# Current T5 Lighting Options



## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

First, yes, I tried the Search function. 

T5 is apparently too short of a search term to be taken seriously - and lighting alone returns a bazillion results.

So ... I'm getting back in to the hobby. I've been out of it since about August because of a divorce and subsequent move across the country.

What I am looking for - 3 foot T5 lighting options. I'd prefer fixtures that were complete (rather than a parts is parts approach - and build your own). 

I'd really like to have 4 bulbs across the top of these tanks (2 16.5 x 17 x 18 22g-ish tanks per shelf) - but split into something that I could turn on/off sets of 2 lights at a time.

Geeze, I'm not too particular here, eh?

I can do two separate 2 bulb fixtures if need be - in fact, it's likely going to have to happen this way because I'm not sure how I could get two separate switches, on one fixture, on to two separate timers.

The real question - tell me about some nice 3 foot T5 fixtures please! Recent results are more relevant than past results as I think they keep making these things better all of the time.

Thank you.

Scott MacDonald
Tucson, AZ


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## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

current should make a 3ft 4xt5 ho with built in two timmers


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## wetpiggirl (Apr 27, 2010)

Scott,

How soon are you looking at getting back into the hobby? I may have some left over fixtures that I can send you. When I get home tonight, I'll measure them and post or PM the length and such. I know it doesnt help you now, but free fixtures usually beats buying new ones..... ok well sometimes.

Pig


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

Sounds interesting - do you have any links for this?

Thank you.

s


bussardnr said:


> current should make a 3ft 4xt5 ho with built in two timmers


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

My tanks should be here in about two weeks - my frogs will likely be here in about 7 weeks.

I've got a heavy duty build schedule ahead of me it appears.

Please let me know what you have - it would be very much appreciated.

Thank you.

s


wetpiggirl said:


> How soon are you looking at getting back into the hobby? I may have some left over fixtures that I can send you. When I get home tonight, I'll measure them and post or PM the length and such. I know it doesnt help you now, but free fixtures usually beats buying new ones..... ok well sometimes.


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## therizman2 (Jul 20, 2008)

Current definitely has a fixture that has two switches and two power cords so you can time the lights however youd like.

If you have the money, you can get LEDs that you can have on timers and dimmers and even simulate overcast days and thunderstorms... but you will pay a pretty penny and not sure how many tanks you are doing.


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## therizman2 (Jul 20, 2008)

Nova Extreme T5H0 | Current What's Next


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## phender (Jan 9, 2009)

I use both the Aquaticlife and Current Extreme fixtures. Interestinly enough, Aquaticlife makes a 4 bulb fixture, but it is $100 cheaper to buy 2-2 bulb fixtures and link them together. Both these fixtures have one power cord for every 2 bulbs.
Both these fixtures have individual reflectors.
I have never tried the Corallife T5 fixtures because I had several bad experiences with their regular fluorescent ballasts many years ago.

AquaticLife T5 HO Light Link Fixture - FreshWater
Current USA Nova Extreme T5HO


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## sports_doc (Nov 15, 2004)

^ those fixtures are great, but IME the bulbs arent lasting long enough for me to justify the 25$ tag on each bulb.

Anyone else with those issues?

Scott I have about a dozen 2 bulb Current Extreme T5 fixtures that I am not using if you want to try them first. 

S


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## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

SunDial T5HO is the model with built in timers


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## phender (Jan 9, 2009)

sports_doc said:


> ^ those fixtures are great, but IME the bulbs arent lasting long enough for me to justify the 25$ tag on each bulb.
> 
> Anyone else with those issues?
> 
> ...


I am not noticing my bulbs failing (they should be replace every 2 years or so) but there are several companies that are making T5 daylight bulbs that are cheaper.

Here is one http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/Bulbs/39_Watt/39W_6500K_Daylight_T5_HO_Fluorescent_by_General_Electric

I have come across others at well. Hydroponic stores are a good place to look, but they often only carry 24" and 48" lengths.


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

T5 fixtures from hydroponics stores usually work great, like this one. I have this one across two 20g verts and broms have great color. Sunleaves makes great T5 fixtures in my opinion.


