Lighting T5, Is It Any Good, T6, What Can I Use?

[julioarca]

My Juwel, T8, Rio 180 is looking to need some new lighting....soooooo

I have heard of T6 tubes which will fit in the holders and use the T8 ballasts, are they anygood and can I use ones in B+Q and if so, which type do I need to look for?

Obviously T5 is the stuff but more expensive, I can get ballasts so no prob there, can I use tubes from B+Q and if so..which ones?

Thanks

David

 

[Colin_T]

The following globe info is the same for all globes, be they T5, T6, T8 or metal halide.

Look for globes with a temperature or Kelvin (K) rating between 5,000K & 10,000K. Daylight globes are about 5,000-6,500K and are available from most hardware stores.
Globes with a lower Kelvin rating produce more yellow light and aren't that good for plants or showing off the fish. they also make your water look yellow.
Globes with a temperature around the 20,000K are blue and going towards ultra violet and are no good for plants or fish either. They can be used for night lights and to make corals luminous but aren't the best for general aquarium use.

 

[Rooster]

Really depends on what you plan on keeping.... if its fish only, then simply choose a "colour" that you prefer.
Planted tank needs "daylight" or something close - you can get "daylight" tubes from most places, but why gamble ?
Marine life needs even more "daylight" so you really need pro tubes, or halogen lamps.

My advice is to buy from a fish store... again you have a choice depending on planned stock, but they are designed for the task.

Cheapest options will be T8 tubes, use reflectors to squeeze all that expensive light from them - you dont need to buy the control gear from the fish shop... any gear designed for the tube size will work.

I use T8's with electronic "ballasts" from the local electrical outlet... tubes from LFS.