I noticed that T5 lights are not as expensive as LEDs, but still expensive. There are T5 grow lights that sell for very cheap. I was wondering if I could just buy one of these and replace the bulbs with ATI bulbs?
T5 lighting
- Thread starter Maine Reefer
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nautical_nathaniel
Indecision may or may not be my problem.
It should work, just be careful with these fixtures, they can be prone to overheating and/or salt spray corrosion.
Yep. Many people do it.
I highly reccomend looking for ones that have multiple plugs for timers, rather than all in all off.
I highly reccomend looking for ones that have multiple plugs for timers, rather than all in all off.
Maine Reefer
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Can regular T5 lights slowly dim?
No. You don’t really want to dim t5 anyway. Shortens the life of the bulb. (Lol I bicker with ati directly btw.).
I’d consider ways to fit an led into the cheap fixture for dimming.
Maine Reefer
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Hydroplanet on Amazon love them and dirt cheap
Does it have LEDs too?
Greybeard
2500 Club Member
I picked up a used 4', 8 bulb TEK unit cheap. Put brand new ballasts in it, new ATI bulbs... Very cost effective method for lighting my 60"x30" aquarium. I was looking at several grand worth of LED's... Ended up spending under $300. IMHO, it looks great. Better than the new ATI unit... why on earth they don't offer those lights in black is beyond me.
Bought a 2 bulb 24" Odyssea T5 for my macro algae refugeum off of Amazon. Cheap, grows macro algae just fine, with the included 6500k bulbs.
The main advantage of the ATI units is that they are actively cooled. Most inexpensive units are not. If the unit is going to be hanging in the open, active cooling probably isn't really needed. If, on the other hand, you're going to enclose your T5 unit in a canopy of some sort, then some kind of active cooling is probably called for.
At a higher price point, you can get dimmable T5's, but I've never seen the need. I turn on 4 bulbs, then the other 4 an hour later, and reverse the cycle at the end of the day. A simple timer (or RKL, in my case) is all you really need.
Bought a 2 bulb 24" Odyssea T5 for my macro algae refugeum off of Amazon. Cheap, grows macro algae just fine, with the included 6500k bulbs.
The main advantage of the ATI units is that they are actively cooled. Most inexpensive units are not. If the unit is going to be hanging in the open, active cooling probably isn't really needed. If, on the other hand, you're going to enclose your T5 unit in a canopy of some sort, then some kind of active cooling is probably called for.
At a higher price point, you can get dimmable T5's, but I've never seen the need. I turn on 4 bulbs, then the other 4 an hour later, and reverse the cycle at the end of the day. A simple timer (or RKL, in my case) is all you really need.
Maine Reefer
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How long do you have the lights on every day?I picked up a used 4', 8 bulb TEK unit cheap. Put brand new ballasts in it, new ATI bulbs... Very cost effective method for lighting my 60"x30" aquarium. I was looking at several grand worth of LED's... Ended up spending under $300. IMHO, it looks great. Better than the new ATI unit... why on earth they don't offer those lights in black is beyond me.
Bought a 2 bulb 24" Odyssea T5 for my macro algae refugeum off of Amazon. Cheap, grows macro algae just fine, with the included 6500k bulbs.
The main advantage of the ATI units is that they are actively cooled. Most inexpensive units are not. If the unit is going to be hanging in the open, active cooling probably isn't really needed. If, on the other hand, you're going to enclose your T5 unit in a canopy of some sort, then some kind of active cooling is probably called for.
At a higher price point, you can get dimmable T5's, but I've never seen the need. I turn on 4 bulbs, then the other 4 an hour later, and reverse the cycle at the end of the day. A simple timer (or RKL, in my case) is all you really need.
Greybeard
2500 Club Member
Divided into two groups: Morning/Evening group is 2x Blue+, one Purple+, and one True Actinic. Daylight group is 2x AB Specials, 2x Blue+.
Morning/Evening group on at noon, off at 10pm. Daylight group on at 1pm, off at 9pm.
Refugeum light (2x 6500k) is on at 9pm, off at 10am.
I'm happy with the mix. If I'm acclimating corals, I'll cut the 'daylight' down to 4 hours.
Hey i recently bought a 4 bulb hydroplanet fixture and plan on retrofitting two additional bulbs to it and adding supplemental leds for pop. What kind of leds are you using on your fixture; ive been looking for similar led light bars.
You can get the ones your looking for here https://www.reefbreeders.com/lumenbar/ Or Here https://sbreeflights.com/11-sbar-supplimental-lights
Yea ive been looking at those and might end up going with one of them but he mentioned he got his from ebay and i was looking for a cheaper option before pulling the trigger on either the sb or the reefbreeders.
