Bulb recomendation for 30" 31w T-5 HO

[Green Thumb Aquatics]

I need to replace a 30" bulb in a t-5 HO light, I believe they are 31w a piece.. as can anyone recomend a nice brand to buy with a good output, I do not have a light meter and do not have any easy way to get my hands on one, so you gurus out there that have tested them, which one will give me a nice high output over other brands??

where to buy also if you happen to know

thanks a ton

Mike

 

[Left C]

Your 30" T5HO fixture is rather obscure in that there is a very limited selection of bulbs for it. I went on several sites and all I found were 6700K, 10,000K and Colormax 30" T5HO's. A 6700K and 10,000K combination may grow your plants OK. If you have a lot of red colors, you may want a Colormax in your mix. But, I've read that the Colormax bulbs don't grow plants as well as 6700K or 10,000K bulbs.

 

[Green Thumb Aquatics]

thanks Left C for answering this.... I have not found good results either, I would think will all the 20L and 29 gallon tanks out there, it would be more popular.. I am going to just buy whatever they have at That Pet Place when I go down for the ACLC meetin on Saturday... really raised above the tank, its not putting out enough light to keep some of the plants happy... I got no growth out of my Riccia and my unkown foreground plant I found here in PA, and some of the hydrocotyles all seems as tho they are not gettin enough light.... I have over 10 BPS going into it right now, and I could not get any pearling.... the one bulb is pretty old, but I would think it should throw off more light... its a coralife so its nothing like an ATI or one of the other nice brands... I am going to change out bulb and see if it makes the difference, if not I will be building my first LED fixtures and use them...

ferts and CO2 are at a non limiting level so light is the only thing left I could see being the issue...

 

[Left C]

thanks Left C for answering this.... I have not found good results either, I would think will all the 20L and 29 gallon tanks out there, it would be more popular.. I am going to just buy whatever they have at That Pet Place when I go down for the ACLC meeting on Saturday...

20L, 29g and 37g are popular aquarium sizes. You would think that there would be more 30" bulbs available, but they just aren't. There are plenty of 24", 36" and 48" bulb selections and a little less 18", 60", and 72". Maybe 30" bulbs are not used much at all in industrial settings like the 24", 36" and 48" bulbs are. At least there is a good selection of 30" fixtures to pick from.

It seems that the Coralife 30" 6700K T5HO's are on sale for $4 off at TPP.
Coralife High Output T5 Lamp - 6700K - 30 in. - 31W Was: $15.99 Now Only: $11.99: http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/246636/product.web
Coralife High Output T5 Lamp - 10,000K - 30 in. - 31W Now Only: $15.99: http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/246628/product.web
The 30 in. Colormax isn't listed. It may be out of stock at the moment: http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/gro... is a question that I feel odd about asking.)

 

[Green Thumb Aquatics]

the fixture is hung above the tank as close as it can get, as it has emersed DW, which eventually with have emersed growth on it, growth has been very slow in tank, I am hoping it picks up a bit with new bulbs...

it has one 6700, and one 10,000k, the 10k is pretty old maybe 1 1/2 years.. and looks alot darker than the 6700k, I hope this will resolve issue

here are pics so you can see how fixture is hung and why it cannot be lowered

here is a pic of the reflection of the bulbs so you can see how much dimmer the 10k looks, this may be due to the spectrum but I am changing out bulb for sure...

the extra light you see in the pic is just and extra I put up on the shelf to get some extra light in the tank for the pics

 

[Left C]

That is going to be one really nice set up!

Here is an option if that new bulb doesn't help. You can overdrive your lights from T5-HO to T5-VHO by using an IceCap 430 or 660 ballast. IceCap has been sold to CoralView. You can get ballasts from them and many other places including ebay. The 430 ballast is a bit cheaper. ebay 430's: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...313&_nkw=IceCap+430&_sacat=See-All-Categories

Also, I looked at a lot of 30" T5HO fixtures. They all had 24" bulbs except Coralife's. Maybe you can go with either a different fixture like one with 3 or 4 bulbs or add another fixture like you have now.

Have you checked your PAR guesstimate using Hoppy's charts?

 

[Green Thumb Aquatics]

yes and according to Hoppy's chart I would have about 100 par, but I think with the poor quality of reflectors and bulbs, I am no where near that, I mean 100 par should be plenty of light to grow riccia, and I had the riccia stones in there for 3 weeks and did not have any even comin through the clear shower loufa thing I wrap them with, put back in my old tank, the instantly grew, I literally had signs of growth by end of day.

I do have another one of the exact same fixtures, this one the ballast went out so they sent me a new one and I kept the old.. but I would prefer not to have to hang another one over it.. we'll see how the bulbs do for it, then on to the next option.. I would be replacing the ballast on the other light either way, is it possible to just switch to the VHO?, will it wire in?, will I need to use adapters or anything? will my bulbs work?

 

[Left C]

As far as I know, you can run the 430 or 660 ballast. But, be safe and double check. There are tons and tons of info about these ballasts. You can contact CoralView and ask. They are prompt to respond. I had a question about my 660 ballast. Anyway, they told me that I could run my 24" T5HO's with my 660. ShadowMac has used a 660 ballast to overdrive his 24" T5HO's. He may have plenty of information. He quit running his because of algae issues.

