Which would give me better light?

1129 Views 10 Replies 5 Participants Last post by shrimpNewbie, Aug 2, 2012

baronen

Discussion Starter · Jul 24, 2012

Right now I am using a 24 inch coralife 96 watt compact fluorescent fixture and the growth is disappointing considering im using pressurized co2 and ei dosing.

would this give me better growth? its right where im willing to spend too

http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaticL...xtures-AquaticLife-AK01142-FILTFIT54U-vi.html

i would get the 36 inch one and just have it over hang three inches on each side. i wouldnt mind that

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Wasserpest

· #2 · Jul 24, 2012 (Edited)

I think it would give you roughly the same growth with comparable light output.

Your 96W PC bulb is pretty much just a bent T5HO. So you reduce some wattage, lose light due to the overhang, and gain a few points due to less restrike and perhaps better reflectors.

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baronen

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jul 24, 2012

ive heard terrible, terrible things about the reflectors for my light. so much so that some would consider it low light.

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livingword26

· #4 · Jul 24, 2012

I have a single T5HO bulb with a homeade reflector hanging 7 inches above my aquarium. My baby tears are growing so fast, they 6 - 8 inches tall, and have taken over all of my substrate. All the rest of my plants are growing well also, Rotala, Moneywort, and Brazil Pennywort. My drop checker is yellow/green, I am putting 2 or 3 bps co2 in. I have 10 ppm Nitrate, 5 ppm Potassium, and 2 ppm Phosphate, I dose Flourish Comprehensive for my micro's. From what Hoppy said about your light, you are probably high light, at least in the center parts of your tank. If you change to a dual T5HO, you are going to have to hang your fixture at least 4" to bring it out of the "to high light" range. A single T5Ho fixture would probably suit you better. Like these:

http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=71_198_200&products_id=1836

http://www.amazon.com/Hagen-Linear-Fluorescent-Lighting-24-Inch/dp/B000VJWGUW

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baronen

Discussion Starter · #5 · Aug 2, 2012

livingword26 said:
I have a single T5HO bulb with a homeade reflector hanging 7 inches above my aquarium. My baby tears are growing so fast, they 6 - 8 inches tall, and have taken over all of my substrate. All the rest of my plants are growing well also, Rotala, Moneywort, and Brazil Pennywort. My drop checker is yellow/green, I am putting 2 or 3 bps co2 in. I have 10 ppm Nitrate, 5 ppm Potassium, and 2 ppm Phosphate, I dose Flourish Comprehensive for my micro's. From what Hoppy said about your light, you are probably high light, at least in the center parts of your tank. If you change to a dual T5HO, you are going to have to hang your fixture at least 4" to bring it out of the "to high light" range. A single T5Ho fixture would probably suit you better. Like these:

http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=71_198_200&products_id=1836

http://www.amazon.com/Hagen-Linear-Fluorescent-Lighting-24-Inch/dp/B000VJWGUW

someone stated that my light would be equal to the 2 bulb t5ho fixture... im confused?

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Hoppy

· #6 · Aug 2, 2012 (Edited)

Just look at your light. When you look at the bulbs, do you see a full image of each bulb on each side of it? That is what happens when you have just a fairly good reflector. With a very good reflector you see more than one image of the bulb on each side of the bulb. Each of those images is a source of more light going to the tank. So, a very good reflector can just about triple the amount of light you can get into the tank from a bulb. A fairly good reflector can double the amount of light you can get. The Coralife PC lights I have seen don't have enough room on the sides of the bulb for any light to be reflected back into the tank. That is the same as having no reflector at all. The shiny flat surface hidden behind the bulbs does nothing except help to sell the light.

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baronen

Discussion Starter · #7 · Aug 2, 2012

Hoppy said:
Just look at your light. When you look at the bulbs, do you see a full image of each bulb on each side of it? That is what happens when you have just a fairly good reflector. With a very good reflector you see more than one image of the bulb on each side of the bulb. Each of those images is a source of more light going to the tank. So, a very good reflector can just about triple the amount of light you can get into the tank from a bulb. A fairly good reflector can double the amount of light you can get. The Coralife PC lights I have seen don't have enough room on the sides of the bulb for any light to be reflected back into the tank. That is the same as having no reflector at all. The shiny flat surface hidden behind the bulbs does nothing except help to sell the light.

so you are saying the aquaticlife fixture would be an upgrade?

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livingword26

· #8 · Aug 2, 2012

Since your current pc fixture is a quad bulb, if you look at the charts listed in the link below, a 16" tank, with 2 inches of substrate will put you in the medium/high light range, at least directly under the light. A dual T5HO fixture will put you in the "to high" range. A single T5HO fixture will put you at the very top edge of the high light range, it would be better to raise it 2 - 4 inches to make the light level more manageable. If you are still having poor growth, have you tested your nitrates and phosphates yet, and exactly what are you dosing.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=105774

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livingword26

· #9 · Aug 2, 2012

If you study all three of these charts, there is some room for interpretation, especially because of the quality of the reflectors. If you run the Aquatic life dual T5HO, you are going to have some really high light, they look to me like really good reflectors. The Current Nova Extreme T5 fixture is still going to be very high light, but the reflectors are not as good, so if you have to have a T5ho, that would be a better fit. Better yet, the Fishneedit.com dual fixture would be even lower light. Some of the part tests have put it closer to a quality T5NO than a T5HO, and it would put you at medium/high light. The 30" fixture has 24" bulbs though, I would get the 36" fixture.

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Hoppy

· #10 · Aug 2, 2012

baronen said:
so you are saying the aquaticlife fixture would be an upgrade?

In my opinion, the Aquaticlife fixture would be a big upgrade.

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shrimpNewbie

· #11 · Aug 2, 2012

Hoppy said:
In my opinion, the Aquaticlife fixture would be a big upgrade.

+1 hoppy's last post said it all the coralife pc is of low quality compared to the aquaticlife t5HOs

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