T5 Luminaire

[N1z]

Is this good or am i dreaming?
http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/OVERTANK-LUMINAIRE-L...oQQcmdZViewItem

but they are 28 watt bulbs, wld they be more powerfuller then 2 38watt t8s?

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Looks pretty good, would be a good cheap option for a larger tank.

Not sure you could keep much with them but looks like a deal to me. I'd probably swap out 1 white tube for an actnic though....

 

[N1z]

well i mean i only wanna keep softies as they are so easy to keep and just wnted to know if it was better then just 38w t8s.

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Yes, i'd say so

T5 bulbs have more penetration capability than T8's so they will reach corals at the bottom of the tank better.

They also have more watts How many gallons is your tank?

 

[N1z]

cool it will be roughly a 53 gallon tank, 55 cm in height.

 

[littleimp]

I was looking at these myself but something's not quite right. If you look at the power rating of the tubes it doesn't match what is commercially available.

I was looking at the 2ft model for my new nano and it states the tubes are 14w. Every other manufacturer's including spare tubes are 24w. It seems the same throughout the range.

I emailed the seller on a couple of occasions but have had no response on this yet even though I mentioned I woulkd purchase one by return of email.

Not unless I'm completely wrong but I cannot find a 2ft tube that's 14w for love nor money. They are all 24.

 

[SkiFletch]

There are two different wattages for any T5 bulb of the same length. I dont know why or whether or not the ballasts are compatible, but there are some sights out there that list multiple wattage for the same length. Wish I could be of more help, but at least I can tell you you're not crazy

 

[N1z]

so basically they are a tad dodgy and aint worth the money? cos i dont wanna buy summit im stuck with when the bulbs go lol.

 

[littleimp]

Well they seem alright for the money now it's been confirmed you can get a lower wattage bulb, not going to be as bright as you would of hoped though.

 

[SkiFletch]

If I were you I'd look for a fixture that comes with the higher wattage bulb so that there are no issues in the future.

 

[N1z]

yer good point, im thinking of a different plan.
As i work in a fish shop- fresh only. but im buying a juwel rio 240 so im hoping to see if i can send back the light unit and in return buy online a t5 double light unit made by arcadia, so it would be safer option. cheers for the help

 

[SkiFletch]

Now thats a plan

 

[N1z]

damn, i cnt send back the light unit if i buy it, and going custom works out same price but without a light hmm i think ill try for t6s as it be no different for a t5 light bar but just same sort of bulbs running on a t8 unit . just means i have to go to a shop that sells them but i dont like them as they once sold me a sweetlips grrrr.