 150w HQI, 55w T5 HO Hood, and I must say the HQI does a world of difference when it comes to penetrating light to the bottom of a deep tank. however if you don't necessarily need high light this might be a little overkill. thants just my 2 Cents


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## spcyamada (May 13, 2005)

What light fixture did you end up getting?


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## BassMiesterNJ (Feb 16, 2008)

For my 20H, I'm using a "GLO" T5 HO 2x24 = 2.4WPG.

I have this fixture hung by the included wire hanging kit. Legs were also included. 

It is a nice looking fixture and easy to find online or at LFS.

This fixture is also available in a single bulb with 1x24.


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## spcyamada (May 13, 2005)

BassMiesterNJ said:


> For my 20H, I'm using a "GLO" T5 HO 2x24 = 2.4WPG.
> 
> I have this fixture hung by the included wire hanging kit. Legs were also included.
> 
> ...


I've been looking at that too. How is it? I saw the 2x24 model also. Do you get good pearling and growth under those lights? Any cons so far? I've also been looking at the 2x65 watt Aqualights from Coralife. I will be running CO2 with the setup. I was thinking to stagger the lights with both on midday for 2 hours.


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## BassMiesterNJ (Feb 16, 2008)

spcyamada said:


> I've been looking at that too. How is it? I saw the 2x24 model also. Do you get good pearling and growth under those lights? Any cons so far? I've also been looking at the 2x65 watt Aqualights from Coralife. I will be running CO2 with the setup. I was thinking to stagger the lights with both on midday for 2 hours.


I'm growing in some nice plants, including HC which is starting to fill in nicely. I also went pressurized Co2 a few weeks ago.

The only minor drawbacks I can see are:

The 2x24 is not switched, so it's either all on all or off. And the two bulbs are housed under one reflector.

That said, my stuff is growing so I'm not really concerned.

As an option, I could add a 1x24 and use that for a noon burst for a total of 3.6WPG.


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## spcyamada (May 13, 2005)

Thank you all for the suggestions.


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## spcyamada (May 13, 2005)

Hello all,

I finally made my decision and bought these lights

http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsU...183/cl0/coralifefreshwateraqualight242x65watt

I weighed the pros and cons of the Hagen Glo with the Coralife and decided to go with the Aqualights. The only thing I'm worried about is the cooling fans. I have the 96watt 20" which was a bit noisy. I really liked the fact that T-5s ran cooler and did not really need fans like tek lights. I might just replace the fans with mag lev ones or something. I'll let you know what I think of the lights once they come in.


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