Home depot getting into T5 HO?

[johnmackay70]

I was in Home Depot today, and like usual, I take a quick run through the lighting section to see if they are selling anything new that may be useful for aquarium lighting...

I saw 1 T5 HO fixture - it was a narrow 8 foot long shoplight looking fixture with 4 T5 H0 lamps - it was around $70.

I asked the "lighting rep" about it but he didn't know anything really - I asked if they sell other T5 HO fixtures or where planning on it and had no answer.

I just looked on the home depot sight and there doesn't appear to be any t5 high output anything there - seems odd that a store sells it but not on the website.

I was really hoping to find something in the 36" lamp range as I am setting up a 40 gallon breeder right now.

Does anyone out there know anything more?

 

[cr500_af]

Keep in mind one thing: the reflector has a LOT to do with the PAR output of T5s. Even among "aquarium specific" lighting, two different fixtures, even with identical bulbs, can vary greatly. Generally speaking, the best T5 fixtures have an individual reflector for each bulb, rather than one over all the bulbs. I can't speak for what you saw, but most of the industrial/shop type lights I've ever seen had a glossy white surface on the reflector, instead of the highly polished ones that will give you the best light inside the water.

 

[phatphong]

No they don't sell any other T5HO.

 

[tchristman]

+1 on the reflector.

 

[usctrack]

I agree that the reflector make a big difference but i have a 40B that I used a 4 light T5HO shop light on with the standard reflector and I am getting some good growth. It is not reccomended but can work in a pinch. Keep in mind that the bulbs will have to be added to your total cost so it may save a little over a specialized T5 kit but not as much as originally thought.

Mine was a 48" light that I cut down to 36" to make fit. Ghetto but this is my 4th tank and funding was getting low! Good luck

 

[cr500_af]

Usctrack;607506 wrote: Mine was a 48" light that I cut down to 36" to make fit. Ghetto but this is my 4th tank and funding was getting low! Good luck

If you used the same ballast that was for the 48" light, you may have been seriously overdriving the bulbs, which would explain the growth somewhat.
Keep in mind, I'm no expert on overdriving (I've never dabbled in it) so if what I said isn't possible then that's my excuse!

 

[johnmackay70]

Am I missing something here...I thought you could not run a 39 watt bulb on a 54 watt ballast.

If so, how do the bulbs/ballasts hold up?

I am not above building a better reflector for a fixture, so if the homedepot fixture could be converted to run 39 watt bulbs safely, I would be all over that - I dont care how it looks because this tank is being built into a wall and the light fixture will not be seen

as for bulbs, I am tempted to try out some of the aquatrader actinics - they are cheap although they seem to get mixed reviews

 

[lilrobb]

Alright,

let me get some things straight here.

T5 bulbs are rated at the following watts:

24" - 14W
36" - 21W
48" - 28W

T5HO bulbs are rated at the following watts:

24" - 24W
36" - 39W
48" - 54W

Both require different ballasts to function properly.
Most (all that I know of actually) T5 ballasts are rated for a "max wattage of xxx and/or max # of bulbs" and should drive all bulb configurations up to the maximum watt or bulb count.

The above is NOT considered overdriving, you can overdrive T5 bulbs with a special way of wiring the endcaps (proceed at your own risk!!!) or by purchasing a specifically made for overdriving ballast, such as an IceCap 660. Contrary to popular belief an IceCap 430 does NOT overdrive the bulbs in its recommended wiring stage.

Using the DIY wiring or an IceCap 660 produces an overdrive ratio of slightly less than 1.5x - so a standard T5HO 48" bulb is now driven to 80W, a 24" is driven to 36W and a 39" is about 58W...

Did I confuse anyone?

 

[rolo65]

LilRobb;607716 wrote: Alright,

let me get some things straight here.

T5 bulbs are rated at the following watts:

24" - 14W
36" - 21W
48" - 28W

T5HO bulbs are rated at the following watts:

24" - 24W
36" - 39W
48" - 54W

Both require different ballasts to function properly.
Most (all that I know of actually) T5 ballasts are rated for a "max wattage of xxx and/or max # of bulbs" and should drive all bulb configurations up to the maximum watt or bulb count.

The above is NOT considered overdriving, you can overdrive T5 bulbs with a special way of wiring the endcaps (proceed at your own risk!!!) or by purchasing a specifically made for overdriving ballast, such as an IceCap 660. Contrary to popular belief an IceCap 430 does NOT overdrive the bulbs in its recommended wiring stage.

Using the DIY wiring or an IceCap 660 produces an overdrive ratio of slightly less than 1.5x - so a standard T5HO 48" bulb is now driven to 80W, a 24" is driven to 36W and a 39" is about 58W...

Did I confuse anyone?

what?........................jk

 

[raisedonnintendo]

Wait I thought home depot only had t5 not hot5

 

[johnmackay70]

RaisedOnNintendo;607802 wrote: Wait I thought home depot only had t5 not hot5

The Home Depot near me (East Cobb near hwy 120 and Johnson Ferry rd) has 1 T5 HO fixture - it is 8 foot long fixture with 2 rows of lighting...so there is 4 x 54 watt T5 HO lamps running on 2 ballasts. It is an all white fixture with no reflector - it cost just under $70.

I do not know the manufacturer of the ballast - if I remember it was a Lithonia Lighting fixture

 

[raisedonnintendo]

Sweet

 

[usctrack]

That was great info on the ballast and overdriving!

I got my light online from a lighting company that had some that had been removed from a office. they were a 6 light t5ho with reflectors (ok but not great) and white bulbs. 4 of the lights drive off on one ballast while the other 2 were a seperate ballast.

Here is one like I got and then tore it all apart. Like I said, it was probably just a touch cheaper than buying one made for our hobby but after I had to cut it to size and buy all new bulbs they price increased a good bit.

http://www.prolighting.com/6lat5flhibay.html">http://www.prolighting.com/6lat5flhibay.html</a>

Good luck guys!

 

[jsjohn1914]

Home depot coming through in the clutch

 

[usctrack]

Did anyone ever confirm that they are in fact carrying the T5HO at HD now? Dont need any at this point just thought it was interesting.

 

[johnmackay70]

Yes, they are definately selling the unit I described above, just no other units or replacement ballasts.

 

[morganatlanta]

You can pretty much make any regular T5 fixture into a T5HO fixture by just swapping out the ballast. The rest of the wiring is the same. You can get a Workhorse or other T5HO capable ballast for less than $30.

 

[usctrack]

Good info for future diy. I went with aquarium specific 24" t5ho's for my current build since I got them for a great price.

 

[lilrobb]

10001110101;622100 wrote: yep, really the only reason t5's are superior is because of their narrow size... this means that you can put relatively large individual reflectors around each bulb and squeeze a lot of bulbs over a foot and a half or two foot wide tank.

otherwise they are just like any other fluorescent if they didn't efficiently channel all that light... also the fact that they are HO gives you more watts in a smaller package therefore a brighter and smaller bulb. but if you had room equivalent wattage using more bulbs NO fluorescents would give you about the same results.

without a decent reflector (as in individual bulb reflectors, SLR) t5's aren't really better than any other light source, and pretty inferior to MH. with good SLR's and proper cooling they are generally better, brighter, and more efficient than MH

Can you state some sources for this?
IMHO pretty much anything you said is wrong...

 

[jeffh]

I would agree that good reflectors is key to HOT5. If the fixture doesn't have SLR, keep shopping...

The debate over T5 vs MH.....I would say it has more to do with personal preference. There is a pretty hardcore faction of MH users on here, so starting a debate isn't going to be productive.

I would say his statement isn't wrong, just his side of the T5 vs MH legacy.