T5 life span

[kevinathom]

This may be a silly question, but I understand T5 bulbs are good for about a year. I run my blues 10 hours a day and my whites 3 hours. Should the whites last more than a year or is the duration they are on insignificant to their life span?

 

[porpoiseaquatics]

T5's decrease in output as soon as they are turned on and continue to decline up to about 6 months old. At that point, they have declined just about as far as possible and will hold steady for another 4-6 months depending on run time. IMO, you should change them annually regardless. I think a lot of folks change them out at 8 - 10 months.

 

[snowmansnow]

I always changed at 8 months just to be safe

 

[civics14]

I think Kevin is trying to ask if it matters if he uses one set 10 hours vs 3 hours a day, and from my understanding with T5's is that a lot of the burn is through the initial fire of the bulbs each day. So, having it 3 hours vs. 10 hours is minimal difference on wear and tear. Hope that helps.

 

[fishlips]

I've always tried to get a yr out of them. Get this, my used ones I give to another reefer ,and he uses for 6 to 8 months more.

 

[crew]

That's an interesting question. Logic tells me that 3 hours a day vs 10 hours would mean that the whites should last longer, but I don't know. If I were you, I would change the blues every 8 months and the whites once/year.

 

[lsu_fishfan]

I was wondering the same thing,
My t5s only run for 3-4 hours a day.
I think that the amount of time it runs can take a toll on the bulbs, but it's more about the initial firing of the bulbs.

 

[porpoiseaquatics]

As stated above, it's the firing that is he main wear and tear on the bulbs. Once started, it's insignificant. There were PAR and CR (color rendering) charts out for a lot of different bulbs and in nearly every single case, both diminish rapidly in the first 3 months then begin to level off.

 

[enderg60]

Overdriven 4-8 months - recommended replacement at 6 months.

Standard 8-12 months. - recommended replacement at 9 months.

I used them for supplementation so I changed mine when they burned out and eventually went LED for that part.

If you use them for your main lighting I usually would recommend you change them one bulb at a time throughout the year so you dont get that new bulb brightness and burn some corals. Also good for making you think your not spending that much on bulbs.

 

[kevinathom]

Great information and thank you for explaining this. I'm still learning something new about this hobby every day.