Found an old T5 grow light

[djf91]

The T5 setup blows the LEDs out of the water. Not even a comparison. Two dim, blue spot lights vs a blanket of intense, even, full spectrum light. The entire ecosystem of your tank will be much healthier.

We used to put metal halide fixtures or 8 bulb T5 fixtures over our tanks and never had to worry about lighting again after installation. Everything flourished.

The price comparison between bulb replacement of t5 vs the initial cost of high end LED fixtures (enough units to adequately fully cover your tank footprint) is a wash. T5s produce no more heat than the LEDs.

 

[UncommonSense]

If you ever really want to eat some power, but have gold standard results; try out a used 100-400W metal halide sometime…

Ideally with a robust active cooling fan, definitely with a transparent protective bulb cover!(the bulbs can explode if a drop of water touches them; they run very hot! Thankfully, most grow light hoods have vent ducts, and polycarbonate shields!)

 

[djf91]

If you ever really want to eat some power, but have gold standard results; try out a used 100-400W metal halide sometime…

Ideally with a robust active cooling fan, definitely with a transparent protective bulb cover!(the bulbs can explode if a drop of water touches them; they run very hot! Thankfully, most grow light hoods have vent ducts, and polycarbonate shields!)

I run a 4x400 watt metal halide system over my reef. This only cost me an additional $80 a month in Missouri to run. And then we can get into the whole cost savings of my 300 watt heaters only running for a few hours every night.

 

[UncommonSense]

I run a 4x400 watt metal halide system over my reef. This only cost me an additional $80 a month in Missouri to run. And then we can get into the whole cost savings of my 300 watt heaters only running for a few hours every night.

Look into electric solenoid actuated exhaust baffles if you’re running active cooling!

You can add a Y in your intake and/or exhaust ducting and start getting creative with how you recirculate or exhaust your hot air!

 

[djf91]

Look into electric solenoid actuated exhaust baffles if you’re running active cooling!

You can add a Y in your intake and/or exhaust ducting and start getting creative with how you recirculate or exhaust your hot air!

Haha I like the idea and I’ll consider it. May ask you for more information on this.

Right now the system is in my basement in a fish room. I run a separate AC unit in the room that exhaust out a window in the corner. Keeps the room cool and pulls moisture from the air, condenses it, and sends it down the floor drain. When I was planning the system I was thinking only exhaust fan out the window but that would not entirely help with the heat and better to condense the humid air and send it down the drain. The fish room in sealed from the rest of my basement/house.

 

[djf91]

Check out the T5s powering this shop:

 

[chickendirt]

Check out the T5s powering this shop:

Thats really interesting. It looks like under the T5s the light is more reflective and the corals seem to get his from all sides. LED's seem to provide more shadows because the light is coming more from a cone off the puck. Looking on BRS theres a company that makes a 12x12 panel LED and its listed for 1500. I think as those become more affordable I think at that point the LEDs could easily surpass the T5HO. Right now the LEDs seem more usefull for the programability and they provide a better look to the tank.

The grow lights were like this about three or four years ago. They had the puck LEDs which were crazy expensive and then the panels came on the market and they were ridiculous. Now you can get those same panels for the same price or less than the Hydra 32s. I think the grow lights are higher output and would fry corals.

If I was a betting man I'd say in about three years the panels will be more prevalent and these puck lights are gonna be all over Ebay at less than 1/4 what they were new.