T5 or T8 tubes?

[ukapstt77]

Hello

I'm new to planted tanks and was wondering which is best to buy:- T8 or T5?

What's the difference?

Would I have to buy a starter unit for T5's (I know you can for T8's)

Thanks for your time and expertise

 

[Coiln3107]

Fluorescent tubes for aquarium use come in two commonly used sizes, T5 and T8, which refers to the diameter of the tube. The number refers to how many eighths of an inch in the tubes diameter, so a T5 is 5/8ths of an inch and a T8 is 8/8ths of an inch - or just 1 inch! Beyond the sizes T5 come in HO tubes, high output and in the correct inclosure with a reflector will give more light. It is really down to you sometimes it is easier to get T8 into a lid because often the ballast unit that drives them just has loose cables to the ends of the tubes and therfor easier to run the cables and site the tubes,whereas the T5 HO units are normally modular units like the Luminare type and are more costly. It depends on how much light you need, the tank setup, you cannot fit an overtop luminare to a tank with a lid , so there are factors to be aware of before you make your choice. Kind regards Colin.

 

[ukapstt77]

Cheers Colin, that's a great help