amtiskaw Posted May 17, 2011 Report Share Posted May 17, 2011 Hiya I have a planted community tank that I'm about to add pressurised CO2 to. My current lighting is apparently on the low side: 4 * 18 = 72 watts T8 lighting 53 X 48 X 148 = ~378 litres (measured from substrate surface, not accounting for plants and wood) 378 liters = ~100 US gallons 0.72 watts per gallon I've been reading the Barr Report site, and am going to give EI a go. Tom seems OK with light being the limiting factor, but would 0.72 wpg be too limiting? If I do want to upgrade, is it as easy as buying gruntier ballasts and tubes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted May 17, 2011 Report Share Posted May 17, 2011 http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=46244 HTH. And yes, T5s would be a better option. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted May 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2011 I'd rather stay with T8 as my hood has a nifty waterproofing system. What I was asking was, can I upgrade to a higher wattage T8 ballast and tubes? Or is the tube wattage a function of length? If that's the case, is there a T5 solution that can stand condensation on the tubes? i.e the terminals are sealed? My T8s have an O ring sealed fitting that makes them fairly water resistant, so they can operate inside a sealed hood - no condensation on the windows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the-obstacle Posted May 17, 2011 Report Share Posted May 17, 2011 If you're ok replacing the ballasts and mounts you can also get waterproof t5 fittings that sound the same as what you've got. Also - you are right - T8s power ratings are based on length only. T5s come in standard and High Output modes. T5HO would be a great upgrade if you're happy to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted May 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2011 Cool, thanks for clarifying that for me. Looks like T5HO for me then I've found some waterproof end caps that look exactly like my T8s, so should be a direct swap out. I just need to figure out where to get ballasts from now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted May 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 JA Russell have ordered the ballasts in, should be here tomorrow. Ideal Electrical tried to tell me there's no difference between T5NO and T5HO ballasts, so I gave them a miss. Jeez, the proper parabolic reflectors are expensive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtiskaw Posted May 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 There's quite a range of T5HO 24 watt tubes out there, can anyone recommend what's best, and what's best bang for buck? This is for a planted pressurised CO2 tropical setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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