Note that CoralView doesn't offer a new 430 ballast, but they offer support to fix them. You can still see new 430's around. The difference between the 430 and the 660 is that the 660 can run more bulbs. The rest is the same. They have a new version of the 660. You can read about it on CoralView's site.

 

[Left C]

... I am going to just buy whatever they have at That Pet Place when I go down for the ACLC meetin on Saturday...

Hi Green Thumb Aquatics

Did you pick up a bulb or bulbs from ThatPetPlace?

Left C

 

[Green Thumb Aquatics]

I did pick up the bulbs and replaced, they look a ton brighter... but due to some weird stuff happening in tank...(stunted and completely stopped growth) I am starting to think this is not a lighting problem....althought, in the front corner of the tank, it gets a little indirect and about half and hour of direct sunlight, the plants that get hit with this do seem to be doing better than the others....

the only insight I have been given was possibly its CO2 related, however I do not agree with that, but to be sure I have added some overkill.. I am running a ton to tank, its being mixed in multiple ways, ladder diffuser w DIY, and pressurized through GLA's biggest atomizer, and pressurized through a canister filter..... lol and its only a 20 gal, not exactly the hardest size to get enough CO2 into the water.... no critters can live in it as it fries em when the CO2 is on, and that was before the addition of DIY and the additional canister filter

althought the bulbs definately needed replaced, IMO, its something in the tank/water possibly something to do with how the flourish was treated to rid it of algae before goin into tank, possibly the worm castings I used has something not cool in them... or the rocks had something on them a little toxic...

dunno, but something is not right...

CO2 if it was not sufficient is for sure now, lighting should be good to go, althought still no pearling? and ferts are good to... so its gotta be something.. I really done wanna have to tear down and replace substrate/rocks....

if you have any idea here is the thread : )

http://www.barrreport.com/showthread.php/9737-Gurus-Tom-etc-point-me-in-the-right-direction

 

[Left C]

I did pick up the bulbs and replaced, they look a ton brighter... but due to some weird stuff happening in tank...(stunted and completely stopped growth) I am starting to think this is not a lighting problem....althought, in the front corner of the tank, it gets a little indirect and about half and hour of direct sunlight, the plants that get hit with this do seem to be doing better than the others....

the only insight I have been given was possibly its CO2 related, however I do not agree with that, but to be sure I have added some overkill.. I am running a ton to tank, its being mixed in multiple ways, ladder diffuser w DIY, and pressurized through GLA's biggest atomizer, and pressurized through a canister filter..... lol and its only a 20 gal, not exactly the hardest size to get enough CO2 into the water.... no critters can live in it as it fries em when the CO2 is on, and that was before the addition of DIY and the additional canister filter

althought the bulbs definately needed replaced, IMO, its something in the tank/water possibly something to do with how the flourish was treated to rid it of algae before goin into tank, possibly the worm castings I used has something not cool in them... or the rocks had something on them a little toxic...

dunno, but something is not right...

CO2 if it was not sufficient is for sure now, lighting should be good to go, althought still no pearling? and ferts are good to... so its gotta be something.. I really done wanna have to tear down and replace substrate/rocks....

if you have any idea here is the thread : )

http://www.barrreport.com/showthread.php/9737-Gurus-Tom-etc-point-me-in-the-right-direction

I'm reading your thread right now. If I run into something as I'm reading it, I'll ask you here.

* Did you use Osmocote or Osmocote plus? If you used regular Osmocote, you might as well tear it down because you'll get a bunch of algae problems from the urea/ammonium in Osmocote.

* You used a bunch of Osmocote?

* Your substrate is a mixture of a bunch of different used substrates?

*** If the above is true, wrestle with it some. Numerous water changes will help. Dose K2SO4 and trace. If you don't see any good changes, order some Amazonia (Normal Type) and a little bit of Amazonia (Powder Type) to top off areas where HC, glosso, dwarf hairgrass, etc will be growing. AquaForestAquarium.com is getting a new container in at the end of this month with more Amazonia in it. Right now, they are out of stock except for some 3L bags. To figure how much that you need, here is the way. Amazonia comes in 9 liter and 3 liter bags. One liter = 61 cubic inches. Then do the math. As an example, let's say that you want a 3" substrate depth in your 20 long that has a footprint that's 30" x 12". So, 3" x 30" x 12" = 1080 cubic inches. Divide 1080 cubic inches by 61 cubic inches per liter. This gives you 17.7 liters. Now, according to this, you will need two of the 9 liter bags for a total of 18 liters.

Really, if you do have to tear it down, I strongly suggest that you use Amazonia. This is what my 3 month old tank looks like with Amazonia.

 

[Green Thumb Aquatics]

I used O+, not the reg, the only used substrate was a mix of flourish from other tanks that I capped the O+ and worm castings with...

I have not done any substrate fertilization up to this point, now I am starting to mess with it, lol this is first attempt....

