Join T-5 club
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Boots:
I am not trying to be argumentative either, but I believe you are quite misinformed. I do not doubt nor discredit your electrical or diving experience, but I do not think they provide applicable experience to this discussion.
Yes, indeed, T5 will make a more even spread. Is this better? Furthermore, with quality MH reflector, such as Lumenbrights, which are raised off the water surface, that spread will be significant for a MH lamp. I would argue that the corals can do just as well, if not better with the point source illumination, rather than the "even" spread you discuss.
Regarding the temperaure issue (both color temperature and heat temperature), both are completely inconsequential, and I again believe you to be misinformed. I owned 20KK MH bulbs that made the lighting of flourescent actinic pointless. I could turn thhem on and off with no consequence while the MH bulb was burning. Indeed the MH bulbs are hotter. So what? What does this have to do with anything, no less "better"?
Again, I really think you are fooling yourself if you think your PCs are comparable to either T5s (properly set up), or MH. This has been proven and proven and proven again. I could gladly dig up much of this research for you, if youd like.
if you go back to my original question it was what are the advantages of t-5's versus compacts besides heat. I hear everyone saying they are better but haven't seen anything here telling me why. Essentially a power compact is a t-5 just a different configurtion of the lamp. If I'm misinformed about MH's so beit but I don't want the heat or the power bill associated with them that is why I posed the question about t-5's. I did see a super nice LED setup on ebay but not spending $2500 for lighting plus the patent issues involved which is a shame. 90% of LED's are made in China as it is to costly to manufacture them stateside. I don't quite get the LED patent issues as it hasn't affected the line of LED christmas lighting we sell, I'm curious as to whose toes got stepped on with the aquarium lighting. I currently have SPS and softs all started as frags and are growing nicely. I'm just curious as to how they would do with a couple of 4 lamp t-5 fixtures, would there growth increase or would I see some bleaching.
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I like my ATI bulbs, especially my Aquablue Special.
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What makes T5s better are:
1) the suberb reflectors
2) the ability to get more per area
3) the ability to overdrive
well I will go with the at least number 2, but the ability to overdrive is inherent to lamp size. At this time if you are running 48" lamps the largest watt lamp you can get is 54 watts but you can overdrive compacts too. Most 24" compact ballasts are for 55 watts but you can overdrive them with 65 watt lamps which is what I use. I do have excellent reflectors but they are larger than you use with t-5's so you can get more t-5's in the same footprint of compacts which I see as a distinct advantage where I am cramped with barely getting 5 65 watt compacts in an area I can easily get 8 54 watt t-5's which gives me an additional 107 watts and there are more options of lamps with t-5's. Thanks Panda you gave me one reason I could go with and made me come up with at least one more. Just might join the t-5 club next week. Hey I see you live in Blue Ridge I do work in the area is there a saltwater shop in area or do you have to go south.
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Nope. I have to drive at least an hour to get to anything remotely good.
