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Hey everyone!
So I haven't been on lately because I've been trying to set up a 30 Gallon Plant tank and I have been looking for lights that will work.
Now from what I have gathered, T-5s seem to be the best but I need some help on understand why they are considered the best?
Also I need to know about buying lights online... is it safe? or what are the chances of breaking?
Please and Thank You,

Patches The Pirate

Hi,
While I'm not sure that T-5's are the best, but they are
certainly an option. T-5's are bulbs that are 5/8 of an
inch in diameter. This allows one to put several bulbs into
a space that would take two T-12's. Or, you can put one
or two Power Compact Fluorescent bulbs into the space that
two T-12s would fit into.

T-5's are limited to a maximum of about 54 watts per tube
while Compact Fluorescents (CF) can come as high as
96 watts in the same size tube.

On my 30G tank, I have two 65 watt CF bulbs. One bulb is
on for 10 hrs/day, and the second comes on (with a timer)
for 4 hours centered around the 5th hour of the 10 hour
bulb. That gives me 130 watts, or 4.3 wpg in the middle
of the day. Of course with that much light I also inject
CO2 and add fertilizers.

You need to decide what groups of plants you want to grow
in your tank (Low, Medium, High demand plants) and then
purchase the lighting assembly that will most efficiently
give you the necessary watts per gallon (wpg) for those
plants.

While you are considering that, consider the availability
of the replacement bulbs, the price, and how long the
last. All fluorescent bulbs should be replaced annually,
what is the total replacement cost for say 4 T-5's
compared to one PC, and so on...

As far as shipping is concerned, it depends entirely on the
shipper. I have purchased my hood and replacement bulbs
(replace them every year) from Drsfostersmith.com for
several years now and have never had a bulb broken in
transit. Of course, your's could be THE one that UPS drops
off the truck and a passing car drives over it.
One never knows.

Frank



-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

T5's are my preferred lighting system for both my fw and sw tanks, mainly because of the high intensity of light given off and little energy waste. There is the correct spread of light across the spectrum to facilitate enhanced plant / coral growth. Shipping has also always been fine for me.