LED lighting and T5/T6 lighting
Bryce
looking around and had a few questions:
Is there a difference between LED lighting and t5 lighting? If so
what?
Also what is the difference between t5 and t6 lighting?
If anyone knows anything about this I would appreciate your comments
and knowledge.
Thanks =)
-Bryce
Randy
> I was interrested in getting a new aquarium light for my tank. I was
> looking around and had a few questions:
>
> Is there a difference between LED lighting and t5 lighting? If so
> what?
the proper light spectrum, they are extermely expensive. If you get
plain LED's like you would for a car, then the light spectrum is
wrong for them.
> Also what is the difference between t5 and t6 lighting?
diameter of the bulbs in 1/8" inches, so a T5 bulb is 5/8"
diameter and a T6 is 3/4" diameter. A T8 bulb is 1" and a
T12 is 1 1/2" diameter.
Randy
Bryce
I am try'n to get a lighting system for a good price, so do you thik I
should go with the t6? I wouldn't want to get a LED system that wasn't
right for my tank. Also, what light is good for plants?
Randy
> Thanks Randy,
>
> I am try'n to get a lighting system for a good price, so do you thik I
> should go with the t6? I wouldn't want to get a LED system that wasn't
> right for my tank. Also, what light is good for plants?
out the availability local to you. Where I am (Jacksonville Florida)
I see more T5 than T6 bulbs. Of the LFS' I frequent, none of them
stock T6 but all of them stock T5.
As for plants, I am not the best one to ask as I am not even totally
sure myself and am trying to find out myself.
LED's, you can find a thread from the last day or two here in
this group where there is a link to an LED system that is
outrageously priced.
Randy
Randy
Is the aquarium LED setup from solaris, be prepared for a serious
shock when you see it though.
Jeff Walther
> Date: Wed, Jan 16 2008 12:59Â pm
> From: Bryce
>
>
>
> Thanks Randy,
>
> I am try'n to get a lighting system for a good price, so do you thik I
> should go with the t6? I wouldn't want to get a LED system that wasn't
> right for my tank. Also, what light is good for plants?
If you mention the size of your tank, the folks here can be more specific.
In general, one point to consider is that there is only so much area above
your tank. So you can only have the lights which will fit in that area
(unless you shine in from the side).
While T5 and T6 bulbs are similar in size, they use different sockets. T5
bulbs fit a miniature bi-pin (G5) socket . T6 bulbs are built with the
standard size pins on the end (at least the ones I've seen are) which fit
in a Medium bi-pin (G23) socket.
So the two bulb sizes also require different fixtures. Generally, a T5
fixture (with G5 sockets) will include a modern, very efficient electronic
ballast. The whole form factor is new, so older implementations are not
available, only the new efficient stuff. A T6 fixture could have any type
of ballast, including an older style magnetic ballast, because fixtures
with the G23 sockets have been around forever. I have T6 bulbs in two of
my ancient Perfecto single tube hoods from 1979.
The modern electronic ballast yields more light from the same length of
bulb and more efficient conversion of electricity into usable light
intensity.
So a T5 fixture is likely to be more efficient than a T6, but not
necessarily so. A T6 with a modern ballast would rival the T5 of the same
length. But with the T5 you don't have to worry (much) about what ballast
they put in the fixture.
A T6 bulb or even a conventional T5 bulb may not provide sufficient light
intensity depending on the plants that you wish to grow. If you want
plants which grow in lesser intensity light, then this isn't much of a
problem.
There is another variety of T5 lighting which is called High Output (T5
HO). They give about 1.5x to 2x the output of conventional T5 bulbs.
For example a 48" (really 45.8") long T5 bulb is rated for 28 watts and
yields about the same light as a 40 watt T12 bulb driven by old style
magnetic ballast. The 48" long T5 High Output bulb is rated for 54 watts
and yields a little less than twice the output of the old fashioned 40
watt T12 with magnetic ballast (shop light bulb).
The high output is actually somewhat less energy efficient than the T5
conventional, but it allows you to squeeze almost twice the light
*intensity* into the same area. Thus, you can maximize the amount of
light intensity coming from the limited area above your aquarium.
However, the T5 HO bulbs also require a different ballast (the electronic
part) than conventional T5 bulbs. So T5 and T5 HO fixtures are different,
even though their tubes are the same sizes and use the same sockets.
T5 and T5 HO bulbs are available in 24" (22.17"), 36" (33.98") and 48"
(45.8") sizes, as well as others.
