Are T5 Bulbs going away?!?!?!

[lynn.reef.nerd]

I am hearing more and more argument/theory regarding the ability to find T5 bulbs soon.

Is there any truth to this? Do I need to start hoarding years worth of bulbs?

 

[stovenut]

Hey Lynn. Sounds like a good idea to me. I mean we hoard everything else. lol

Why not buy a 5 year supply of your favorite bulbs to ensure the supply is there when you need it. I own a extra led light, return pump, gyre, ATO, etc just in case. I have a 3 year supply of salt and a 2 year supply of Aquaforest 123. If you have the room and can spend the money, I say yes.

 

[lynn.reef.nerd]

Hey Lynn. Sounds like a good idea to me. I mean we hoard everything else. lol

Why not buy a 5 year supply of your favorite bulbs to ensure the supply is there when you need it. I own a extra led light, return pump, gyre, ATO, etc just in case. I have a 3 year supply of salt and a 2 year supply of Aquaforest 123. If you have the room and can spend the money, I say yes.

Ha!! I am def pro hoarding. Already has 3 years of bulb in the cart .... just waiting to push the order button

 

[stovenut]

Ha!! I am def pro hoarding. Already has 3 years of bulb in the cart .... just waiting to push the order button

PUSH IT!

 

[bnord]

one of the few things at BRS that hasn't had a big run on price (knock on wood) so stock up ... I have

 

[jda]

I cannot tell if this is an April Fools joke, or not. My apologies if I misunderstand... However, since I have been in this hobby for about 30 years, there are general purpose lighting and specialty lighting. Specialty lighting has never been restricted, just flows with market demand. For example, T12 tubes for general lighting are restricted, but T12 for tanning beds, incubators, fish tanks, hydro are still OK and being made. Second, look around you the next time that you go out... our local large stores like the wholesale and home improvement types use solar tubes around me and have replaced all of their LEDs with T5s... a few still have HPS or MH still. Third, people have been predicting the demise of VHOs for a long time and these are still made too, for specialty things. MH sales and production are up. In the end, you don't have to worry about T5s going away for this hobby.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Think I better get on the t5 hoarding train too. Just switched back from LED's...

Edit: I do feel that t5's will continue to be made, but as the hobby gets away from it, production runs for specialty bulbs that we use will go down and scarcity will increase along with price. None of my LFS'es stock t5's in 48" sizes so my options are slim anyway .

 

[lynn.reef.nerd]

I cannot tell if this is an April Fools joke, or not. My apologies if I misunderstand... However, since I have been in this hobby for about 30 years, there are general purpose lighting and specialty lighting. Specialty lighting has never been restricted, just flows with market demand. For example, T12 tubes for general lighting are restricted, but T12 for tanning beds, incubators, fish tanks, hydro are still OK and being made. Second, look around you the next time that you go out... our local large stores like the wholesale and home improvement types use solar tubes around me and have replaced all of their LEDs with T5s... a few still have HPS or MH still. Third, people have been predicting the demise of VHOs for a long time and these are still made too, for specialty things. MH sales and production are up. In the end, you don't have to worry about T5s going away for this hobby.

Definitely not a joke. I keep hearing it being thrown around by local hobbyist. I can't seem to find any information regarding the statements, so I want to reach out here and see if anyone has data or even postings from big manufacturers regarding shutting down T5 sales.

 

[Acroporaguy]

rumours from LED fanboys

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Definitely not a joke. I keep hearing it being thrown around by local hobbyist. I can't seem to find any information regarding the statements, so I want to reach out here and see if anyone has data or even postings from big manufacturers regarding shutting down T5 sales.

As already said it wont die, per say but I do believe at some point, it will be hard(er) to get bulbs and more expensive. Which will just accelerate death anyway.

 

[bnord]

if there is any basis in the rumors, it seems to come back to the notion that they are largely manufactured in Germany, and clearly environmental legislative mandates can be farther reaching and firm. So could be the case.

 

[Ashish Patel]

IMO T5 lights are the best light for growing corals, so at $20+ dollars a bulb that they convince ppl to replace every 12 months, i doubt they are going away unless ATI decides to quit selling them, which i doubt since they are def still profitable.

 

[lynn.reef.nerd]

if there is any basis in the rumors, it seems to come back to the notion that they are largely manufactured in Germany, and clearly environmental legislative mandates can be farther reaching and firm. So could be the case.

Yes, that was one argument. I guess the worry is two-fold:
1. Will the price of them increase because of the lack of manufacturing due to increase cost (environmental regulations and/or decrease in usage)
2. They disappear all together.

 

[vlangel]

With the hybrid T5/LED fixtures I do not see T5 bulbs going away too soon. However, I can vouch that a certain size is almost impossible to obtain. I had a 36 bowfront tank and then upgraded to a 56 gallon column. I used a Coralife T5 quad to light both tanks since Coralife made a 30" fixture. This year I had to change my fixture unwillingly because I could not find 30" HOT5 bulbs anywhere. 24" and 36" are readily available but not 30". It was frustrating, but now I have an LED fixture that will not need new bulbs every year so maybe it's a good thing for me.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Sheesh a 30" t5, that had to be rough!

 

[jda]

The big issue with hoarding just at any time is that you miss out on sales, closeouts or the like. If you want to hoard on Black Friday when T5 bulbs are 30% off, then cool, but I don't know of such things in the middle of April.

Also, consider using your T5 bulbs for longer. I don't care much for BRS when they just want to shill products that they sell and ignore better stuff that they don't, but their measuring on T5s that showed that they are plenty fine at 24 months of use is probably decent advice.

I will overbuy MH bulbs when I get a chance. I bought a LOT of Phoenix 14k in 2015 when they were discontinued for a hot minute - got them for like $20-25 a bulb and just this year had to start buying new ones (they were discontinued for a few months).

I guess that what I am trying to say is to look around and find some deals since you have time and don't have to start hoarding today...

 

[SturmUndDrang]

With the hybrid T5/LED fixtures I do not see T5 bulbs going away too soon. However, I can vouch that a certain size is almost impossible to obtain. I had a 36 bowfront tank and then upgraded to a 56 gallon column. I used a Coralife T5 quad to light both tanks since Coralife made a 30" fixture. This year I had to change my fixture unwillingly because I could not find 30" HOT5 bulbs anywhere. 24" and 36" are readily available but not 30". It was frustrating, but now I have an LED fixture that will not need new bulbs every year so maybe it's a good thing for me.

Belay request... won't let me delete.

 

[rtparty]

I have heard from multiple big vendors that T5s will disappear before halides do and T5s are a short leash with many retailers. It wouldn't shock me in the least to see one of the large retailers drop them all together soon enough

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

Well, I still have my power compact fixture…..I’m in the camp that believes they will fade off into the sunset. Not because of environmental restrictions, not because of manufacturing costs. It will be a combination of things but the top of the list will be economics, specifically demand. As more and more people upgrade to newer, bigger, better, faster equipment they will forego the older equipment. When you dump a grand for a single led fixture are you going to dump another $500 for a small t5 hybrid (exponentially more for multiples) that you have to replace bulbs in, or get the led/led hybrid for a few hundred more, or an led that doesn’t need supplemental lighting at all?It’s easy to blow $3k on a decent lighting package for a medium sized tank. Bulbs don’t really ship well. Not a lot of lfs stock all the flavors and all the sizes. They’d rather use space for things that move. They won’t disappear tomorrow, they will fade away.

 

[Mike konesky]

I have heard from multiple big vendors that T5s will disappear before halides do and T5s are a short leash with many retailers. It wouldn't shock me in the least to see one of the large retailers drop them all together soon enough

Chewy now sells ATI bulbs. It wouldn't shock me to see other big companies pick up ATI as well. Hybrids are pretty popular. Seems to be going in the opposite direction everyone expected.