Lighting On Large Tank.............

[mattlee]

i am about to set up a 6.5/2/2 tank that is currently hoodless and has a single 5ft T8 tube that is just placed on the top with a white plastic cover (a length of white guttering )
i am going to get a hood made that has 2 x access flaps that are 3ft ish wide with a blank space in the middle of about 6 inches. so the light will have to be no longer than 3ft so they can be lifted up with the flaps. what im stocking is a single fully grown oscar with a couple of big ish plecs, a couple of sun catfish and a few others.... the tank wont be a high tec tank and i might try a few low tech plants like anubias, java fern vallis but ill see if the oscar allows me!
am i better off with T8 or T5 lighting?
would i be better with 4 tubes, 2 under each flap or 2 tubes, 1 under each flap?
can anyone suggest a good starter unit that will be suitable? would i need 2 x twin starters or can i get 1 that lights up 4 tubes?

 

[chrisrm]

i am about to set up a 6.5/2/2 tank that is currently hoodless and has a single 5ft T8 tube that is just placed on the top with a white plastic cover (a length of white guttering )
i am going to get a hood made that has 2 x access flaps that are 3ft ish wide with a blank space in the middle of about 6 inches. so the light will have to be no longer than 3ft so they can be lifted up with the flaps. what im stocking is a single fully grown oscar with a couple of big ish plecs, a couple of sun catfish and a few others.... the tank wont be a high tec tank and i might try a few low tech plants like anubias, java fern vallis but ill see if the oscar allows me!
am i better off with T8 or T5 lighting?
would i be better with 4 tubes, 2 under each flap or 2 tubes, 1 under each flap?
can anyone suggest a good starter unit that will be suitable? would i need 2 x twin starters or can i get 1 that lights up 4 tubes?

i got two sets of Hagen GLO double t8's for my 6.5ft tank just as they worked out a bit cheeper and i had the bulbs already

here is the T5 version they are about £35 each and the T8 worked out about £25

 

[mattlee]

they look just what im after

can someone explain the difference in T5 compared to T8 please?

are they worth the extra few quid?

 

[chrisrm]

I think T5s give of more Lumens per watt so you get more light from a lower watt bulb, so cost less to run.

They are also 5/8 of an inch in diameter where as T8's are 1 inch

 

[Mikaila31]

T5's produce more light per watt then T8's and as a result are more efficient. The bulbs are more expensive to replace though, mainly just cuz they fall under specialty bulbs, they don't have a lot of use outside the aquarium or indoor greenhouse. I would go with T5's though, just the same wattage you want of the T8's simply cuz I think you will like the extra ligh on a tank of that size.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Sounds like very similar needs to what I have planned for my 540l...

After coming away from Titchfield with what I thought was a perfect setup, I now need to week about another week for them to get what I actually need into stock. I've gone for an Arcadia ACD36 double control unit for ~£35, which powers up 2x36/40W 48" T8 tubes.

If you go down the T5 route, even Anubias and Java Fern may well end up needing a regular carbon source like Easycarbo and a weekly fertiliser supplement like ProFito.

 

[mattlee]

why would the plants need carbon and ferts if i got T5 lights?

ive never had T5's before but dont really want to dose this tank if i dont have to....

but at the same time i want the best lighting for this sized tank

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

T5s are brighter for the same wattage when compared to T8s, so depending on the amount of time you have the tank lights on per day, the plants may become nutrient starved (both in terms of carbon and ferts).

If the fish you have planned prefer dimmer conditions and you want live plants, a "low tech" setup using T8s sounds more appropriate, as I think I recall you wanting plants that are less likely to be harrassed by your fish (meaning things like Java Fern and Anubias for example can be fixed to bogwood plus are not supposed to be that tasty)... Go and pick the brains of "Ianho" and alike in the Planted Section for some in-depth advice!

 

[mattlee]

T5s are brighter for the same wattage when compared to T8s, so depending on the amount of time you have the tank lights on per day, the plants may become nutrient starved (both in terms of carbon and ferts).

If the fish you have planned prefer dimmer conditions and you want live plants, a "low tech" setup using T8s sounds more appropriate, as I think I recall you wanting plants that are less likely to be harrassed by your fish (meaning things like Java Fern and Anubias for example can be fixed to bogwood plus are not supposed to be that tasty)... Go and pick the brains of "Ianho" and alike in the Planted Section for some in-depth advice!

yeah the kinds of plants i was thinking of were the likes of java fern, anubias, amazon swords, vallis. its never going to be a high tec tank and most of my fish im stocking would possibly prefer it a bit dimmer. im starting with a few plastic plants to see how the oscar takes to them and if they arent pulled up every 5 minutes then i will start to add some real plants.