Life of T5 bulbs
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mcarroll
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6 to 12 months, depending on your ballast(s), bulbs and usage pattern.
I'd get a light meter to gauge usage and watch corals to see when there are changes. Note the meter readings when you see changes.
A PAR meter is nice for this, but don't go without if you can't afford one. Get a lux meter, at minimum. It will be adequate to this purpose....and if you can at least borrow a PAR meter, you can use it to calibrate your lux meter. I use the "LX-1010B" lux meter....shouldn't cost more than around $15.
I'd get a light meter to gauge usage and watch corals to see when there are changes. Note the meter readings when you see changes.
A PAR meter is nice for this, but don't go without if you can't afford one. Get a lux meter, at minimum. It will be adequate to this purpose....and if you can at least borrow a PAR meter, you can use it to calibrate your lux meter. I use the "LX-1010B" lux meter....shouldn't cost more than around $15.
dragon99
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Is there a range/% of lux drop that would indicate bulbs should be changed?
I get the watching corals part, but honestly light is only one thing that affects them, so that's not a definitive indicator.
I get the watching corals part, but honestly light is only one thing that affects them, so that's not a definitive indicator.
From speaking to ATI here on R2R, assuming the 50 hr burn in time and correct temp, I believe its actually over a year. BUT , it actually imo should be calculated in total hours, not months. Likely why there's no standard recommendation on the ATI web site. Heat, dimming and burn time are hard factors to calculate.
User reports Ive noted suggest there is, after burn in, a gradual increase in peak efficiency over several months and then slow decline that settles in to an average output that stays steady over several months,(in standard fluorescents this is also normal and is years). Im fairly certain that this is due to the ballast being slightly overdriven(so to speak), so after 18 months I think efficiency the decline would me much much greater esp compared to a house hold or industrial t5.
A calculated guess would be assuming good working temps no dimming and proper burn in, and an 8 hr photo period would be around a 60 to 75% loss in efficiency after 18 months. This is IMO with research and experience w tubes in general.
That said, a lazy, cheap, frugal, or budget minded reefer could swap one tube every 6 months in a used 6 tube and maintain the tanks level of par(2-3 tubes). Conversely to maintain the peak efficiency, you would likey swap one every 3 months.(4-5 tubes per year).
User reports Ive noted suggest there is, after burn in, a gradual increase in peak efficiency over several months and then slow decline that settles in to an average output that stays steady over several months,(in standard fluorescents this is also normal and is years). Im fairly certain that this is due to the ballast being slightly overdriven(so to speak), so after 18 months I think efficiency the decline would me much much greater esp compared to a house hold or industrial t5.
A calculated guess would be assuming good working temps no dimming and proper burn in, and an 8 hr photo period would be around a 60 to 75% loss in efficiency after 18 months. This is IMO with research and experience w tubes in general.
That said, a lazy, cheap, frugal, or budget minded reefer could swap one tube every 6 months in a used 6 tube and maintain the tanks level of par(2-3 tubes). Conversely to maintain the peak efficiency, you would likey swap one every 3 months.(4-5 tubes per year).
