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Light output

willson

Member
Joined
22 Jan 2008
Messages
31
Is the any difference between a set up of t8s producing say 50 watts and t5s producing 50 watts, hope that makes sense?
 
Yes, the intensities are different, a t5 will produce much more intense light than a t8 of the same wattage and are therefore much more suited to those who want lots of usable light, ie, us hi-tech planted tank owners.
 
Yes, T5s are more intense, i.e. more lumens per watt, as I understand it. But it is also more noticeable in shorted tubes, i.e. a T5 12" tube will be a lot more intense then a T8 12" tube, but when you compare a T5 36" with a T8 36" the difference in intensity is much less.

Think thats right anyway.

Sam
 
T5s with a good reflector also have much reduced restrike (where the light rays are reflected back into the bulb) than T8s upping their efficiency further. This is because each bulb is slimmer.
 
Themuleous said:
Good point Ed, hadn't thought of that, but that makes sense.

Sam

The re-strike issues is the main reason why the gull-wing reflectors do such a good job. They reduce restrike further by their shape. Also this is a good reason why power compact T5s are less efficient as there are no reflectors really designed for them (that I've seen!). I'm using a jewel reflector for my PCT5 and it can't hold a candle to the T5s on my Rio with those gull-wing reflectors IMHO.
 
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