The equipment for high intensity LED lighting is more than 10X as
expensive as T5 HO fluorescent for the same intensity of light. The LEDs
will probably last longer, although it's hard to compare the lifetime
numbers meaningfully. They will not last ten times are long. Three or
four times as long is probably the maximum (at least for current
technology). When LEDs wear out you must replace the very expensive LED.
When fluorescent tubes wear out, you replace the relatively affordable
tube. In other words, the replaceable part of fluorescent lighting is a
lower percentage of the total equipment cost than the replaceable part of
the LED lighting.
For example, if you bought equivalent LED and fluorescent lights for $3000
and $300 respectively. When you needed to replace the LEDs your cost
(assuming current prices) might be about $2000 or 2/3 of the cost of the
fixture. The fluorescent tubes would cost between $24 and $100 to replace
all of them, depending on the brand and type of light bulb purchased, or
between 8% and 33% of fixture cost.
So LEDs may last 3 to 4 times as long, but the replacement cost is at
least twice as large of a share of the installation cost.
The non-high intensity, much less expensive LEDs do not provide the light
intensity needed to grow plants well, unless you use a multitude of
elements, thus bringing the cost back up. I believe you can get the
proper spectrum out of them with careful choice of the LEDs in the array.
Jeff Walther
Slick Willy
prices, good quality/features and they were very good to deal with.
They use to have an eBay store, but I don't see it now. They also have
complete fixtures, not just retrofits BTW.
NetMax
price range locally, or on the websites (which will give you better
variety and info). AHsupply is a site frequently mentioned.
To answer one question "which is good for plants" - it's not the
technology being used to create the light (ie: flourescent, LED, MH
etc) but the spectrum of the light. Plants respond to a range of
light frequencies, and all lights have a mixture of frequencies to
different intensities. A 'plant' light is a light source which has a
spectrum (range) of higher intensity 'plant' frequencies. This is one
some plant lights might look unusually coloured to us, and then some
other plant lights aren't. They all have different spectrums (mixes
of different colours). Sunlight (which plants like) is around
5,000-5,500 Kelvin, so any light which is in that area will have
strong spectrum in plant happy frequencies, so one way to compare
light technologies is to see what spectrum they claim (usually in
Kelvin or nanometres). If the price point or the choices are more
limited, then that's a strike against it. Incandescent lights have
very poor plant spectrum so they aren't used.
Other factors are the 'purity' of the light (CR?), intensity (wattage
or lumens), efficiency, heat and replacement costs, so it really
starts with some basic questions, like how big is the tank and what
are you trying to do? You can usually get more than enough plant
lighting power in fairly conventional flourescent tubes.
~~
Bryce
tank and such.
I have a 100 gal tank (or maybe 95 or so) that is 60 inches long and
20 inches high. The only plants I plan on having in the tank are some
duckweed and some vals giganta.
I am looking at a t6 lighting system on ebay. It is a 2 bulb system
with 108 watts. one bulb is 54 watts of 12000K day-light and the other
is is a pink bulb that is also 54 watts. The lighting fixture is 48
inches long. They also have a bulb I can get that is 6700k that is
suppose to be for plants and one that is moon blue for night or
something. The system is only 59 dollars. I think it is worth try'n
out, as my tank is very yellow looking atm. I hate that I don't have a
nice enough light to bring out the colors in my jack dempsey and green
terror.
What I have on my tank now is 2 lighting systems that are 20 watts
each. They are about 24 inches each. They make my tank look really
yellow.
What do you think about the system.
Thanks everyone, Bryce
>
> - Show quoted text -
NetMax
green terror.<snip>
The sound you don't hear is my brain screeching to a halt - a JD and a
GT with live plants?!?! No no no no no.
What you need is silk plants with a heavy plant anchor (so when they
move them around, they still stay down). I think your plant options
will be severely limited. Floating plants are a good option (Frogbit,
Duckweed, Hornwort etc) and as they are floating (close proximity to
the light source), the lighting is not very critical (light travels
poorly in water, so deep tanks need more light power).
Your plants might still be munched. JDs and GTs tend to be more
carnivorous than omnivorous, but if bored, they may chew them. The
biggest problem is that they hold substrate-level horizontal territory
and to be able to see through their territory, they move stuff around
(uprooting plants in the process).
IF your cichlids are very young, you MAY be able to acclimate them to
plants, and with clever gardening (pots, hiding them in rockwork,
etc), you can have SOME success with the stiffer plants (anubius, some
aponogeton, etc) or nondescript (jave ferns, java moss, moss balls
etc). jmo
It's not impossible to have large cichlids with live plants, but you
should know the probability and the risks. If you really want to be
sure of success, plant your Vals along the back of the tank, and then
slide a piece of glass between them and the fish!