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## Saviorself (Jun 29, 2010)

All my t5ho fixtures I have purchased from fishneedit.com 

3Ft/4Bulbs fixture

The bulbs that come with it are fine if you want to save a few bucks. I used the stock bulbs on my 60 gallon riparium. My 6ft fixture however I use geissman 6500k and geissman flora (plant grow bulb) t5ho bulbs. These are the lexus of t5ho bulbs excellent color from these.

My 6ft fixture from fishneedit is 3 years old now and my 2ft fixture is about a year old extremely satisfied with both for the price.


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

Shawn - I had seen this here a couple of weeks ago and marked it.

F39/T5/HO/865 - 6500 Kelvin - T5 High Output Programmed Start | 1000Bulbs.com

What size are your fixtures Shawn? You can email me if you'd prefer.

s


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Coming from 10 years of farming coral, avoid Coralife. I actually refer to the company as Coraldeath! Some of the cheapest quality stuff out there with a really pretty package so they can charge a premium price. Junk!
Doug


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## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

Pumilo said:


> Coming from 10 years of farming coral, avoid Coralife. I actually refer to the company as Coraldeath! Some of the cheapest quality stuff out there with a really pretty package so they can charge a premium price. Junk!
> Doug


They are great once you replace the ballast with a fulham workhorse.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

bussardnr said:


> They are great once you replace the ballast with a fulham workhorse.


If you have to replace the working "guts" of the fixture it's not really a Coralife anymore, is it? Besides they have some of lowest lumen ratings in the business.
Doug


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

This looks a lot like what I have in mind.

Stupid question time though - I'm going to need 6 of something like this. Where do you put all of the (external) ballasts?!?

[edit: the only negative I see is the lack of any type of reflectors. None that I see anyhow. Another 4 bulb model I'm looking at has individual reflectors on each of the 4 bulbs.]

s


Saviorself said:


> All my t5ho fixtures I have purchased from fishneedit.com
> 
> 3Ft/4Bulbs fixture
> 
> ...


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Saviorself said:


> All my t5ho fixtures I have purchased from fishneedit.com
> 
> 3Ft/4Bulbs fixture
> 
> ...


That looks like a pretty sweet deal! How long are the cords between the ballast and the fixture on yours? (i.e. how far away can the ballast be mounted?
Doug


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## Saviorself (Jun 29, 2010)

Pumilo said:


> That looks like a pretty sweet deal! How long are the cords between the ballast and the fixture on yours? (i.e. how far away can the ballast be mounted?
> Doug


The cord from the light to the ballast is about 47 inches. The reflectors in the one I have is one reflector but its bent around each bulb. My 6ft fixture only has one reflector for all the bulbs heres a link to my 2 tanks that use them.

Here is my 2ft fixture above my riparium










Here is my 6ft above my 125 gallon all plants are live and I only ran 4x39 watt t5ho and still had amazing growth. This was the one I had geisman bulbs in


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

Sweet tanks. Gorgeous.

They do come with reflectors then? In the picture in the link you included - I wasn't seeing a reflector. Bent around each bulb is the way to do it - you get the highest possible refraction of "waste" light that way.

Thanks!


Saviorself said:


> ... The reflectors in the one I have is one reflector but its bent around each bulb ...


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

Pumilo said:


> Coming from 10 years of farming coral, avoid Coralife. I actually refer to the company as Coraldeath! Some of the cheapest quality stuff out there with a really pretty package so they can charge a premium price. Junk!
> Doug


I would say Coralife is okay at best, but not terrible. I had good success with a CFL fixture on a planted aquarium of mine. Once I started using the Sunleaves T5 I don't think I'll use anything else, whether on a vivarium or planted tank. 

Pic:


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## Saviorself (Jun 29, 2010)

Scott said:


> Sweet tanks. Gorgeous.
> 
> They do come with reflectors then? In the picture in the link you included - I wasn't seeing a reflector. Bent around each bulb is the way to do it - you get the highest possible refraction of "waste" light that way.
> 
> Thanks!


Yep definilty comes with reflectors  And thanks


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

OK - last question here.

