Do I need new bulbs

[vcnt]

I currently have a 48" t5 2 blue 2 white setup, but I think the bulbs are from 2007, that's the date printed on them. I'm not planning on corals now, but would I need to replace them later? tank size 110

 

[KrisReef]

T-5, I think the replacement schedule for coral growers is annually. I would replace them now to see how much light you are missing.

 

[vcnt]

T-5, I think the replacement schedule for coral growers is annually. I would replace them now to see how much light you are missing.

Well its not like theyre not bright right now, they light up the room which is the size of a garage

 

[PharmrJohn]

I currently have a 48" t5 2 blue 2 white setup, but I think the bulbs are from 2007, that's the date printed on them. I'm not planning on corals now, but would I need to replace them later? tank size 110

The answer is yes. I'm in the same boat. ATI and Geismann are still among the best. If your not sure, then cover your bases. The last poster is correct. Annual replacement is preferred, although I stretched my last batch to the 18 month mark with no discernable negative outcome.

 

[vcnt]

The answer is yes. I'm in the same boat. ATI and Geismann are still among the best. If your not sure, then cover your bases. The last poster is correct. Annual replacement is preferred, although I stretched my last batch to the 18 month mark with no discernable negative outcome.

The brand of the bulb is deepblue, ill probably get new ones when the time comes for corals

 

[KrisReef]

Well its not like theyre not bright right now, they light up the room which is the size of a garage (it used to be one)

I have some very old bulbs in my garage that still light, but in winter they take about 5 minutes to flicker on.

 

[PharmrJohn]

Well its not like theyre not bright right now, they light up the room which is the size of a garage (it used to be one)

It's not the brightness that goes, rather the spectrum. And it's not discernable to the naked eye.

 

[UMALUM]

Any advice on what the best t5s are these days? Gonna need to replace mine for the first time here soon.

 

[Fish Fan]

I believe, the realistic life of a T5HO bulb is about +/- 9 months, and they drop off dramatically as they age. So while some push their lifespan to a year or so, others will swap them out at 6 months. A lot depends on your goals.

If you're just keeping fish for now and not planning on anything that requires light for photosynthesis, you really don't need any special lighting at all. So if the T5's you have now still throw enough visible light that you can see your fish and you're happy, don't sweat it. If you want to grow corals or anything else that needs light to survive, then yes, you are best off to replace your T5 bulbs from 2007 ;-)

As others have said, you cannot *see* the light that is needed by photosynthetic organisms. It's best to use a PAR meter, or just change your bulbs on a regular basis, somewhere around every 9-12 months or so.

As always, best of luck with your build!

 

[braaap]

Any advice on what the best t5s are these days? Gonna need to replace mine for the first time here soon.

ATI makes the best fixture. ATI and Geismann make the best bulbs. GE used to make a nice white but I'm not sure they do anymore. Was looking the other day and couldn't find it.

 

[vcnt]

I believe, the realistic life of a T5HO bulb is about +/- 9 months, and they drop off dramatically as they age. So while some push their lifespan to a year or so, others will swap them out at 6 months. A lot depends on your goals.

If you're just keeping fish for now and not planning on anything that requires light for photosynthesis, you don't need any special lighting at all. So if the T5s you have now still throw enough visible light that you can see your fish and you're happy, don't sweat it. If you want to grow corals or anything else that needs light to survive, then yes, you are best off to replace your T5 bulbs from 2007 ;-)

As others have said, you cannot *see* the light that is needed by photosynthetic organisms. It's best to use a PAR meter, or just change your bulbs regularly, somewhere around every 9-12 months or so.

As always, best of luck with your build!

Thanks! Tomorrow I'm going to be giving my build thread its much-needed update. The cycle is almost complete...

 

[UMALUM]

ATI makes the best fixture. ATI and Geismann make the best bulbs. GE used to make a nice white but I'm not sure they do anymore. Was looking the other day and couldn't find it.

Gotcha, so these kz bulbs on sale at brs aren't any good?

 

[Manose]

Gotcha, so these kz bulbs on sale at brs aren't any good?

Thats a good question cause they got a sale on them right now

 

[Solo McReefer]

The brand of the bulb is deepblue, ill probably get new ones when the time comes for corals

I would stock up now

On all the tubes I would ever hope to use

ATI and Geissmann are both German companies

Germany and real light bulbs are like oil and water. The writing is on the wall,

"Sie werden bald verboten"

 

[rtparty]

Wow. Corrections are in order here.

1) There is no hard rule of when bulbs should be replaced. It can be anywhere from 6-18 months depending on bulb, ballast used, properly cooled, etc. BRS did a full blown test to prove the good bulbs last 14-18 months when properly setup. They have PAR and spectrum data in those videos.

2) If this is for a fish only, run them til they die. Nothing in the tank is relying on PAR or spectrum to survive.

3) ATI, Giesemann, and KZ are great bulbs. The same manufacturer makes both ATI and KZ bulbs. It’s either Philips or Sylvania. I don’t recall. There are only a couple manufacturers still building T5s and they are all massive corporations that make them for hobby companies.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I currently have a 48" t5 2 blue 2 white setup, but I think the bulbs are from 2007, that's the date printed on them. I'm not planning on corals now, but would I need to replace them later? tank size 110

T5's should be changed every year. The color spectrum shifts.

Even if unused, if the tubes are that old they're no good.

 

[vcnt]

T5's should be changed every year. The color spectrum shifts.

Even if unused, if the tubes are that old they're no good.

Off topic question, ive got this white film on the bottom of my sump and no matter how much i stir it up into the water within the hour its back, do you know what it is? My guess is maybe bacteria but looking for a second opinion

 

[Solo McReefer]

Off topic question, ive got this white film on the bottom of my sump and no matter how much i stir it up into the water within the hour its back, do you know what it is? My guess is maybe bacteria but looking for a second opinion

Precipitation from your salt mix most likely

 

[vcnt]

Precipitation from your salt mix most likely

How can I get rid of it?

 

[KrisReef]

It's not the brightness that goes, rather the spectrum. And it's not discernable to the naked eye.

I’m not sure that would be the case in this instance with the bulbs being over a decade old, and presumably they were in use for years?

But for coral keeping purposes you are correct. The loss of the desired spectral output is what indicates when it is time to replace the bulbs. Changing T5 and MH bulbs is done to keep the proper light available for photosynthesis. The bulbs will continue to produce light but the spectrum is deteriorating.