I have a bunch of UP aquasoil I am using, right now I have less than no cash, so I wont be able to pick up amazonia for quite a time...

the substrate in it was a thin layer of flourish black(new) O+, worm castings, used flourish to cap(this was a mixture of 3 types of flourish and a little EC) maybe a 1/2-3/4" then up aquasoil..... the reason for doing this is just to mess with worm castings and osmocote plus, and to save as much of the UP as possible for my 75 gallon build I have coming up soon...

I just took out one of the rocks and scrubbed it, a ton of stuff came off it.. I am tending to think since the rocks were trucked in to the area I took them from, they could be the issue.. I really hope not : (... I soaked them for a while before putting them in, but did not boil or scrub....

 

[Left C]

"less than no cash!" I'm in the same boat. I know what you mean.

Great! It was O+. The good stuff.

What came off of the rock? Organic stuff? Mineral stuff? Have you tried pouring a weak acid on it like Muriatic Acid (weak hydrochloric acid) to see if it fizzles? Sulfuric Acid like battery acid? etc?

Hopefully the new bulbs will help. Do note that your aquarium needs some oxygen in it for the bacteria and plants to breathe.

Good luck with it. I've got to get back to doing some spring ...er... winter cleaning. I have the annual apartment inspection tomorrow. My landlord sure is picky too. Grr ....

 

[Green Thumb Aquatics]

it was some grey stuff, same color as the rock, and some brown stuff too, I thought that was just the color of the rock, now its like a bright grey, before it was a darker grey with some brown.... this same brown/dark grey is present on alot of the rocks...

as I put in the other thread, I am not a patient dude... so one day when i had some time(I am a young guy with 2 businesses, and custody of my 2 year old son) so I when I do have time, its usually something unexpected, and I sometimes rush what I am doing... this would be no different ; ) so I did not scrub down any of the DW or rocks as I usually do before adding them... this stinks because I cannot take out all the rocks without completely destroying the scape and having to redo the tank......

hmmmm gonna give it a few more weeks of water changes and random stuff,,, but if that doesnt do the trick, then tearing it down will be next....

I did try the fizz test on them, and they were fine, but they do have white streaks and patches, so I would guess they are at least partially calcium based....

I do use an airstone at night, but even with 20x flow on my filters, 409 gph combined, the surface movement seems to not have much of a ripple however it could pretty easily be more as the outputs are way below the water line. I did add surface movement when trying to add fish, but not when its just the plants.. I am going to let as is with the lights and CO2 increase, next test will be adjusting surface movement for more oxygen as that is not something I had thought of for the plants, only for the fish...

Thanks a ton Left C.... BTW is that your Camaro? I sold my toy when my son was born, 65 Mustang in the middle of a rebuild, was going to be pretty nutty, stroked out 331, had the engine all built, pretty radical for pump gas, just didnt have the cash yet for a tranny as the old 4 speed wouldnt have held up... previously I was running a 289 on it, fun little engine... it was the metalic maroon they used to sell them in with a bit extra flake in the paint job, and white racing stripes...

 

[Left C]

The rocks may be sedimentary or they may have some carbonates. I'm not fond of using Vinegar for a fizz test. It is too weak. I use muriatic acid which is much stronger. The white streaks could be quartz or some form of carbonate or feldspar, or ???. There used to be a "rockologist" on the forums. I don't know if he is still around and I have forgotten his name now. If he is still around, he may be able to identify them.

It is best to not make too many changes in an aquarium at a time. You want to be able to identify what the actual problem is and what causes it and what fixes it. It is wise to let it run for a while like you are planning on doing.

That's a '68 Rally Green Z/28. It isn't mine, but I had one like it when I was in high school and college. It would scoot pretty good. I know that you are missing your Mustang. It sounds like you had a terrific project going with it. Here in Burlington, NC are two companies that sell Chevelle restoration parts. The one closest to me, 3 blocks away, has a display room with restored Super Sport Chevelles and El Caminos. He has some extremely nice cars. They are restored to look like they just rolled of of the assembly line. Do you watch the Mecum auctions either online or on the Velocity channel? There are some nice muscle cars in his auctions. Here is the web site: http://mecum.com/

 

[Green Thumb Aquatics]

I dont get to watch much TV during the day but I have caught a couple of the auctions, I used to be really into muscle cars, however nowadays, if I could pick something up to build, it would either be a early 30's or 50's Ford, they never had the best engines, althought the 429 they put out was nuts... but the body styles have such classic lines...

this is my dad's 34, I did the interior in it, it was my first interior job I ever did...

here is a pic of the interior, everything was custom made from the door panels to the rumble seat, the seats were out of a 71 Granada...

here is a pic from partway through the build....

lol gotta love hi-jacking my own thread with car stuff ; )

 

[Left C]

Your dad sure has a very nice '34!!! Speaking of engines, at the Barrett/Jackson auction at the Charlotte motor speedway about 12 years ago, someone had a '53 Ford pickup with the 427 SOHC engine. Just that rare motor alone was worth a bunch of money. Here's a bit of info about that motor: http://www.supermotors.net/articles/lfm-issue01-a2-1.php and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ1nfaQQt-M