I'm planning on two 16.5 x 17 x 18 tanks under a 3 foot light.

I'm planning on 4 bulbs over these tanks. 2 bulbs will be on for 12 hours, the other 2 will likely be on for about 8 or 9 hours.

I want to be able to grow plants that have high light needs. I know I need good light - but is this overkill?

Thank you.

s


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## Mitch (Jun 18, 2010)

What wattage are the bulbs? Just as a guesstimate if you have over 6 watts per gallon I'd say its overkill in my opinion.


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## Saviorself (Jun 29, 2010)

My riparium lights stay on for around 12 hours, thats 1 grow bulb and 1 6500k bulb. And I get solid growth. Depending on the plants the extra light can help to bring out colors better.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Scott said:


> Where do you put all of the (external) ballasts?!?





Pumilo said:


> How long are the cords between the ballast and the fixture on yours? (i.e. how far away can the ballast be mounted?
> Doug





Saviorself said:


> The cord from the light to the ballast is about 47 inches.


So Scott, that gives you about 4 feet to find a place to mount the ballasts. I'm thinking perhaps screwed or tie wrapped on one of the back legs of your stand. I've seen people just mount them on top of the hood but that's not very attractive and kind of defeats the purpose of a remote ballast. Generally a ballast is made remote to get the heat away from your tank/viv and also away from your bulbs. (heat shortens bulb life)
Doug


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

Excellent idea Doug. I was contemplating where to put them based on that information. Back of the legs - probably up high - is likely the place they'll go.

The tanks are 22g - the fixture has (high output T-5 lamps Included 4 x 39w bulbs). So this is likely a bit of overkill here. But I'll play around with how long the second set of lights stays on.

s


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Scott said:


> Excellent idea Doug. I was contemplating where to put them based on that information. Back of the legs - probably up high - is likely the place they'll go.
> 
> The tanks are 22g - the fixture has (high output T-5 lamps Included 4 x 39w bulbs). So this is likely a bit of overkill here. But I'll play around with how long the second set of lights stays on.
> 
> s


Good idea since heat rises...kees it away from the froggies! That will be a good bit of light but not too much if you just watch the heat. Plus, the two banks allows you to ramp up the power. Turn two on in the morning and two a couple hours later, then reverse it for evening.
Doug


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Might be worth checking out some of the odyssea and similar lights on ebay. Odyssea are not UL listed but most seem pretty happy with them and their safety/reliability profile seems to have gotten better over the last couple years.
I think Mike Shrom got one after I posted about them so you might shoot him a PM to see how he is liking it if they are something you are interested in. As far as getting as much lighting per dollar as possible they are hard to beat.

Here are several ebay offerings of odyssea and other brands. One thing on the odyssea if you want moon lights on a t5 model you gotta go quad bulb, the doubles don't look like they have them. And for most of these fixtures you may wanna replace the reef bulbs with more standard 6500k bulbs, but for these prices that should be very affordable to do...

SolarMax 36" 2 x T5 Lunar Aquarium Strip Light Fixture - eBay (item 300428574913 end time Jan-12-11 06:28:08 PST)

WAVEPOINT T5 AQUARIUM CORAL LIGHTING FIXTURE 36" 4X39W - eBay (item 120623729484 end time Jan-17-11 12:57:49 PST)

36" 78W T5 HO AQUARIUM LIGHT HOOD MARINE REEF FISH TANK - eBay (item 300512044053 end time Jan-08-11 23:10:05 PST)

36" - 40" T5 HO Light Hood Aquarium Marine Cichlid 78W - eBay (item 110624548207 end time Jan-12-11 15:21:29 PST)

36" - 40" T5 HO Aquarium Light Hood Cichlid Marine 156W - eBay (item 110629830207 end time Jan-28-11 12:42:37 PST)


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

I appreciate the thought Dave - but I'm going to need 6 of whatever I go with, and I'd like to try and keep them all the same if possible.

s


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

The leader in the clubhouse ...