On the bright side, this has simplified your lighting requirements
tremendously. You want a rich wide spectrum light for human viewing
pleasure. Plants utilize a sharper narrow spectrum and brighter light
than our eyes appreciate.
jmho
~~
Bryce
My JD is about 4 inches atm, and he will prob own my 100 gal. I have a
50 gal where my GT will live until later when I get him a bigger home.
Right now he is 1 inch or so. I have all my vals in my 50 gal, and
wont move em to my 100 gal until they are much bigger. I don't yet
have duckweed, but I'll prob get some soon. The vals will be hit or
miss I am sure. My main decoration is driftwood and rocks. I was
hoping the vals would get real big, but they are still small yet. Also
that the duckweed would kind of give some shade to the fish if needed.
Thanks for the reply, Bryce
NetMax
Instead of Duckweed, look at Frogbit. It's a small lilypad (maybe 3"
across) as opposed to Duckweed which is a miniature lilypad, and can
be very hard to control or eradicate (think duckWEED).
cheers
NetMax
>
> read more »- Hide quoted text -
Bryce
I'll have to look for some. So duckweed just grows like crazy? Thanks
again for the info every1!
Melissa phillips
Oh lol, whoops *feels stupid*
I'll have to look for some. So duckweed just grows like crazy? Thanks
again for the info every1!
Melissa:)
Gayle
|
Me, too, please. When it gets warmer. Gayle, in frigid IL.
-------Original Message------- |
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.6/1231 - Release Date: 1/18/2008 11:55 AM | ||
|
|
Melissa phillips
Melissa:)
--
Melissa:)
Bryce
On Jan 18, 3:24 pm, "Melissa phillips" <melg...@gmail.com> wrote:
> If anyone does want duck weed, send me an e-mail with your address when you
> want it (just remember to tell me what ya want when you send it!) and I will
> mail you some. I also have taiwan moss which grows rapidly in my tank that
> would be free to any TFAers (in the usa) when it overgrows (usually thin it
> out every 6 weeks or so).
>
> On Jan 18, 2008 6:04 PM, Gayle <tak...@t6b.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > Me, too, please. When it gets warmer. Gayle, in frigid IL.
>
>
> > *From:* Melissa phillips <melg...@gmail.com>
> > *Date:* 1/18/2008 4:32:21 PM
> > *To:* The-Freshwa...@googlegroups.com
> > *Subject:* [TFA] Re: LED lighting and T5/T6 lighting
> > If you want duckweed I have tons of it for you! I thin it out biweekly
> > from my 60 gallon and get a bucket each time.
>
> > --
> > Melissa:)
>
> --
> Melissa:)- Hide quoted text -
Bryce
light. 54w each and 108 total. Thee bulbs should last 9-12 months and
are only 5 dollars to replace, so I'll load up on some soon.
About the light, it is 48'' long and has a nice black look. I got it
out of the box when it arived, put on the free legs that came with it,
and put it on top of my 60 in 100g tank. When I turned it on I about
cried with joy! It was sooooo bright! And the pink bulb just made my
JD's colors pop! I was so happy, it was like getting a new aquarium. I
will post a vid of it on youtube soon.
So.... I moved my vals into my 100 gal, along with my diy co2 kit. I
added some more jungle vals, which were huge and much better looking
then mine. Also added some fertilizer tabs a bit under the vals roots.
Then I got some java moss and used some fish string and tied it to my
driftwood. Tomorrow I should recieve my duckwwed and frogbit.
My question now is should I order a 6700k t6 light or not? If so which
light should I replace? The 12000k or the pink. I hate to mess with my
setup now because my tank just looks so nice and the color of the fish
looks great. I do however want my plants to grow. I don't mind if it
is slow as long as they grow. Oh, I planted all my vals in the bac
part of my tank, and they have been fine for 2 days. *crosses
fingers*
Thanks again everyone!
-Bryce
Mister Gardener
My question now is should I order a 6700k t6 light or not? If so which light should I replace? The 12000k or the pink.
I'm happy for you that you've seen the light!
MG
Bryce
for plants. I am so happy about the lighting also.
Thanks a lot MG for sharing your knowledge! =) I do appreciate it.
-Bryce
On Jan 25, 3:28 am, Mister Gardener <mistergarde...@email.toast.net>
wrote: