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T5 lighting

Joined
26 Oct 2008
Messages
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Location
Cheshire
Gang@Ukaps

considering changing my light hood from the OEM to a hood that is a supported type - you know the ones that sit on the sides of the tank.

Current lighting total = 85watts - 2 x 30 watts & 1 x 24 watts all T8

Question: There are two lighting hoods i have my eye on!
1 x hood producing 117 watts - 3 x 39 watts lets call this hood 1
or
1 x hood producing 156 watts - 4 x 39 watts lets call this hood 2

what significant gains am I going to see by increase my light capacity by 23 watts - current hood v hood 1or what gains am I going to see by increase my light capacity by 61 watts - current hood v hood 2.

Regards
paul.
 
Are your current lights T8 and how big is the tank?

If it were me I'd just get the 3x39, 4x39w is unnecessary and you'd struggle to give the plants everything they'd need to keep up with that much light.

I have a 3x54w luminary and found that using all 3 bulbs just forced the plants to work harder than I could provide them with nutrients. Needs less to say they aren't doing very well and Ive had to reduce it to 2x54w, which is more than adequate.

Also remember that T5 lighting is more intense than T8 so you need relatively less then you do for T8 lighting.

More light is necessarily aways a good thing.

Sam
 
Flyfisherman said:
...what significant gains am I going to see by increase my light capacity by 15 watts - current hood v hood 1or what gains am I going to see by increase my light capacity by 54 watts...
Like Sam says, you only gain more algae unless you have excellent CO2, excellent flow/distribution and a robust nutrient dosing scheme.

Cheers,
 
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