FishNeedIt 3ft4bulbs

Coming up on the inside rail ...
Odyssea 48"

I'm looking for dependability stories here now ... suggestions?

s


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## Baltimore Bryan (Sep 6, 2006)

Scott said:


> The leader in the clubhouse ...
> 
> FishNeedIt 3ft4bulbs
> 
> ...


Hey Scott,
No experience with t5 for frogs (I use t8 strip lights), but I use t5 for my reef. I was going to recommend that fishneedit fixture you linked. It was the cheapest fixture at good quality I could find when I bought it. The other Odyssea, if I remember correctly, does not have individual reflectors. For anyone who isn't familiar with the reflectors, the individual reflectors (like the ones in fishneedit) greatly improve the light output but reflecting more light from each bulb into the tank. I don't remember off the top of my head how much more light, but it was a surprisingly high percent. 
My fishneedit fixture (3 foot, 4 bulb) has been going strong for I think two years now about- and none of the original bulbs it came with have burned out! It has two switches like you wanted and you can choose what kind of bulbs you want when you buy it for free. 
The only problem with this fixture is that the plastic splash guard warped off within a month- but that doesn't matter since there is no water to be splashed into the bulbs/ endcaps in a viv. 
The fishneedit fixture also comes with LED moonlights 
For the price (I got mine at like $115, looks like they are still close to that) it is the best 4 bulb t5 HO fixture you will find premade.
Bryan


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

Thank you Bryan - I had asked about the reflectors on the FishNeedIt unit for the very reason you mention it. Hadn't thought about it on the other unit.

I also just noticed that the Odyssea unit is 48" - a bit obviouis but I missed that one. I need 36".

You know Bryan - if I could get T8 in fixtures with 4 bulbs, 2 each to a plug - I might do that. I was doing ok with 4 bulbs across a 18/18/24 Exo Terra before I moved.

But ... I'm in the mood to try and get it right. I've also got the money left over from selling everything off so I'm trying to equip my new frog office correctly. 

FishNeedIt is likely the winner here ...

Thank you,

s

[edit: Hey Bryan - just looked again and the fixture I linked doesn't appear to have LED. Doubtful that's an issue though.  ]


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## Baltimore Bryan (Sep 6, 2006)

No problem, sounds like they would be a good choice. I haven't tried to keep high- light plants or tall tanks so I've never needed powerful lights, so I've just assembled my own lights from Home Depot/ Lowe's. The fishneedit light will put out a lot of light, you should be able to mount it well above the tank to avoid heat and still get a lot of light down to the bottom. 
Will you be mounting the fixture on the viv, or suspending it from above with wire cables?
Bryan


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

I have 2 3 foot racks - 72 x 36 x 18. The tank sizes are 2 per shelf (16.5 x 17 x 18 - 22g-ish).

I'm planning on using 3 rows of tanks in each rack. One of the things I like about the FishNeedIt lights is it looks like I'll be able to mount the ballast up out of the way a bit (above the tanks). Obviously there is going to be a lot of heat here - but I'm hoping it won't be straight in to the tanks.

I'm likely only going to have these about 2" above a tank. 

<sigh>I'm doing way too much thinking here - still not sure which way to go.</sigh>

s


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## Baltimore Bryan (Sep 6, 2006)

Scott said:


> I'm planning on using 3 rows of tanks in each rack. One of the things I like about the FishNeedIt lights is it looks like I'll be able to mount the ballast up out of the way a bit (above the tanks). Obviously there is going to be a lot of heat here - but I'm hoping it won't be straight in to the tanks.


Are you saying that they ballasts will be mounted separately from the light fixture? The ballast is built into the fixture in mine. No need to mount it anywhere. 
If too much heat is getting into the tank, then an easy fix is to mount a fan to blow air across the fixture's bulbs so the heat is blow out of the way. 
And I don't know if I missed the answer to this, but if you plan on mounting the light on the tank rims using the legs the fixture comes with, you will have to be really creative with frog-proofing. I would mount it from the ceiling if possible with the wire cables so you can easily raise/ lower the fixture for maintenance, cleaning, etc.
Bryan

*Edit*- I just took another look at that light from the link, it is a slightly new model than mine. It does have the external ballasts and no moonlights. Mounting the ballasts out of the way of heat shouldn't be a problem though.


