Got my euroquatic T5 led

authentic · Jan 30, 2016

So I have installed my euroquatic and here are my initial thoughts..the bulbs were ordered from marine depot and as always the packaging was excellent.in addition the euroquatic packaging was also excellent as each bulb was in a hard cardboard tube with rubber endcaps.this is important in that the bulbs are more flexible than a normal t5 as it is made of something other than glass.when installed they had a little bit of flex.I have a 60 inch 8 bulb ATI so this may not be as noticeable on a shorter bulb.There is a top and bottom of the bulb as it has wires running along its length (see pic).I was running geisseman super actinic for my dawn dusk which I have on 9am-7 pm.I bought these bulbs because with the length of time they are on these 2 would need to be replaced soonest, and with a purported 8 year lifespan on the LEDS I won't have to replace them at all.I ALSO RUN A REEFBRITE xHO blue so I chose the cool daylight as opposed to the blue pop as I am looking for growth as well as looks. my reefbrite which comes on earlier and stays on later gives me super actinic.When I turned them on the first thing I noticed was that they are brighter than my geisseman( but that may be due to the difference in color.)but the tank lit up and seemed clearer and brighter.color is obviously subjective but the cool daylight is a lot less blue.At first glance it appears more white which I didn't have before and is a nice change.I did not notice any significant shimmer but the brightness and the color are excellent.I believe that my corals (mainly sps)will do well and I expect more growth with the whiter spectrum.All in all I am extremely happy so far

Swip · Jan 30, 2016

Was looking for some experiences with them, thanks!

Could you post a picture from the bulbs in your fixture?

authentic · Jan 31, 2016

Marvin was kind enough to come by with his power meter so we now have par numbers on the t5 LEDs by themselves. At the water line with the fixture 12 inches above the PAR was 120 to 125. 6 inches below the waterline 95 - 100 12 inches under the water line 82 - 85 and on the sand bed 79. With all of my lights on my par was 550 at the waterline and about 300 on the sandbed. My conclusion is that the LEDs are clearly supplemental lighting and do not have a lot of penetration into the tank the way my fixture is set up. I guess if you had your fix your six inches above the waterline you would get 100 to 125 par on the sand. I was worried that the LEDs were providing too much light if I left them on all day as I do so now I have no concerns