T5 Or T5 Ho

[Queen Bee]

The light I have for my saltwater tank is not the right size. 9 inches to small. It was given to me, but it is not enough light as all the coral I bought has died. I've been looking into t5 fixtures. Little confused and needing some advice.

I have a t5 HO nova extreme for my freshwater tank(Much bigger can't use it for salt) I am not pleased with the light, as the fan which is built in drives me crazy on top of filter and skimmer noises already going. Not using a unit that requires a fan is what I would really like.

LFS recommended a t5, when researching, I don't know if he meant HO or not. I am not too sure about running corals anymore. Expensive and I think feather dusters are nice and in a reasonable price range. Do all HO require a fan? Are they really necessary for FWLR tanks?

He also said to take the glass top off of my tank because it stunts the light actually getting into the bottom of the aquarium. Aquarium is beside the TV, not to keen on salt on my TV ect. Is this really important or not really as I no longer crazy about buying all coral?

Finally, a question I can find no answer to. Don't laugh. What is the difference between a freshwater and saltwater t5 fixture? Is it only the bulbs or the unit as well. Would that be like putting a 100 watt bulb into a light that says no more than 60 watt? I have found 2 different stores. One will sell me a double strip t5 freshwater fixture for $80. The other sells t5 saltwater bulbs for $20. Total would be $120 instead of the $175 quoted at the bigger lfs. I could buy a few gobies with that extra money. Saving money is great, but I don't want to burn down the house either. Not usually home, and don't want to worry all day about causing a fire with the lights to save some money.

Any opinions or advice?

 

[GrayScale]

What size tank do you have now for saltwater?

I'm almost positive that all t5ho fixtures have built in fans. The excess heat generated by the metal on the reflectors is a noticeable amount warmer than regular t5 with no reflectors.

In a fowler setup, I would think that a double strip t5 would be alright depending on the size of the tank. The longest bulbs I think are the 54w t5's and I think they are about 24" or so. So if the tank were a 4 footer, two may be needed.

The difference in the saltwater and freshwater set of bulbs in a double fixture are the spectrum. In saltwater you will most likely get 1 actinic blue and a 10k bulb. For freshwater you get a "daylight" bulb and a 10k(no actinic).

As for the lid, I feel like salt creep can build up on a glass canopy and greatly reduce light into the tank but I may be wrong. I'm still currently in the process of my saltwater build but have 2 freshwater tanks. The downside to having no canopy is of course splashing and evaporation. Hopefully someone more experienced with this will chime in about the lid or anything else that I might not have correct but I believe most is correct except for the canopy part which is iffy.

 

[Queen Bee]

What size tank do you have now for saltwater?

I'm almost positive that all t5ho fixtures have built in fans. The excess heat generated by the metal on the reflectors is a noticeable amount warmer than regular t5 with no reflectors.

In a fowler setup, I would think that a double strip t5 would be alright depending on the size of the tank. The longest bulbs I think are the 54w t5's and I think they are about 24" or so. So if the tank were a 4 footer, two may be needed.

The difference in the saltwater and freshwater set of bulbs in a double fixture are the spectrum. In saltwater you will most likely get 1 actinic blue and a 10k bulb. For freshwater you get a "daylight" bulb and a 10k(no actinic).

As for the lid, I feel like salt creep can build up on a glass canopy and greatly reduce light into the tank but I may be wrong. I'm still currently in the process of my saltwater build but have 2 freshwater tanks. The downside to having no canopy is of course splashing and evaporation. Hopefully someone more experienced with this will chime in about the lid or anything else that I might not have correct but I believe most is correct except for the canopy part which is iffy.

My tank is a 29 Gallon. The tank is 30" across by 19" tall.

I do notice a lot of salt creeping up on the glass, but this has become a daily routine of wiping down and cleaning. Glass tops are cheap here, maybe replacing once a year would be better as well.

As for the lights, just being a different spectrum, I could get away with putting new saltwater bulbs in a freshwater light fixture? No chance of causing fire?

 

[-Nemo-]

Just want to add on... Not all T5 fixtures have fans. Mine, for example does not. It is a TEK light fixture. If it does not have fans though, it CANNOT have a splash guard. The splash guard is the piece of plastic that goes over the bulbs. If there is one, then the fixture would over heat. Since you can't use a splash guard, however, you need a top on your tank, otherwise your fixture would get disgusting and more than likely shorten its "life span". You also have to watch your tank's temperature to make sure the light is not heating up the tank too much. I haven't had a problem with this personally.

I don't know why that guy told you it changes the light spectrum... that is not correct. I generally wipe down my glass tops weekly from salt creep, but there generally isn't too much to clean off, it will of course, vary by set-up.

54w T5 HO bulbs are 4 feet long each, they do make longer T5 bulbs as well, if needed.

You can use "saltwater bulbs" in a freshwater set-up. As long as the fixtures uses the same type of bulb (i.e. t8, t5 etc.) and you have the correct wattage. The only difference in the bulbs in the wavelength and/or kelvin rating. I know many freshwater people who use the actinic bulbs generally used in saltwater to enhance their fishes color.

Hope that clears it up.

 

[Queen Bee]

Thanks Nemo. I will save so much money by buying a freshwater fixture and replacing the bulbs for saltwater bulbs. As always, the lfs probably just wanted to maximize the profit and get me doing things I really didn't need to. Will double check the wattage first.

Just wanted some input as to how I set it up (glass top, no glass top ect) before I go out and buy something I may not be happy with. Already been down that road several times with my freshwater tanks.