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

Here is the Odyssea 36 4 light fixture. I'd still need to see if there are reflectors on this one ...

Odyssea 36n-4x39W-T5-HO-Light-Fixture


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

The ballasts are external - check the picture ...









Also - I'm not going to use the legs. The fixtures are 35.5 inches long so I'm planning on hanging them from the shelf above them (like I did my T8's on my old setups).

s


Baltimore Bryan said:


> Are you saying that they ballasts will be mounted separately from the light fixture? The ballast is built into the fixture in mine. No need to mount it anywhere.
> If too much heat is getting into the tank, then an easy fix is to mount a fan to blow air across the fixture's bulbs so the heat is blow out of the way.
> And I don't know if I missed the answer to this, but if you plan on mounting the light on the tank rims using the legs the fixture comes with, you will have to be really creative with frog-proofing. I would mount it from the ceiling if possible with the wire cables so you can easily raise/ lower the fixture for maintenance, cleaning, etc.
> Bryan


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## Baltimore Bryan (Sep 6, 2006)

I don't know if the Odyssea fixture has individual reflectors or not- I've heard one model does and one doesn't- the only thing is that in the description of what you linked, it said "reflector" which implies just a single reflector. You should probably ask to be sure. And the other thing is that, assuming you don't want a 15,000 K look (sort of blueish, great for reefs, not plants) you would have to replace two bulbs for each Odyssea fixture since they come with 2x 10,000 K and 2x actinic, whereas the fishneedit can choose the bulbs that come with it.
Bryan


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Scott said:


> I appreciate the thought Dave - but I'm going to need 6 of whatever I go with, and I'd like to try and keep them all the same if possible.
> 
> s


There is 10 of the first and 9 of the 4th or vise versa... I thought you wanted 36"... aquatraders has 2 36" models..

quad..
Odyssea T5 High Output Lighting

dual...
Odyssea T5 High Output Aquarium Lighting


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

I was looking at the Odyssea - any idea what the reflectors are like?

I like the FishNeedIt reflectors because they wrap around each bulb. Can't really see what's going on with the Odyssea reflector.

s


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Scott said:


> I was looking at the Odyssea - any idea what the reflectors are like?
> 
> I like the FishNeedIt reflectors because they wrap around each bulb. Can't really see what's going on with the Odyssea reflector.
> 
> s


I took a look on Reef Central to see what I could find. LOTS of Reefers using T5 so thought I'd check it out. Seeing very mixed reviews. Some people saying that they are surprisingly good for the price. Others reporting fires, very cheap bulbs, ballasts going bad after a month. Here is a link to one of the threads I found. odyssea T5 fixture, how bad is it? - Reef Central Online Community
I had a lot of stuff pop up when I googled Odyssea reflector.
Doug


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

Hey Doug - I'm not a member on that forum. Could you please check the other light fixture I've been looking at?

The FishNeedIt 36" 4 Bulb?

Thank you.

s


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Scott said:


> Hey Doug - I'm not a member on that forum. Could you please check the other light fixture I've been looking at?
> 
> The FishNeedIt 36" 4 Bulb?
> 
> ...


Here are a few for you. This might be the best review. New Fishneedit T5 Fixture with Pics - Reef Central Online Community
Sounds like the bulbs kind of suck but there are some really high PAR GE 6500K bulbs available from 1000bulbs online for cheap. F39/T5/HO/865 - 6500 Kelvin - T5 High Output Programmed Start | 1000Bulbs.com But then again the bulbs are said to be pretty subpar on the odysea, too. 
Any reviews on the Fishneedit T5 fixture - Reef Central Online Community
fish need it T-5's - Reef Central Online Community
Doug


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## FunkyDragon (Sep 13, 2010)

I'm gonna put in another plug for fishneedit. It's what I run on my reef (4-bulb, 2ft model), and I love it. The reflector is indeed curved over each bulb. I've been running mine for seven months and have zero complaints. I'm still running the stock bulbs, and my coral is doing great. I dare say it would do everything you wanted for a viv, and the price tag is pretty nice.


