About T5 aquarium lights

To buy a T5 aquarium lighting, simply follow this link. If you need information firstly, then go through this page... To get the best from your aquarium, you need to make sure that the lighting you install provides the maximum results. Lighting which does not suit the application or is insufficient in strength will in time depress the growth of the fish in the tank and will affect their health. What an experienced aquarium owner is constantly aware of is the need to provide 12 hours of effective and appropriate lighting in their aquarium in order to provide an atmosphere as close as possible to the occupant’s natural surroundings.

For this reason, a conscientious aquarium owner will always be on the look out for the best combination of lighting that they can provide for the fish their care. And they may well find it if they opt for T5 aquarium lights.

What is a T5 aquarium light?

Many people get quite excited when they hear the term, T5 because the human brain works in such a way that they automatically assort the number five with the connotation that these lights must be five times stronger than anything else on the market. However for anyone with even the most basic of knowledge of what aquarium lighting would not want to have lighting that is five times stronger because that would only be harmful for the fish, or anything else that lives in the aquarium. The five in T5 applies to something as innocent as the diameter of the tube. Five eighth of an inch (62mm) to be exact. Many people are unaware of this fact, yet when you think of it logically, the same scale carries its way through all of the dimensions of aquarium lighting tubes, up to and including the T8 which is exactly one inch (2.54cm) in diameter.

So why should the smaller T5 be better than the T8? The answer is simple. Due to advances in technology that have emerged recently the T5 is capable of producing a much more powerful light than in the past. And for those who would immediately come up with the next question. So why don’t I just install a more powerful version of the T8 in my aquarium, the answer would be that, the new improved T8 would provide a light that was too strong and may be harmful to the fish.

This new development in aquarium light technology means that the options for aquarium lighting are more interesting than in the past. Aquarium owners who are more experienced and prepared top experiment with their lighting have discovered that T5 aquarium lights produce a light that is "flatter" similar to that of a fluorescent, as opposed to the metal halide which bears similar characteristics to a spot lamp, through shining and an intense ray of a light on a particular spot,. This characteristic can have a derogatory effect ton the health of the fish and particularly any plants that are directly under the glare of the lamp, and can even kill it. There are some aquarium owners who claim that the T5’s light is too dull so they install a mixture of T5’s and metal halides to put on a “show”.

If you were to place a T5 aquarium light beside a standard fluorescent tube of exactly the same dimensions you would notice the considerable differences in strength and brightness that the T5 provides. Strength and brightness that is more than sufficient for an average home of office aquarium.

The numbers of T5 aquarium lights that should be installed in an aquarium should be decided by the volume of the aquarium. The should be installed in even numbers if possible in a sequence running blue, white, blue white ad infinitum. As is the norm, there will be a timing system installed in the tank which will switch the T5s on and off once or may be twice a day, A worthwhile tip for the aquarium owner who wants to get the maximum from the color combinations provided is to separate the timer options so that the blue T5 fluorescent tubes will switch on a half an hour before the whites and switch off half an hour after, This will probably require the installation of another timer system. However it will be money well spent, as it will be a major tool in curbing the spread of algae, especially if there are corals in the aquarium.

For aquarium owners who are considering switching from standard fluorescent tubes to T5s there may be some consternation when they discover how much this investment will cost them. However switching to T5’s has to be considered as a long term investment both in terms of how long they will last, the lighting power they provide and the positive affects that they will have on the aquariums occupants. When compared to metal halides the comparison is slightly easier to make as they are much the same price. They only choice that is left to the aquarium owner in this instance are to decide whether he wants to provide the fish under their protection ideal light or cook them under a spot lamp.

So that people who are considering switching to T5 fluorescents don’t get the impression that all is “light” there are certain drawbacks to be considered. The tubes are inclined to become very warm of an extended period of operation. For that reason it is worthwhile considering operating them is shorter cycles. Another problem that may occur is because the light is less powerful than that of the metal halides it may have difficulty reaching deep into the tank. This will not affect the fish as much as the corals at the bottom of the tank, especially if it is deep. This is the reason why many owners install a metal halide bulb or two to make sure that light penetrates deep within the tank to specific points.

T5 aquarium lights are fairly new and the exact extent of their potential is yet to be fully and totally ascertained. There can be no doubt that they will have the potential to provide fish breeders with a cost effective and efficient way to provide adequate sources of light for their aquarium.