T8's

[Archer]

I am thinking of buying a new tank...the lighting on it is only 3 x T8 tubes? The tank is 58cm high.Is this sufficient for softies?
Thanks
Nikki

[MR Teee]

Barely IMO, probably be good enough if everything was in the top 20cm tank.

What tank is it, doesnt sound like one specifically for marines....

[Archer]

Thats what I thought...what about if I changed it for 2 T5'S..or still too little?

[MR Teee]

Yeah 2 T5's is alot lot better.

But you will need some good reflectors to make sure you get a good spread of light in the tank (front to back wise)

What length is the tank btw?

[Archer]

its 84cm in length,44 wide

[Aquandy]

Mines 2ft high and have 6 x T8's four white and two blue. Has been fine for me for the last 2 years.

[MuddyTench]

I run a Jewel I-bar which is designed for T8's with T6's in it. These are higher output than T8's at 11000K and my softies are doing fine so far.

The advantage of the T6's is that they will work woth T8 ballasts so no need to buy expensive T5 fittings. Worth a try before deciding on an expensive upgrade!

[Aquandy]

I run a Jewel I-bar which is designed for T8's with T6's in it. These are higher output than T8's at 11000K and my softies are doing fine so far.

The advantage of the T6's is that they will work woth T8 ballasts so no need to buy expensive T5 fittings. Worth a try before deciding on an expensive upgrade!

They sound pretty good. Must admit thats the reason why I'v enever changed up to T5's because you need different ballasts.
Are they expensive and if you could pm me some details as to where to purchase some from that would be great?

[Archer]

Thanks for the replys....where do you get your T6's from...don't recal seeing them in any LFS.Are they the same size as the T8's? Are they just called T6'S? Sorry for all the questions
Nikki

[Timo]

This place is cheap http://www.dealec.co.uk/acatalog/erc_mectronic_flat_ballasts.html but the pnp is 7.90 so you need to order a few to make it worth while.

[MuddyTench]

Thanks for the replys....where do you get your T6's from...don't recal seeing them in any LFS.Are they the same size as the T8's? Are they just called T6'S? Sorry for all the questions
Nikki

The T6's are slim like T5's so you need to buy a set of two rubber conversion rings per tube that fit on the end, then when they are screwed into your existing T8 fixture they form a water tight seal. The rings cost about £1.75 for 2 and are re-usable so only a one off expense.

Search the net and you'll find them in many LFS's, I will PM you exactly where I get mine from if you like, as they are not a sponsor. I have a Daylight 11,000K at £15.86 and an Actinic Blue at £16.99 running in my Juwel Vision 180 (25W 30 inch).

They are made by TAAM INC, the same company that makes Seio powerheads I think? And traded as T6 Superlux High performance Fluoroescent Bulbs.

Hope this helps, let me know if you want me to pm you where I get mine from. :)

[MR Teee]

I run a Jewel I-bar which is designed for T8's with T6's in it. These are higher output than T8's at 11000K and my softies are doing fine so far.

The advantage of the T6's is that they will work woth T8 ballasts so no need to buy expensive T5 fittings. Worth a try before deciding on an expensive upgrade!


Sorry mate, that doesnt make sense to me.

If T6 use the same balalst as T8, then the Power rating is exactly the same. In the majority of cases more watts = more light.

I would think that the actual T6 bulbs themselves give you a tiny advantage over T8's, but not a massive one.



T5 ballasts can be bought from electrical wholesalers for less than a tenner a unit.

[MuddyTench]

Sorry mate, that doesnt make sense to me.

If T6 use the same balalst as T8, then the Power rating is exactly the same. In the majority of cases more watts = more light.

I would think that the actual T6 bulbs themselves give you a tiny advantage over T8's, but not a massive one.



T5 ballasts can be bought from electrical wholesalers for less than a tenner a unit.

Yeah, I must admit that i was sceptical when I was first recomended to try them, but after installing them the difference was dramatic compared to the T8's I had been running. Just from my inexperienced eye I could see that they were much brighter and gave a more natural look to the inhabitants (all the colours were much more vivid).

I personally would not go back to T8's but that is just my opinion, the bumf I have read on the net about T6's state that they give between 10 & 40% more light output than T8's so as you say either a tiny advantage or a rather significant (40%) advantage, either way they are better.

I switched to them a year ago when I had a FOWLR system and never had any hair algae problems for 2 years previously, I now always have algae though not bad because I keep the PO4 low. But it was definitely the change in lighting that encourage the algae. Which must prove that they give off a better quality of light than T8's.

Also I was told that softies would not grow well under T8's which is what I wanted to keep hence my reason for installing them. I have only had softies for a couple of months so it's still early days to decide if they are prospering or just surviving under the T6's - time will tell! :)

[MR Teee]

Aye, never really looked into T6's to be honest, so they are a pretty new concept to me.

Keep us updated, be interesting to hear your thoughts further down the line :)

[MuddyTench]

Aye, never really looked into T6's to be honest, so they are a pretty new concept to me.

Keep us updated, be interesting to hear your thoughts further down the line :)

Sure will, hope to get some photo's online soon! :)

[Archer]

If you could PM the details of your supplier that would be great...thanks

[Aquandy]

If you could PM the details of your supplier that would be great...thanks

Me too please, cheers.

[Aquandy]

Cheers Chris for the pm ;)