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## edwing206 (Apr 9, 2008)

I have a 150 watt fish need it metal halide fixture and I have to say the fixtures are pretty cheap feeling/looking. But for the price they are great. Just thought I'd that out there.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Scott said:


> I was looking at the Odyssea - any idea what the reflectors are like?
> 
> I like the FishNeedIt reflectors because they wrap around each bulb. Can't really see what's going on with the Odyssea reflector.
> 
> s


I read through some of the forum posts on them. The consensus seems to be they've gotten alot better in the last couple years so you probably wanna focus on posts from 2009-10. If you do a google search for "odyssea lighting" a lot of forum topics about them come up you can read without joining. Sounds like the reflectors are so so. Basically if you are on a super tight budget but need to light that many tanks you may want odyssea or fishneedit but if you can afford to pay twice as much per fixture you may be better served in the long run going with more name brand stuff. I'd risk it since I'm broke, but you are buying 6, out of that many if they are kinda sketchy you will probably have at least 1 go down pretty quick. Tough call really....save a crap load of money and roll the dice a little, or go with a solid brand and supplier and pay out the butt


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## Saviorself (Jun 29, 2010)

With the fishneed it lights its one of those deals you get what you pay for. The bulbs are what they are which is why i chose to upgrade them to geismanns for my bigger tank. Is it as well built as some of the other more expensive brand name fixtures like TEK or Catalina, no. But I dont plan to use it as a foot ball tossing it across my living room.  

I did a lot of research before investing in my first fishneedit fixture (my 6ft) and everyone who had bought it (reef or planted tank) has been satisfied.

If you want the bling bling best bang for your buck Catalina all the way. But if your looking at doing 6 tanks and want to save a few bucks I cant recommend the fishneedit enough. The other thing you need to consider too planted tanks and reefs need a LOT more light penetration power than a vivarium does. And these fixtures have worked for both scenarios.


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## habubak (Jun 7, 2008)

Baltimore Bryan said:


> And I don't know if I missed the answer to this, but if you plan on mounting the light on the tank rims using the legs the fixture comes with, you will have to be really creative with frog-proofing. I would mount it from the ceiling if possible with the wire cables so you can easily raise/ lower the fixture for maintenance, cleaning, etc.
> Bryan



I'm glad I found this thread - I had some of the same questions Scott is struggling with. I recently purchased my T5HO from AquaticLife, but I can't give any feedback other than it worked when I took it out of the box... haven't gotten them onto the tanks yet.

Bryan, can you clarify what you meant by frog-proofing if you use the legs the fixture comes with? My T5HO comes with legs, and I was planning on using them... what was your concern? Do I need to change my plans?

Great discussion thread, all! I only wish I had found it 2 weeks ago - I'm not dissatisfied with any of the choices I made, but I might have gone for the fishneedit.com lights!

Thanks kindly!

-Steve
1.1.0 azureus
1.1.2 galacs red & black
1.0.0 beagle - spoiled rotten
1.0.0. cat - loud & obnoxious


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## Saviorself (Jun 29, 2010)

As far as the leg quality of the fishneedit lights I wasnt to happy with them. I drilled holes in the top and used eyehooks and locking nuts to hang the fixture instead.


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

Agreed - I'll be using mine in a rack - so no legs here. I'll be hanging them from the shelf above.

s


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## Baltimore Bryan (Sep 6, 2006)

habubak said:


> Bryan, can you clarify what you meant by frog-proofing if you use the legs the fixture comes with? My T5HO comes with legs, and I was planning on using them... what was your concern? Do I need to change my plans?
> 
> Thanks kindly!
> 
> -Steve


Hi Steve,
What I meant by what I said is that the legs that come with the light fixtures mount onto the plastic trim on the rim of the tanks. They take up a good chunk of this rim along the side- usually at least 6-8 inches, and the problem is that this is where the glass lid sits on the tank. If you use the legs, the lid won't sit properly on the tank unless you make a custom top- but this would be difficult and there would be a gap along a large portion of the top that I'm sure a frog and definitely fruit flies could slip through. That's why I would recommend hanging them from the ceiling with the wire cables, because then you can use a glass lid that fits well without gaps, easily move the light for maintenance, and adjust the height of the light for more or less light/ heat. 
Remember, these t5 HO lights will put out A LOT of light, I personally can't see the need for so much light over most standard sized tanks considering that most of these frogs on the forest floor would not see that much light. I guess if you are keeping really tall tanks, very high-light demanding plants, or just like it BRIGHT- but if it wasn't a tall tank I would be concerned with scorching the frogs!
Bryan


