T5 lighting info?

[talldutchie]

Kev, when you say fine for an aquarium, do you mean a planted one?

[KevinVA]

Kev, when you say fine for an aquarium, do you mean a planted one?

The regular T8? No. Fine, for just standard low-level lighting. Regular T8s suck, even for that. The tank will look dim... unless you like that kind of thing, in which case it might not suck. haha

[talldutchie]

Right. Figured you meant that. For an unplanted the only limit for light is what you like to look at reall.

[scotchbonneteater]

Here's the comparison chart from wiki for 4ft tubes:

4’ linear fluorescent bulbs Lumen output
28 Watt T5 2900 lumens
54 Watt T5 5000 lumens
25 Watt T8 2209 lumens
32 Watt T8 2850-3100 lumens
34 Watt T12 1930-2800 lumens
40 Watt T12 1980-3300 lumens

Hope this helps

[talldutchie]

Good one! If there was a lighting section that should be a sticky!

[KevinVA]

There is a technical forum here.

[joseph.otto]

Well I thought about posting it there, but the sub forums get little activity. As for the bulbs. Could I put a T5 in my fixture which has a T8 now? I dont really know anything about aquarium lighting.

[talldutchie]

No. Simply does not fit physically.

[KevinVA]

It might be in your better interest to invest in a new T5HO fixture, since they're more efficient and less obtrusive on the top of the tank. You'll be able to accommodate quite a bit more with that kind of lighting, as well, such as keeping a variety of different kinds of plants.