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

True Bryan (about this possibly being too much light). I'm still thinking. I tend to think too much. 

s


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Scott said:


> True Bryan (about this possibly being too much light). I'm still thinking. I tend to think too much.
> 
> s


Most tanks unless extremely short can handle at least 1.5 -2 watts of T5 or CFL lighting without over heating the tank, (Unless you have almost 0 ventilation, and assuming you don't keep your home at 80 degrees). My 30 cube has over 100watts of CFL and FL lighting on it and just a screen strip about 2 inches wide (rest glass top) that is mostly covered by a UV light which cuts down on the airflow I would get if the strip was there unobstructed. 

That tank at mid level and the floor stays just as cool if not cooler(being kinda tall) then my other vivs, low to mid 70's. The top does get a little hotter and dryer of course but as that tank holds 3 L. Willamsi geckos that was intended in the design. If I went with more glass top and pulled the geckos I think the average tank temp would still only rise 1-2 degrees (at most) and that could be compensated for probably by pulling 1 or both of the FL lights and leaving all the CFL lighting in place...which actually would still put me at 90-100watts over that tank 

So basically my point is, unless it is a short tank and/or your hitting 3-4 watts of lighting per gallon you probably won't have to worry about over lighting. I actually find my tanks near 3 watts per gallon are some of the most pleasing to look at with the best plant/moss growth. Of course if you plant it with really low light loving plants, especially if they are close to the lights then that may be to much. I tend towards more lighting, and trying to keep any low light plants in shaded areas and/or the lowest areas and that usually works well except with the most photosensitive plants, but I have jewel orchids, violets, ferns, orchids and other plants that are considered low/med light plants all doing fine. So I think with smart plant choice and placement higher lighting is the more flexible option...it just allows more possibilities and more overall choice of plants since you can do things to get most low light plants to still thrive even when pushing 3 watts per gal in standard size aquariums. You still won't be at the intensity of sunlight, will have good plant growth that provides shade for the frogs and you can usually raise the lights if you need to, so I don't see much issue with to much lighting where the frogs are concerned.


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

Good point.

These are Protean tanks - with the vent down the middle (from side to side) of the top - so there should be plenty of ventilation. 

I'm watching the LED thread too - I'd love to be able to do that just for the energy savings and lower waste heat.

s


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Scott said:


> Good point.
> 
> These are Protean tanks - with the vent down the middle (from side to side) of the top - so there should be plenty of ventilation.
> 
> ...


At some point I think I'll try those LED grow light panels, and/or some of the screw in LEDs in my old incandescent fixtures I run CFLs in now. Cheap way to go LED and light small/med tanks while saving power/replacement bulb costs. I think my LED rope light plan would work in small/med tanks too. For really large tanks though there doesn't seem to be affordable solutions that compare to t5/cfl...unless those grow light panels would be adequate and reliable...kinda looks like they might be for standard tanks as tall as 55-75 gal (which are the same height as each other usually)


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## Saviorself (Jun 29, 2010)

Thats the problem with led lights. To much money up front. They do work great though. Quite a few people on the planted fish tank forums have switched to these with great success.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Saviorself said:


> Thats the problem with led lights. To much money up front. They do work great though. Quite a few people on the planted fish tank forums have switched to these with great success.


Ya and honestly I think most makers are just milking the new factor and early adopters for all they are worth. I highly doubt the development and components warrant the kinda prices we are seeing from major manufactures so far. Most of the components they probably already have access to, as well as many of the machines needed for the manufacturing process. Really what stops them from taking the same basic fixture housings and many of the same electronic components and using them with LEDs and putting them in enclosures they are already set up to make? Nothing except greed, and/or intelligence is my guess


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